Master of his heart (Max and Brielle)

Dustin scooped up Heather, who had just managed to spill a bit on her bib during dinner. He'd already tidied up and refilled the bathtub with fresh water.

Emma watched him handle everything so effortlessly, feeling utterly clueless about how she could help. She didn't even know where to start.

Seeing Dustin's pants were soaked, she quickly offered to take Heather off his hands. "Let me do it. Go change your pants."

"Heather's a bit calmer than Jaime. Jaime's a handful, but Heather just sits quietly during bath time," Dustin commented as he placed Heather in the bathtub. True to form, she didn't splash around but remained calm and gentle.

It seemed like a child's personality really does start forming from an early age. Heather's eyes, so much like Emma's, twinkled as she flashed an adorable, incomplete smile. Emma's heart melted, and she eagerly took over. "Let me. Go change."

Thinking of how well-behaved Heather was, Dustin stood up to unpack a change of clothes from his suitcase. Meanwhile, Emma was bathing Heather and found her slippery skin hard to manage. In a moment of carelessness, Heather's head bumped against the edge of the tub.

Thankfully, it wasn't a sharp edge, but Heather's bottom lip quivered, and she started crying immediately. Emma panicked, trying to wipe Heather's eyes with her soapy hands, nearly getting soap in her eyes.

In a frantic move, she grabbed some makeup remover pads lying nearby, wiping the suds off Heather's face. Heather kept crying, and Dustin walked in with purposeful strides. "Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Toddlers, barely understanding the world, express pain through tears. Dustin cleaned her up and cradled her, "Shh, daddy's here, it'll be all right." Heather's cries subsided, and Dustin breathed a sigh of relief. But when he turned around, he found Emma in tears. The little one was soothed, but now the big one had started crying.

Dustin, adept at calming his two little ones, was at a loss on how to comfort Emma. Heather, now asleep in his arms, left him with just one option. He gently wiped Emma's cheeks with a tissue. Emma's tears flowed even more freely, turning into choked sobs. Dustin had brought the kids, hoping Emma would reconsider, but he didn't want her to feel guilty. The past was complicated, with no clear blame. Emma had endured much pain.

Emma, trying to stay quiet for the sleeping child, turned away, silently waving Dustin off. Having survived a dangerous childbirth and mourning her mother's death shortly after she had longed to return to her simpler life, even if it meant marrying a less-than-ideal partner from her past. She yearned for her mother's

return.

Now, confronted with her children's cries, she realized her shortcomings as a mother. Even a simple bath could go wrong, witnessing their dependence on Dustin twisted a knife in her heart, but she felt it was a punishment she deserved. In the bathroom, Emma wept silently, feeling a chill throughout her body.

Suddenly, a pair of arms enveloped her from behind. Dustin's embrace was warm. "Emma," he whispered, "I'm sorry. Maybe it would've been better if you never met me."

Emma stiffened, haunted by

thoughts of what could have been. She remembered her desperate escape from her village. Fate

continually forced her to make.

choices, all ultimately her own

Dustin simply held her, offering comfort without expectation. For two adults with children, love was a matter of wisdom, not just youthful passion.

Had she never met Dustin, perhaps her discontent with life would have persisted. She managed a weak smile, thinking it should be Dustin who wished never to have met her. Though the sentiment was

The Beet

same, the impact differed. Dustin, a man meant to live freely, was grounded by her presence, forced to consider life's other facets. He could have continued his carefree, affluent life.

Now, they were both confined by their choices and responsibilities as parents. Dustin held her close, his chin resting on her head. "Emma, let's try to get some sleep."

But how could Emma sleep? Numbly, she finished bathing, changed into her nightgown, and saw Dustin emerging from another bathroom. Their intimate moments were rare, overshadowed by the challenges of parenthood and the brief times of closeness after childbirth, and that one tangled night.

Emma felt uneasy. Dustin, too, seemed awkward, his tall frame making the small space feel even more cramped.