After Johnson left, Evelyn finally flew into a rage. "Shirley, so this is why you came here? You knew Johnson would attend grandpa's birthday party and wanted to validate your existence, right? But you should know he won't like a filthy woman like you!"

"Where are my dad's belongings?" Shirley slung her bag over her shoulder. She wouldn't have wasted so much time here if not for the boy who bore much resemblance to Alice.

She wondered how Alice was at home.

Seeing Shirley's indifferent and calm look, Evelyn felt disrespected and gave her a hard push on impulse...

...

When Shirley went back home, it had been 12 o'clock.

"Shirley, they beat you?" Kevin Wilson was surprised by her messy look.

Her hair tumbled, her sleeve was torn off, and her cheek was red with a hand-shaped mark. It pained him so much to see such a sight.

Shirley waved her hand to stop him from asking. Then, she looked into a bedroom. "How was Alice today? Did she cause any trouble for you?"

"No, she's as lovely as you," Kevin replied as he tried to repress his curiosity. "She ate a bowl of rice and drank two bowls of fish soup. And she didn't cry during the injection because she said, with the energy injected, she would be powerful as Sailor Mini Moon."

Hearing that, Shirley felt exceptionally relieved.

Sailor Mini Moon was Sailor Moon's daughter in an anime series.

Alice always said Shirley was Sailor Moon, so she herself was Sailor Mini Moon.

"I didn't get my dad's belongings," she said with a sigh. Seeing the worry and curiosity in Kevin's eyes, she decided to tell him what had happened. "Evelyn even beat me like an enemy."

"They're all crazy!" Kevin cursed.

"Yes, and I'm crazy too." She smiled and then pretended to be a devil with her hands clawing the air, saying in a gloomy voice, "Wow! I'm going to eat you!"

She admitted that she had become much more childish after giving birth to Alice.

The next second, her wrists were grabbed by Kevin.

Stunned, she looked at him.

The atmosphere changed.

Feeling awkward, she wanted to draw back her hands, but his strength was so great that she couldn't escape.

His Adam's apple moved up and down as he gazed at her with great passion. He knew some words might embarrass her, but he couldn't hold them in his heart. "I'm willing to be eaten by you."

The subtle meaning made her look away with shyness.

But her bashfulness was just like a catalyst for his passion. Slowly, he lowered his head and pressed his lips closer to hers...

He had been with her since she was pregnant. Now, Alice was four years old, which meant he had accompanied Shirley for five years.

Even a stone would be touched by his patient love, wouldn't it?

However, when he was half a centimeter away from her, she turned her face aside. As a result, his kiss missed the target and instead brushed across her earlobe softly.

Shirley gave a wry smile and apologized, "I'm sorry."

She was really sorry for him.

She knew how much he had done for her all these years and how much he loved her.

She had also tried many times to accept the love of such a good man, which was a blessing to her.

But every time he wanted to kiss her, her heart and her body would resist him instinctively.

"My silly girl." He loosened his grip considerately and touched her nose with a finger. "You don't need to apologize."

He never wanted forced love.

"Kevin, why don't you..."

"Shirley!" He seemed to know what she would say and interrupted aloud, "You may not like me, but you can't let me go. You can't stop me from being nice to... Alice!"

To ease the atmosphere, he said "Alice" rather than "you".

Alice was the best moderator between them.

Shirley smiled. Knowing she couldn't persuade him, she nodded. "I see."

Under the pressure from life, she had to give up her father's belongings for some time. These two days, she concentrated on finding a stable job which was necessary for her to pay Alice's medical expenses.

This morning, Shirley went to two hospitals for interviews, but neither was satisfactory because they required long work time.

Kevin teased that there was only one job that was flexible, highly-paid, and near home, but she had given it up. It was to be his girlfriend.

Shirley felt discouraged by the harsh reality, but she really didn't want to sacrifice time with Alice.

And yet, it was never a nine-to-five job to be a nurse. She might be called back to the hospital even on off-work hours. What a hard industry!

"Mommy! Mommy!"

A little girl wearing a pink pouf dress ran staggering over from the kitchen. She was very lovely with big eyes, long eyelashes, and a peaches-and-cream complexion.

In brief, she looked as delicate as a doll. Her sweet voice could attract anyone to give her a kiss.

On seeing her, Shirley suddenly felt refreshed with energy again.

She squatted and said to the girl as an equal, "Wow, my lovely princess has dressed well, right?"

Alice felt shy about being praised. She threw her arms around Shirley's neck and buried her head against Shirley's shoulder. Bashfully, she replied, "Yes."

"All right, I'll get changed first, and then we can go out for lunch!" Shirley said joyfully.

After kissing Alice on her cheek, Shirley rose and walked to her bedroom.

It was very hot outside. Having walked for a morning, she had sweat all over and smelt sour.

Kevin was worried about her. "Do you need to take a rest first? I can accompany Alice to watch TV for a while. She will agree."

Shirley shook her head. "I'm fine. I've been busy finding a job these days and haven't played with her. I should make up for it."

After saying that, she closed the door and changed the clothes.

A few minutes later, she took Alice's hand and went out of the house.

According to Kevin's arrangement, they would go to have a children's meal and then to play in an indoor amusement park.

All the way, Alice was in high spirits. She pressed her nose against the car window and looked at the world with curiosity. Shirley also leaned her head against Alice's, looking out of the window.

She hadn't been back for a few years, and the city had become so strange.

But it was a good change. This way, she could begin her life anew here.

Thinking about that, she kissed Alice on her forehead. This little girl was the source of her courage.

They soon reached the restaurant that Kevin had reserved, but something then dampened their spirits.

After receiving a phone call, Kevin said he had to handle an emergency and couldn't accompany them for lunch.

Here was the most famous and lively children's restaurant in the city. To dine here, one had to reserve three days in advance. But when she walked in with Alice, she found it was exceptionally quiet without a guest.

No, there seemed to be two guests inside, though the light blurred their appearances.

"Hi, I've reserved a table." She showed her reservation information to the manager.

The manager was surprised, but the reserving time on Shirley's phone was correct. Knowing that it was the restaurant's mistake, she said, "Madam, a client has booked the whole restaurant today. What about coming here tomorrow?"