I must admit, Rose was quite insightful. I agreed with what she said.

Rose continued, "It's okay to have feelings, but you shouldn't be stubborn. A truly smart woman knows when to stop and when to bend. Punishing each other for the time spent together is both torture and relief. You wanted to punish him, didn't you?"

Lauren looked at Rose in astonishment, her eyes filled with hopeful light.

"If he has hurt you, this grudge can only be settled when you're with him. Silly girl. Try and understand what I'm saying."

Rose poked Lauren's head and gestured to us. "Let's go. We'll chat while we eat. The little girl must be starving after playing at the kindergarten. Dinner is ready."

Sure enough, Ava devoured her dinner. I felt as if I had been neglecting my daughter too much lately.

Watching her enjoy her meal, I asked, "Was the lunch at the kindergarten not yummy?"

She looked at me with big, twinkling eyes and said in a cute voice, "Of course, our home-cooked dinner is much better, so