Ch. 521..525

Chapter 521

It was a tug-of-war competition between all the participating families. Since there were exactly six groups of families at the scene, it would be played out in an elimination format. Each family would draw lots to see who they would be matched up against, and the winners of each matchup would advance to the next round. This meant it would be a best-of-six, then a best-of- three before moving onto the grand final.

The winners would get a mermaid doll. The mermaid dolls were being displayed on a table. Each doll had been delicately made, depicting a chubby and adorable little mermaid. Most of the fathers in the participating families were large and burly men. Sylvia had been separated from Odell while accompanying Isabel and Liam as they went around the area.

This meant it was just the three of them at the moment.

There was a chance they would not even get past the first round Since Isabel was very eager about the competition, Sylvia did not want to ruin the occasion for her, so she let her go ahead and draw a lot.

The lucky number they got was six.

They were matched up against a family of four, which consisted of a large and stocky father, along with the mother and two plump boys.

When the two plump boys saw that their opponents were Isabel and Liam, they chuckled at the sight of the two little pipsqueaks, as if they had already won the round before it even began. Isabel scoffed and made a face, “You better watch out, we’re not afraid of you!”

At this point, the two plump boys were laughing so hard that they had practically doubled over from laughter. Even their parents began snickering when they saw the comical scene of the tiny Isabel taunting them. Sylvia grimaced quietly. Liam wore the same look as his mother. There was no way to back down unless they were to give up entirely. Sylvia stood behind Isabel and Liam and picked up the rope with them. Their opponents, a family of four, also picked up the rope.

Seeing how obviously outmatched they were, the father of the family gave a wry smile and said, “Miss, let me apologize beforehand.”

Sylvia felt something catch in her throat but kept quiet. Shortly after, the referee stood at the middle point and announced, “Begin!” Sylvia immediately yanked the rope with all the strength in her.

However, their opponents were significantly stronger than them. Even though she had already exerted all her strength, they were still being tugged towards the other direction. Forget about offense, they could hardly play on the defense.

Just when it looked like their feet were about to cross the middle point, the rope suddenly jerked from behind and stopped. Sylvia felt a powerful pull on their side, the sheer force of this pull was so overwhelming that within seconds, they had gained ground over the other team again. Sylvia was bewildered. Moments after that, she heard the low, masculine voice of Odell from behind her, “Don’t zone out, just pull.” Sylvia suppressed the restless feeling in her chest and tugged as hard as she could. In no time, they managed to pull the rope all the way back. The two boys on the opposite team lost their balance and tumbled onto the ground, losing control of the rope. The referee raised a hand and announced ceremoniously, “Congratulations, you are the winners.”

“Yay!” Isabel jumped for joy and stuck her tongue out at the two fat boys who had made fun of her. Sylvia smiled and turned to Odell. He was standing behind her, staring at her quietly. Sylvia was perplexed and asked, “Why are you here?” He answered coolly,

“You'd have lost if | hadn’t come.” Sylvia’s lips pursed Odell raised his hand and patted her head, “Come on, it’s time for the next round.”

Seeing as he had been the main contributor to their victory, Sylvia knew better than to get upset about him patting her head and answered with a brisk “Sure”.

The family they were matched against in the second round was also a family of four, only this time the entire family looked like they were all into fitness and gym, which was evident by their fit and muscular build. One of the kids was nearly as tall as Sylvia.

The parents almost fell in love with Isabel and Liam at first sight, their eyes glowed up when they saw how adorable they were. The mother said to Isabel, “What a lovely girl, | don’t have the heart to defeat you guys!”

Isabel immediately turned her nose at her and boasted, “Hmph, we won’t know who wins or loses before the game starts. You guys better be careful, we won't go easy on you!”

Chapter 522

Chapter 522 “Hahaha...”

They began laughing heartily upon seeing Isabel's confident taunts. Part of it was because they were charmed by how cute she was, but their laughter was also mixed with some ridicule.

That was no surprise, considering how Isabel and Liam were a pair of four-year-olds, while both Sylvia and Odell looked fairly skinny.

One thing they had to admit was that this was a rather good-looking family. Isabel was so angered by this that she turned around and cried out to Sylvia and Odell,” Mummy, Baddie, we have to show them what we’re capable of!”

Sylvia answered meekly, lacking the confidence to back up Isabel's talk, “Okay.”

Odell smirked, “Got it.” Shortly after that, upon the referee’s signal, they all picked up the rope.

Then, the whistle sounded.

The rope was jerked into a straight line in an instant.

Although Sylvia was not very confident about their chances this round, she gave it her all for Isabel’s sake.

Within seconds, she felt the rope being tugged in their direction as they all took several steps backward, drawn by the momentum of their pull.

The referee blew the whistle and raised a hand to declare the winners.

Sylvia was baffled. Isabel jumped up and down enthusiastically, “Yay, Mommy, Baddie, you two are so strong!” Sylvia chuckled dryly, before hearing Odell chuckle the same way she had from behind her. She could not quite put her finger into it, but she could make out what seemed to be a sarcastic element in Odell’s dry chuckle. It must be because she had contributed next to nothing, it was mostly thanks to his strength that they managed to win. She turned to look at him.

Odell smiled and stroked her head, “Come on, let’s go to the next round.” After saying that, he went to the other side of the field.

Sylvia frowned and walked over to him with Isabel and Liam. Their final opponent was also a family of four, but they seemed on the thinner side compared to their first two opponents. The children were not particularly large either.

However, they knew better than to judge a book by its cover. Their last two opponents had seemed very strong but what had been the outcome? They had managed to defeat them.

Sylvia composed herself for the finals. The moment the whistle sounded, they yanked at the rope with all their strength, nearly causing their opponents to tumble to the ground and drag their bodies against the grass.

Needless to say, they won first place. Isabel jumped in celebration,

Odell caught her in his arms and carried her to the podium. Isabel happily claimed the mermaid doll and wrapped her arms around them.

The sun was setting by now, and their side of the mountain was basked underneath the evening glow.

Isabel sat in Odell’s arms, still holding the mermaid doll with a wide grin on her face With a satisfied smile on his face, Odell turned to look in Sylvia’s direction. The afterglow of the setting sun cast on his handsome face and suddenly filled Sylvia with an unnerving, dizzy feeling.

She immediately looked away. Odell approached her with Isabel in his arms.

Isabel showed her the doll, “Mommy, look Isn’t this doll pretty?”

Sylvia looked at the doll and said to her with a smile, “It’s beautiful.”

Isabel chuckled.

“There’s a hot spring and restaurant combo over there, let’s go get some rest at the hot spring, then we'll eat dinner,” said Odell, making the decision for them,

Before Sylvia could offer any opinion, Isabel held up the doll in her hand and announced,” Okay! I’m going to the hot spring in my mermaid dress!” Sylvia had no choice but to take Liam and follow both father and daughter.

When they arrived at the hot spring, they were attended to by the staff members.

They were taken to a separate section of the yard.

There was a large hot spring that had steam rising atop its surface.

The water was clean and slowed like a steady stream.

The staff promptly left after taking them here.

Sylvia took Isabel to the women’s locker room while Odell took Liam to the men’s locker room. Both father and son were wearing black bathrobes with belts over their very similar, lean figures.

Sylvia wore a white bathrobe with a belt tied around her waist, while Isabel wore a red dress that they had just bought, with frills that had been stitched like the fins of a mermaid.

The dress was not very tight-fitting but was wrapped comfortably around her chubby little body.

Chapter 523

Upon wearing the dress, Isabel now looked like a chubby little mermaid.

After coming out of the locker room, Isabel ran over to Liam and immediately began to ask, ” Brother, how do | look?” Liam stroked the hair of her head and complimented her in a very polite manner, “You look

good.”

“Hey, let's go to the hot spring then.” The two of them slowly lowered themselves into the hot spring, holding hands the entire time. Sylvia followed after them. When she walked past Odell, she suddenly found her arm being tugged by him. Sylvia immediately pulled her arm back and scowled at him.

He cautioned softly, “Careful, it's slippery. Be careful when you go down and make sure you don’t fall.” Sylvia ignored him. She was not an idiot nor was she blind, of course she could tell that it was slippery.

She went to the edge of the hot spring. Just as she nervously raised her right foot and prepared to step in, her left foot suddenly slipped on the surface of the slippery tiles.

There was no time for her to react and she instantly tumbled into the hot spring. The hot water immediately submerged her and the dramatic temperature change almost made her lose consciousness.

She tossed and turned in the water, searching for a way out. Suddenly, she felt a hand firmly placed around her waist and with a gentle tug, she found herself being lifted out of the water in an instant.

She immediately gasped for air. Then, she saw his handsome face only inches away from her.

There was a hint of a seductive and teasing smile lurking in the corner of his eyes,

She was immediately overcome by a wave of embarrassment and shoved him away from her, feeling infuriated.

He let go of her and stepped back He cautioned again, “Be careful.”

She ignored him.

That was when Liam and Isabel approached them. The first thing Isabel did was to ask, “Mom, did you hurt yourself?” Liam only fixed a wide-eyed stare at her.

Sylvia gently touched the top of their heads and assured them with a smile, “Mommy is fine. | accidentally slipped but it didn’t hurt.”

She avoided looking at Odell who was just standing next to her. Then she went to the other side of the hot spring where she leaned against the wall and basked in the warm temperature of the hot spring

Liam followed her Isabel was wading around in the water like a little plump fish. One moment, she would drift near Sylvia, then she would suddenly switch course and go to Odell’s side in the next.

They stayed in the hot spring for a long time. The heat of the hot spring was perfect for relieving the built-up fatigue from all the activities throughout the day. Soon, Sylvia noticed that even the pent-up anger inside her had slowly deflated

After some time had passed, she heard Odell’s low-pitched voice from behind, “Come on up, it’s time for dinner.” Sylvia opened her eyes. Odell had already gotten out of the hot spring, he was holding the little plump and exhausted mermaid, Isabel, in his arms.

Her vision slowly regained focus and she merely hummed in reply before stepping out of the hot spring with Liam.

After getting changed, they went to the restaurant outside for dinner. Halfway through the meal, Isabel fell asleep in her chair. Liam was beginning to drist off to sleep as well and was fully asleep by the time he was finished with his meal.

Sylvia put down the cutlery and took him into her arms. Odell also took the sleepy Isabel into his arms. He looked at her, “Shall we go home now?” She replied, “Let's.

The kids were asleep, so there was no point in staying here. Moreover, the three days she had given Odell were now up. HI

An hour later, they returned to Odell’s house.

Just like the previous two nights, Odell dressed Isabel and Liam in their pajamas all by himself, then he put them into the bed and covered them with a qullt.

The room was quiet After he was done, he turned to look at Sylvia with a deep look in his eyes. Sylvia looked back at him.

Seeing that he was looking at her, she suddenly blurted out, “Your three days are up, have you made up your mind yet?”

Chapter 524

Sylvia’s figure was reflected in Odell’s obsidian eyes. He studied her for a few seconds before suggesting, “Let's talk outside.” “Alright.” With Isabel and Liam sleeping in here, this was not an ideal location to discuss their divorce. They went to the balcony of the next bedroom. There was a table and chairs on the balcony. Several bottles of beer and a box of cigarettes could be seen on the table.

Sylvia sat across from Odell. He picked up a bottle of beer and offered, “Would you like a drink?”

Sylvia was not a fan of liquor. More importantly, she was not in the mood to share a drink with him so she turned down the offer, “| don’t drink.”

Without saying anything, Odell reached for a bottle of beer and poured it into a glass. Then, he leaned back in his chair, picked up the glass of beer, and drank cheerfully and casually

All the while, he did not speak Sylvia could not stand it anymore and repeated the question, “Odell, it’s been three days, have you made up your mind?”

Odell looked at the impatient look on her face and saw the look of determination that showed how much she wanted the divorce. Pursing his lips, he said, “Send me another copy of the divorce settlement agreement. I’ve been busy these days, and | haven’t had time to read it.”

Sylvia took a deep breath and swallowed the urge to give him a scolding, before taking her phone out to send him another copy. Very slowly, perhaps even gracefully, Odell reached for his phone.

Sylvia watched his movements closely. She saw him lazily opening the messages application and scrolled to her contact. Something that would have only taken a second or two, now took him up to ten seconds to accomplish

He continued to sip on his drink as he read.

She took another breath, folded her forearms, and rested them on the table as she sat with her back straight while aiming a penetrating stare at him.

There were only three pages to the divorce agreement and was no more than two thousand words long. The font was considerably large which made it easy to read as well. It could be read in two minutes, yet even after ten minutes had passed, he was still reading it. Her patience was reaching its limit so she asked, “Odell, have you finished it yet?”

“Not yet.”

“How many more pages do you have to go?” “Two pages left.” Sylvia, “...Can’t you read faster?” Odell glanced at her and stated in a compassionate voice, “If you're in a hurry, you should get some sleep first. I’ll give you an answer tomorrow morning.” She stared at him in disbelief, “Are you doing this on purpose?” He frowned, “Doing what on purpose?” Sylvia drew a deep breath, then she rose and walked out. She went back to the children’s bedroom and searched for her bag in one of the cabinets. After she found her bag, she took out a small leather satchel (rom inside the bag. Taking the leather satchel, she went back to Odell’s room.

Odell was still sitting on the balcony. He had already put his phone back on the table, probably thinking that she was not retuming. When she entered, he was still holding a glass of beer and gracefully drinking from it. She returned to her seat.

Something glearned in Odell’s eyes when he saw her. She looked at him and got straight to the point, “Odell, | know you don’t want to get a divorce, and everything that you've done so far is an attempt to convince me to not divorce you.” Odell grimaced and directed his attention to the leather satchel that she was holding. “What are you holding?” Sylvia opened the satchel and took out a stack of paper, which she set on top of the table in front of him.

Chapter 525

Odell frowned.

The first page was a printing of an X-ray.

It showed a broken bone in the calf.

The calf bone had almost completely split down the middle and had also been bent at an unnatural angle.

Just from this picture, one could get an idea of how pain the person must have suffered.

Sylvia looked at him and stated with composure, "Odell, this photo was taken more than four months ago. It was right after I was rescued and admitted to the hospital."

The hands Odell that was using to hold the papers suddenly trembled.

Sylvia went on, "Have you ever experienced a broken bone before? Do you know how much it hurts? Just as I was about to recover from it, someone had to step on the same break again and again."

Odell scowled, and his face darkened.

He continued to flip to the later pages.

Sylvia continued to to speak, "I was hospitalized in the Hospital at Coastrock for two whole months. I was bedridden pretty much the whole time there. It was not because of the injury on my calf, but because I simply did not have the strength to get up at all. It took everything in me just to take a deep breath."

At this point, Odell had turned to the last page.

It was a medical record outlining Sylvia's physical condition, one of the most eye-catching parts of the document was the term "trauma-induced miscarriage".

The grip of his hands tightened and the paper trembled involuntarily. He stared at the words, unable to pluck his eyes away from it.

The record was very elaborate and written in professional terms, "Patient exhibited signs of a miscarriage upon entering the unit. Due to the patient's severe condition, the emergency operation lasted for several hours until the patient was resuscitated..."

His eyes began to redden as he turned back to look at Sylvia.

Sylvia was also staring at him, she wore a blank expression on her face as she went on, Well, now you know what happened. In those two months, on top of having to nurse my injury, I also had to deal with a miscarriage."

Things simply had not worked out for the child inside of her. Before Sylvia had even gotten to know her unborn child, the child had been lost.

Till now, she could remember every detail of the pain she had to suffer during those two months.

On several occasions, she had even been forced to urinate on the bed because the nurses had not been able to provide her with help in time.

It was Thomas who saved her life.

Otherwise, she would have long been dead. Murdered by Tara, and killed by Odell's lack of trust in her.

Although her life had been saved, her affection for him was now dead. Forget about three days, it would be impossible for Odell to redeem himself even if he was given three years!

Odell grimaced and peered into Sylvia's eyes.

Sylvia went on, "I understand that you were deceived by Tara's web of lies and that you didn't mean to hurt me. But if I had to be honest with you, whenever I close my eyes, I can still see the way you gave the order to have my legs broken, all because you couldn't trust me. I remember all the things you did to me for Tara's sake, and I would give anything to see you suffer the same as I did if you weren't also the father of my two children!"

Her tone became icy and malicious toward the end, to a point where there was now a murderous look in her eyes.

She snapped her eyes shut to shut out the endless noise inside her mind.

That was when she suddenly felt a palm press onto the hand that she had placed on the table.

She felt the immediate warmth of his hand coursing into hers.

The warmth stung her like an electric shock and she instantly pulled her hand away and cried out, "Don't touch me!"

He did not speak but only continued to look at her.

Sylvia sighed softly and gathered herself together. Then she addressed Odell again, "Odell, every time I see you, I am reminded of what you have done to me. We should divorce as soon as possible. I believe this will be the best thing for both of us."

With that, she got up and took back the stack of documents from Odell and returned them to the leather satchel.

Then, she turned and left the room.

As she neared the door, she heard Odell's deep voice coming from behind her, "I can promise you a divorce."

Sylvia looked back at him immediately.

He remained seated, his face was hidden beneath the shadow that was cast by the surrounding lights, and a strange aura surged from him as he went on.

He offered his terms, "I can also give you the custody of Isabel and Liam, but I have some extra conditions to add to the divorce settlement agreement."

Sylvia asked, "What terms?"

"First, that I am still their legal father, and that I can visit them anytime I'd like."

"Deal."