Chapter 4 Engagement

After hanging out with Jenny for a bit, William took off.

Jenny, all tuckered out from playing, flopped onto the bed and suddenly grinned at Juniper. "Mom, does Uncle William like you?"

Juniper, munching on some grapes, was caught off guard. "You're still a kid; do you even know what liking someone means?"

Jenny nodded eagerly. "Of course I do! Mom, be honest, are you still thinking about Dad?"

Juniper shook her head and popped a grape into Jenny's mouth. "Eat up, don't overthink it."

Jenny teased, "Mom, who's more handsome? Dad, right?"

"Why do you think so?" Juniper asked without thinking, getting pulled into Jenny's line of questioning.

Jenny spilled her thoughts, "Because you always go by how people look. You don't have feelings for Uncle William, so Dad wins in that way."

Juniper didn't expect Jenny to say that. After a moment of surprise, she playfully pinched Jenny's nose.

At the same time, Magnus's face popped into her mind. When it came to looks, William just couldn't hold a candle to Magnus.

She remembered the days when she and Magnus were young and in college.

Back then, Magnus was always surrounded by admirers. Whether it was his looks or his charm, he was top-notch. His unique presence and charisma made a lot of girls fall for him.

Whenever Magnus walked down the campus paths, he always drew countless admiring and envious glances. He was like a walking piece of art, impossible to ignore.

Juniper said, "Your dad is the most handsome man in the world."

Hearing this, Jenny finally felt a bit happier and hugged Juniper with a bright smile. "Mom, it would be awesome if Dad were still here. You wouldn't have to be so tired every day."

Hearing this, Juniper felt a pang in her heart.

Every time she saw other kids with their dads, she would ask Juniper where her dad was.

Back then, Juniper could still lie to Jenny, saying that her dad was away and couldn't come back.

But after using that excuse a few times, Jenny gradually stopped buying it.

Juniper had to tell Jenny that her dad had passed away.

Juniper wasn't exactly lying; in her heart, Magnus did die the year Jenny was born.

Seeing Juniper lost in thought, Jenny quickly changed the subject, "I look so cute, so my dad couldn't be ugly."

But after that, Jenny seemed to think of something troubling and frowned. "Mom, I get how deep your love for Dad is! But Dad's been gone for a long time, and life has to move on. I know your feelings for him are deep, but maybe you could think about finding someone new to make life more colorful. This way, you can be happy every day, and Dad would surely want to see that, right?"

Juniper blushed at Jenny's words. "Who taught you to say these things?"

Jenny grinned, "Aunt Ophelia did! She said Mom would only be happy if she let go of Dad and dated a bunch of handsome guys!"

Juniper didn't need to guess to know Ophelia was behind this. She hugged Jenny tightly. "Aren't you worried that I might find someone who treats you badly?"

Jenny hadn't thought of that. After a moment, she made a face. "Well, I guess I can make a little sacrifice for Mom's happiness."

Juniper burst out laughing, and they played together until Jenny fell asleep from exhaustion.

Once Jenny was asleep, Juniper started crunching numbers, looking at her bank account and savings from her previous job and what she had just earned at the club. Even if she sold everything at home, it wouldn't cover Jenny's surgery, which stressed her out.

Watching Jenny sleep, Juniper opened a job search app and kept sending out resumes. Finding a job was her top priority.

She kept at it until she finally dozed off.

The next early morning, when Juniper was half-asleep, she heard a loud knock on the door.

Luckily, Jenny was the only patient in the room; otherwise, other patients would have complained.

Seeing Ophelia walk in, Juniper mumbled, "Ophelia, keep it down, or the nurse will scold us."

Ophelia, with her arms full of toys and snacks, said, "Hey, sweeties, did you miss me?"

Jenny's face lit up when she saw Ophelia. "Aunt Ophelia!"

"Sweetie, you look thin. I'll get you something yummy later." Ophelia said, turning Jenny around and kissing her.

Jenny sighed dramatically, "Aunt Ophelia, when will you ever grow up?"

Ophelia chuckled, "Lecturing me, huh? You're just a kid, so I don't blame you. Blame your dad. Look at the snacks and toys I got for you!"

Jenny was too busy playing to pay attention to Ophelia's words.

But Juniper caught it and warned, "Ophelia, watch what you say, don't slip up."

For some reason, Juniper still didn't want Jenny to know about Magnus, at least not yet. She was scared, scared that Magnus would take Jenny away from her.

Ophelia hugged Jenny, showed her how to play with the new toy, and then turned to Juniper. "It's okay, Jenny's still young. She'll only remember for a little while. If we talk about something else happy, she'll forget. Right, Jenny?"

Jenny, engrossed in her new toy, nodded quickly. "Yep, you're right!"

Watching them play on the hospital bed, Juniper hoped life would stay this way forever.