Ex Husband Wants Me Back

Chapter 10

Lessie's POV

"Heh, look who's here. It's the former Mrs. Green. I can't believe I'm actually seeing her after all this time," a voice called out.

I stopped in my tracks but didn't turn around right away. I stood still until the voice's owner moved in front of me.

"What? Are you too ashamed to face me?" she sneered. It was Sylvia, an old schoolmate. Back when news of my marriage to Freddie had spread, it had stirred up a lot of bitterness and jealousy among them.

I wouldn't have thought much of Sylvia, except she made her bullying towards me painfully obvious—and all because of... sigh.

I could imagine how thrilled many of them must have been when they heard about my divorce five years ago.

"What do you want?" I asked, straight to the point.

"Nothing much, just happy to see how you got dumped in the end. It’s quite satisfying, actually."

"Is that all?" I responded, unfazed.

"Lessie!" Sylvia snapped, clearly irritated by my indifference, but I didn’t care.

"What?"

"You're acting like you're better than everyone else. Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty?" she hissed. "You fell out of the high society years ago, so stop pretending you're more than me now."

I sighed, not wanting to waste my energy on her.

"Are you done?" I asked, impatiently. I was here to buy a gown, not to engage with someone so bitter.

"No, I'm not done. You're going to listen to me-"

I didn’t bother letting her finish. I turned and walked away.

"How dare you walk away!" she yelled, her voice fading as I moved further away.

I glanced back when I no longer heard her, noticing someone had stopped to talk to her. Then, I continued deeper into the mall.

I glanced around and stepped into the clothing store. Perhaps because I was dressed too casually, the staff barely acknowledged my presence. They gave me a quick look before returning to their seats.

I didn’t mind being overlooked, unlike the wealthy customers who were fussed over. I made my way to the clothing racks and selected a simple yet elegant black gown.

I didn’t know much about the party tomorrow night, but I still wanted to dress well. Even after seeing the price tag, I decided to buy it. I couldn’t afford to be careless about my appearance.

I went to the cashier and paid, noticing the same staff who had ignored me earlier now looking at me with surprise. After completing my purchase, I left the mall, relieved not to see Sylvia's shadow anywhere.

With the shopping bag in hand, I took out my phone and dialed my hotel room number. Jasmine answered, "Hello?"

"Sweetheart, I haven't forgotten. I'll get you and James something, okay? Goodbye." I reassured her, hoping it would ease her mind.

"Alright, Mommy, we’re waiting," Jasmine replied cheerfully, making me laugh before ending the call.

After hanging up, I breathed a sigh of relief and went back inside the mall, this time heading straight to the snack shop. I quickly picked up some snacks and a juice drink. After grabbing a variety of treats, I paid and returned to the hotel.

When I reached our door, I knocked but got no response.

"Babies, open up! Mommy’s back," I called out, raising my voice slightly. I paused, pressing my ear to the door when I thought I heard faint noises.

Oh, these kids... I smacked my forehead.

I knocked again, louder this time. "James! Jasmine!!" Fortunately, the door finally opened, and I gasped at the sight of the room—pillows on the floor, the duvet thrown around, and toys scattered everywhere.

I glanced at the mess before slowly looking at the kids, who were standing with their heads bowed.

"Sorry, Mommy," they said in unison, looking guilty. I opened my mouth to scold them but closed it again. I wanted to be stern, but their innocent faces made it impossible.

I knew Jasmine and James were usually well-behaved, but sometimes Jasmine got a little playful. She would always coax James, who was more reserved, to join in, and he never could resist her.

Despite knowing this, I put on a frown and pretended to be upset. "What’s all this? You’ve made a mess of the room!"

James and Jasmine looked at me, tears welling up as they heard me raise my voice. "Mommy, don’t be angry. We won't do it again," James said softly, with Jasmine nodding along.

Looking at their sweet, innocent faces, I burst out laughing, unable to keep up the pretense.

"I’m not mad, sweethearts," I said, moving closer to hug them. When they saw I was genuinely not upset, they jumped around in excitement.

"See? I told you Mommy wouldn't be mad at us, but you didn't want to play! Now look," Jasmine said, pouting at James, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

"Alright, alright. Go play on the balcony while I tidy up the room," I instructed, waving them off, but Jasmine zipped past me.

I turned and saw her heading straight for the bag of snacks I brought in.

"Mommy, are these for us?" she asked, eyes bright with anticipation. I nodded.

"Yes, but you can only have two snacks now and save the rest for later," I said.

After checking out the snacks in the bag, her eyes lit up, and she dropped it before running over and jumping into my arms, making me bend down to her level.

"Mommy, you’re the best! You got me lots of chocolates!" she squealed, nuzzling her face happily against my neck.

I chuckled, already expecting this reaction the moment she saw all those chocolates. She absolutely loves them, and any chance she gets to have a stash of chocolates makes her day.

"I'm the best mommy? Well, that makes me so happy!" I said, playfully widening my eyes in mock surprise before kissing Jasmine on the head. "Come here, my boy," I added, pulling James close and showering his face with kisses.