Page 51 of All That She Needs

But Chloe was too excited. She didn't seem to hear me. She quickly dragged her usual chair back and flopped into the seat. "Can I eat this first?" She pointed at her favorite dessert.

My legs felt heavy as I followed her to the table and took my usual seat. Kayden sat across from me, and I noticed him steal a brief glance at the empty chair where his father usually sat. Oh, Kayden. This was so hard for him, too, even if he tried not to show it. It broke my heart that he felt the need to be strong at such a young age, dealing with worries that shouldn't have been his. He was growing up too fast. I promised myself that I would do everything I could to help him enjoy his youth from now on.

"No, sweety," I said to Chloe. "Wash your hands and eat your dinner first."

She pursed her lips and scowled at me. "Fine," she huffed, eyeing her dish. "This looks delicious, by the way." Then she got up to wash her hands at the sink, followed closely by her brother, who couldn't bear to meet her gaze.

When they returned to the table and started eating, Chloe eagerly dug into her meal, while Kayden struggled to chew, his fork hesitating above his plate. I watched him, noticing how he forced himself to take bites, clearly preoccupied with his thoughts.

"How's school today? Anything exciting?" I asked, my gaze hard on my son, hoping to break through the trouble that was weighing on him. He was worried about his sister, knowing that she would not take this news easily.

Kayden glanced up, but only for a moment, before looking back down at his food. "Not much happened," he mumbled, pushing the pieces of steak around his plate.

Chloe chimed in, eager to shift the focus, utterly oblivious to the tension that I and her brother were currently struggling with. "I had my first art class today," she said with her mouth full. "I painted a giant purple tree." Her enthusiasmwarmed my heart, while Kayden's silence lingered between us. Unaware of her brother's troubled silence, Chloe continued, "I think I can be an artist someday." She said this confidently as she fished her phone out of her skirt pocket and scrolled through it.

"After you finish your dinner," I told her.

"Wait, a second. I want to show you. I took a picture." Then she showed me her screen. "Isn't it amazing?"

At the sight of it, my lips twitched. Her painting was terribly awful. Kayden glanced at it and frowned. I raised my brows at him, sensing he was seconds away from voicing his opinion. He deflated and returned his attention to his food.

"That's great, sweetie," I said to my sweet little daughter. "Just keep practicing, and you'll see improvement."

"Yeah." She looked at her painting again, beaming with pride. "Can I take an art course for this, Mom? Maybe on weekends."

"Of course." At this point, I probably would say yes to anything she asked.

We continued our dinner in silence after that. As I cleared the dishes and took them to the sink, I noticed Kayden hadn't even finished half of his meal. I made a mental note to make him a sandwich to take to his room later—he was a growing boy and athletic, so he needed to eat more. Afterward, we moved on to dessert.

And now it was time to talk.

I took a deep breath, then exhaled quietly. Kayden seemed to do the same.

"Chloe," I began. She looked up at me with her brows raised. "There's something I need to talk to you and your brother."

Chloe straightened up, placing her fork beside her half-eaten dessert. She didn't ask what I wanted to talk about, but the way her body tensed and her smile disappeared told me she already had an idea.

I glanced at Kayden, who hadn't touched his dessert. He was looking down, avoiding my gaze.

"It's about your dad and me." I continued. "I filed for a divorce." I paused, gauging her reaction. Chloe was still silent, but her gaze on me was hard, and the lightness from earlier had vanished. "I'm sorry, honey; I know that this is hurting you both, but this is something that needs to be done."

Chloe swallowed, and her eyes started to glaze. "Why?" she asked quietly.

"Why?" I echoed, a little thrown back by her question.

"Yeah, Mom. Why?" Chloe's voice sharpened, her eyes now burning with emotion. "He made a lot of mistakes. You kicked him out, and since then, he's been trying so hard to win us back. If you still want to punish him, then punish him until you think it's enough. But do you really have to divorce him?"

"Honey, he betrayed us. He—"

"He betrayedyou," she cut me off, her tone harsh. "Not me, and not Kayden."

I froze for a moment, speechless. This was exactly what I had feared—seeing my daughter vulnerable, becoming someone like me. She couldn't be like me. She needed to be stronger, to know her worth, to stand up for herself. The thought of her someday marrying a man who might hurt her, only for her toendure the pain and forgive him time and again, terrified me. I didn't want her to repeat my mistakes. She deserved better.

Chloe's eyes glistened, and she began to sob. I saw the pain she was trying so hard to hide. "He promised he wouldn't do it again, Mom. He promised he would try his best to make up for his mistakes."

"Chloe, if we take him back, he wouldn't fully understand the gravity of his mistake. He would think that since we forgave him once, we could do it again. He'd believe he could just keep making the same mistakes, and we'd keep letting it slide."

Chloe shook her head, her voice rising. "But people make mistakes, Mom. Isn't that what love is about? Forgiving, working through things? How can you just throw him away like this?"

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