The mention of the sweet treat immediately caught Reaghan’s attention. He beamed and eagerly followed Norella, his mood shifting instantly.
Once the trio had walked away, Astrella set to work, pulling out the items she intended to sell. There were fountain pens, a few worn books, plush toys with frayed edges and some handmade trinkets she had crafted herself.
As Reaghan happily licked his candied hawthorn, he suddenly froze mid-bite. His gaze fixed on a child nearby, who was holding a bamboo dragonfly in their hand.
“Dad, that looks like mine,” he murmured, his voice filled with curiosity.
Raiden glanced down at the fountain pen in the father’s hand and a wave of recognition washed over him. The sleek, silver pen was too familiar to be a coincidence.
Raiden quickly pulled Reaghan back, making his way toward Astrella’s stall. A crowd had already begun to gather around it. He shoved his way through the onlookers, only to spot her handing over a small glass horse to a man in exchange for two dollars.
"You’re not selling that!"
"Why not? I paid for it. It's mine now," the burly man said, slipping the glass horse into his pocket with a smug smile, radiating arrogance.
Raiden’s frustration bubbled to the surface. "Because it’s mine!"
The man chuckled. "Yours? Will it answer to your call?"
Laughter rippled through the crowd at the remark and a few eyes turned to Raiden, making snide comments.
"Got a family, yet still spouting nonsense!"
Astrella remained silent, simply tucking the two dollars into her wallet, unbothered by their ridicule.
Raiden, his patience fraying, grabbed her hand, his voice tight with emotion.
"Astrella, have you lost your mind? Why are you suddenly selling our things?"
Our things?
Even Reaghan’s temper flared. "Mom, why’d you give away my bamboo dragonfly too?"
Astrella cast a brief glance at Reaghan, who was still happily munching on his candied hawthorn. Her voice was unshaken, but there was an edge to it.
"Didn’t you say you liked the frisbee Norella gave you more?"
Then, she shifted her gaze to Raiden, her tone hardening, her voice colder.
"And didn’t you say you didn’t want these things and I could give them away to anyone? What’s the problem now? I sold them and that’s suddenly wrong?"
Every item she’d sold today had been carefully chosen, gifts she’d poured love into for the father and son. Yet neither Raiden nor Reaghan had shown any care for them.