Nothing Has Ever Changed

It was the next morning when Cedric returned home.

He reeked of alcohol. Amelie was the one who took him home.

When she brought him to Eden, she made a point of tugging at his collar to reveal the suggestive marks on his clothes.

Then, she whispered to Eden, “We partied a little too hard and drank more than we should. Sorry for making you take care of him, thank you!”

Then, she let out a faint sigh and shrugged before strutting off in her high heels.

Her footsteps were haughty and bore a candid bounce. It was clear that she was gloating.

Eden sheathed the calculating look in her eyes and closed the door before dragging Cedric to the bed.

Though he was drunk, he was not completely out of it yet. However, when Eden flung him into the bed without a care in the world, he could feel his head spinning along with a violent ringing in his ears.

He frowned from the discomfort and began breathing heavily to relieve the drowsiness.

Before he could even catch his breath, Eden returned to the room.

He instinctively reached out, expecting to be handed a glass of honey lemon juice, only to find it was a pen instead.

“Don’t sleep yet, Cedric.”

Eden remarked while flipping to the signature section, “I want a divorce. Sign the agreement.”

Cedric frowned impatiently and seemed annoyed by the interruption. He clicked his tongue irritably and signed his name while barely keeping his eyes open.

“Another donation to an orphanage?

“If you want something, just get the card from me. What’s this about an agreement? Do you think I don’t have the money?”

It was clear he did not catch what she said.

Eden did not bother explaining. Instead, she stood silently and watched as he signed the document.

After it was done, Cedric folded the document and handed it back to her before collapsing onto the bed again. He rubbed his temples to ease the headache.

In the past, Eden would have proactively offered to massage his temples to help him with the headache without him having to ask. Now, though, she only inspected the document before walking off with it.

Moments before she left, Cedric strained his eyes open again. He felt a pang of unease growing inside him, but he was too exhausted to process what was happening. With that, he quickly fell asleep.

When he woke up, it was already evening.

As soon as Cedric stepped out of the room, Mateo ecstatically ran up to him and wrapped himself around his leg.

“Dad, you haven’t granted my birthday wish yet!”

Mateo had been waiting outside the room since the moment Cedric came home. Not wanting to disturb his father’s rest, he respectfully waited until Cedric woke up.

When Cedric gave him an approving look, his smile widened. Then, he shot a look at Eden, who was just stepping out of the kitchen.

“I want to change my surname.

“I want to take Daddy’s surname! Or maybe I can take Amelie’s…”

“Enough of this nonsense!

“Do you think real life is some kind of cartoon? You can’t just change your surname on a whim! You’re seven years old, use your head!”

Cedric cast a look at Eden while reprimanding Mateo. It was only when he noticed her blank expression that he dropped the aggression in his voice.

Cedric had such a scare that sweat poured from his forehead. Suddenly, he felt the headache and drowsiness disappear.

“Ask for something else…”

“Okay, I want to go out and eat with Daddy, but without Mommy! Is that okay?”

A hint of hesitation flashed in Cedric's eyes. He quizzingly looked at Eden and was greeted by an otherwise indifferent and nonchalant look in her eyes.

She gestured, “It’s fine, Cedric. Give him what he wants.

“He's seven, old enough to know what he wants.”

A trace of doubt flickered in Cedric's eyes.

He had a feeling Eden had changed.

When did she become so lenient?