Kneeling for a Second Chance Novel

---- Chapter 350 After putting Selena on the school bus, Valeria returned home. She needed to go to Etoile today. The night before, she had stayed on a WhatsApp call with Kayla for 45 minutes before bed. The fall collection samples were ready and needed final approval. However, she remembered Selena saying Sebastian's stomach had been hurting that morning. The breakfast she had prepared was still warm inside the thermos. Carrying the meal, Valeria knocked on Sebastian's door. There was no response , only the quick patter of a dog's paws. She entered the code and opened the door.

Nemo was waiting at the entrance, and she bent down to pat him. "Iheard you say your dad's stomach hurts." It barked once as if in response, nose twitching at the bowl of egg custard in her hands. It looked soft and tender, with a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkle of sugar on top. Nemo's gaze was fixed on it, ready to leap at any moment. As Valeria passed through the living room, she noticed the medicine box open on the table. Two painkillers had clearly been removed from their blister pack, the foil having been torn, but the man himself wasn't there.

She pushed open Sebastian's bedroom door just as he was ---- about to come out. She stumbled into his chest, and his arm circled her waist to steady her. His eyes flickered to the breakfast in her hands, his voice low and faint. "I'm not hungry. I'm surprised you still remember ma "Theard from Nemo that your stomach's upset." Sebastian had sneaked out of the hospital three days ago, after all. Valeria thought he should go back this morning for a follow-up. "Okay..." Sebastian dragged out the sound lazily. He walked out and sat on the couch, pressing one hand to his stomach.

He closed the medicine box on the table with half-lifted eyes. She set the food down. "Have it while it's hot. Have Calvin take you to the hospital later this morning. I need to go to the office." Sebastian didn't answer. He lay down on the sofa, turning his back to her. Valeria couldn't help but laugh. How childish could he be? She sat on the edge of the sofa, tugging gently at his arm. " Then, let's have breakfast together tomorrow morning." Last night, she got home at 6:40 pm.

She would need to think of an excuse to ease Selena into the idea of having Sebastian at the table for regular breakfast. Sebastian kept his eyes closed, feeling the softness of her hand tugging at him. ---- He flexed his fingers once. "What do you want for dinner tonight? Should we eat out or at home?" Valeria probed. "Selena's vacation is coming. Let's see my grandmother first. Then, we'll return to Slate City. "You decide." This time, he did respond, but his voice was hoarse. It was tinged with grievance , obedient yet resistant, calm on the surface with a subtle edge beneath.

Just as Valeria wondered why he was upset, Sebastian suddenly turned, catching her hand. His gaze slid to the egg custard on the table. "If I don't eat it soon, it'll get cold, won't it" "Yeah." She picked it up to hand it to him, but Sebastian didn't take it. Leaning back against the couch, he narrowed his eyes. "I'm starving to the point that my hands hurt." "Since Nemo can talk now, let him feed you." Valeria started to get up, but Sebastian caught her wrist and pulled her into his arms. He took out his phone, opened an app, and handed it to her.

"This is an AI pet program that the company has been developing . It's still in beta mode. It's called PawPal Sound. With a special collar, pets can communicate with their owners. "It's just a fun, family-oriented app. Owners can also control the cloud backend of it." Valeria opened it. Nemo's profile picture was there, and it linked with Selena's account too. ---- Under Nemo's icon, a bark appeared . Below, the translation read, "My dad's stomach hurts." The app also showed a family group chat. Valeria realized that aside from her, there were two other people and two dogs in there.