Chapter 49

Elysia hadn’t nned on taking the kids to the zoo. After all, what kind of creature hadn’t theye

across during their five years spent deep in the woods?

You could find all kinds of animals in the zoo deep in the woods.

The triplets liked animals, sure, but they weren’t exactly over the moon about them.

However, the mere mention of an outing had them bouncing off the walls with excitement. They threw

on their clothes in record time, eager to follow Elysia out the door.

The family of four hailed a cab and headed straight for the water park to check out the ‘Jindale Eye‘.

It was the trio’s first real outing, and the array of attractions had them gawping in

amazement.

They wanted to try everything.

Elysia was on a tight budget, but the kids had never had a chance to experience anything like this. She

didn’t want to dampen their spirits, so she splurged on tickets.

If they were out to have fun, she was going to make sure they had the time of their lives, no holding

back.

She took them on the Ferris wheel and also the roller coaster.

Evan, the brave one, even dared to take on the giant swing.

Emmett, a little more timid, steered clear of the high–adrenaline rides, so Elysia took him to

feed the fish.

Twenty bucks for a bottle of fish feed, and there was Emmett, grinning like a Cheshire cat as he fed the

little swimmers.

Kids found joy in the simplest things.

All the while, Elysia was snapping photos with her phone and capturing these precious moments with

her children.

Life had thrown its share of curveballs, but so what?

that was more than enough.

She had three healthy, adorable kids that was

Sure, being a single mom was tough, but it beat settling for some deadbeat just to avoid loneliness.

The inte was riddled with horror stories of abusive partners; that was real suffering.

Time flies when you’re having fun, and before they knew it, twilight had settled in.

2006

Back at their ce, the kids were so wiped they conked out on the bed without even washing up, off to

dreand in seconds.

They had yed hard and were now paying the price.

Elysia looked at her little ones with eyes full of love.

Tomorrow, after the divorce was finalized, she nned to take them down South to settle in a little town

with balmy weather all year round.

As long as she stayed diligent and worked hard, she knew she could raise them right.

After tucking the triplets in, Elysia retreated to her own room. Drifting off, her thoughts were full of hope

for a brighter future.

The next morning, Elysia was up with the dawn.

She checked her phone – no word from Tarquin yet. But she was still settled since it was barely past

six.

Just to be safe, she called up the Royal Community office to confirm the afternoon appointment for the

divorce proceedings.

The reply was that Tarquin was upied in the morning, so the divorce was dyed to

the afternoon.

But an urate update was all she needed – afternoon it would be.

Feeling chipper, Elysia lounged in bed scrolling through her phone until a news alert made her sit bolt

upright.

It was Blossom. Panic surged through Elysia as the article imed she’d been assaulted. She tried

calling Blossom, but there was no answer.

Jumping out of bed, Elysia didn’t bother with breakfast. She scrawled a quick note for the kids and

dashed out the door.

Blossom was more than a friend; she was family, just like Winona. They had faced. bacsh for

standing by her during a scandal,

macabre gifts like wreaths and dead animalsduring cruel taunts and even receiving

Elysia had avoided reaching out to them upon her return, fearing that any attention might bring them

trouble again. Her n was to reconnect after the divorce when she could breathe easy again.

But now she identally got the news that Blossom was beaten up, so she couldn’t stay calm.

She took a taxi to Blossom’s ce and was about to try calling again when a shriek behind her made

her spin around.

20.06

There stood Blossom, decked out in a long down coat and sporting an adorable bear–themed hat, her

large eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at Elysia,