Sweet Subterfuge novel by Trina Duo
Chapter 512

When Larissa went to pick Aster up in the afternoon, she noticed that the other parents, especially the mothers, were looking at her with a different expression from before. Just as she was feeling puzzled about it, a parent who had chatted with her a few times earlier while waiting to pick up their children deliberately came up to Larissa.

Raising her eyebrows, she said in a teasing manner, "Your husband is really handsome! No wonder you seemed so secretive about him and wouldn't let him show up at the kindergarten!" Taken aback, Larissa froze for a moment before realizing that the "husband" she was referring to was probably Kevan.

"Are you still trying to feign ignorance?" The other parent nudged Larissa with her elbow and gave her a reproachful look. "I heard it myself, your son called him 'Daddy' this morning!"

Aster ...

Larissa felt both angry and yet powerless at the same time.

She had no energy left to argue, so Larissa simply gave her a faint smile and brushed her off.

After waiting for a while, the classroom door opened and the children swarmed out.

Aster threw himself into Larissa's arms, his face beaming brighter than usual.

"Mommy!" He greeted her with a loud and cheerful voice.

However, Larissa was unable to force a smile.

She wasn't sure whether his unusual behavior today was related to Kevan, but she had a feeling that it was highly probable.

Some girls approached Aster timidly and asked, "Aster, will your dad come to the sports day tomorrow?"

The smile on Aster's face faded, and a troubled expression appeared instead.

"I'm not sure. It depends on whether he has time off tomorrow."

The girls dispersed, seemingly disappointed.

Meanwhile, Larissa overheard the crux of the conversation. "What sports day?"

"Fun Family Sports Day. Ms. Gilmore said that she would notify the parents in the WhatsApp group later," Aster answered.

Larissa's heart sank. This again...

Her head was already starting to throb.

Back in Aldovia, Aster's kindergarten often organized these parent-child activities. The aim was to increase communication within the family and deepen the bond between parent and child. She didn't oppose such activities as they were beneficial for a child's growth.

However, she couldn't attend every event due to her busy work schedule, so Wendy would go on her behalf occasionally.

In the Aldovian-speaking environment, there was not a term to replace the word "godmother", so Aster had always referred to Wendy as his "mommy" as well.

Naturally, the teachers and other parents in the kindergarten mistook Larissa and Wendy for a couple.

Although same-sex marriages were legal in Aldovia, people still gave Larissa and Wendy strange looks, and their condescending attitudes extended to how they treated Aster as well.

Since then, Larissa had become very reluctant to attend parent-child activities at the kindergarten.

Ella's message came earlier than Larissa had expected.

As soon as Larissa and Aster got into the car, a WhatsApp notification appeared on her phone. "The kindergarten will be organizing an event, the 'Fun Family Sports Day', tomorrow! All moms and dads are highly encouraged to attend as there will be many fun activities for everyone! Be sure not to miss it!"

All the contacts in the group were tagged in the message.

After Ella left her message, all the other parents typed in their replies, stating that they would attend the activity tomorrow.

Larissa couldn't help but join in, typing her reply, "Noted with thanks."

Once she replied to Ella's message, Larissa was trapped in a dilemma.

Ella had made it clear that both moms and dads had to be present. Although she said that it was merely "highly encouraged", it was obvious that most of the events required both parents to participate with their children.

Larissa wished for Aster to have a great time, without any regrets.

If she were to attend the sports day alone, not only would he miss out on many events, but it might also invite gossip from others.

Having said that, Larissa couldn't just randomly find anyone to fill in for the role of Aster's dad at the last minute.