The Years Between Signing and Seeing novel Chapter 443

"I can. If you're a good girl and do your checkup."

Suzie stared at him, stunned into silence.

"Really?"

Suzie's hand hovered mid-air, a tissue still clutched in her fingers. Zoey's teary eyes lit up as she turned to Jamie, asking with absolute seriousness.

"Of course. I never lie. Let's pinky promise." Jamie smiled softly, holding out his little finger.

Tears still clung to her lashes, but a radiant, surprised smile broke across Zoey's face. She eagerly stuck out her own pinky.

Right in front of Suzie, the tall, imposing man and the fragile little girl hooked their fingers together.

Once the promise was sealed, Zoey reached her arms out for Suzie. "You aren't sad, right, Mommy?"

Swallowing down the storm of emotions raging in her chest, Suzie forced a warm, bright smile. "I'm not sad, sweetheart. Let's do the checkup now, okay?"

Zoey nodded. With the doctor's help, she slowly lay back down. The anxiety was still there in her eyes, but she seemed so much braver now.

The technician pressed the button, and the bed glided smoothly into the machine.

Suzie immediately turned on her heel and walked to an empty corner of the room, swiftly swiping a stray tear from her eye.

For years, she had convinced herself that her kids were perfectly content. She thought they were so well-behaved that they didn't care about not having a father in their lives.

She was wrong. She was so, so wrong.

In her moment of fear, the thing her daughter wanted most—aside from her mother's comfort—was the father she had kept secretly buried in her heart.

And from Zoey's words, Suzie realized the devastating truth: the kids avoided the topic of a father on purpose, terrified of upsetting her.

If Zoey felt this way, it was almost guaranteed the boys felt the exact same.

Without a word, she raised her hand and slapped the handkerchief right out of his grasp. She didn't even spare him a glance as she turned around and walked back toward the medical equipment.

Jamie stood there, staring down at the handkerchief fluttering to the floor. His brow furrowed deeply, his jaw clenching tight.

Ever since he found Suzie again, he had endured more coldness and disgust from her than he had experienced in his entire life.

But he had no other choice. He remembered how ruthlessly she had walked away years ago. She had chosen to change her identity and live in the shadows rather than spend another day with him.

If he wanted her back, he had to swallow his pride, keep his cool, and take it slow.

After a long silence, Jamie bent down to retrieve the handkerchief. He meticulously brushed the dust off the fabric, folded it neatly, and slipped it back into his pocket.

He hadn't picked it up because it was luxurious or expensive. He kept it because Suzie had bought it for him years ago.

According to Aaron's financial digging, she had bought this very handkerchief with the absolute last of her paycheck.