Fresh from her bath and dressed in clean clothes, Isabella looked at Renee with wide, innocent eyes and asked, "Auntie Renee, do you like Daddy Joshua?"Her expression softened as she chuckled slightly. She playfully touched Isabella's nose and replied, "You're just a little kid. Do you even know what 'like' means?"Isabella answered earnestly, her adorable features displaying her childlike wisdom, "I do. My mommy and daddy got together because they liked each other. You like Daddy Joshua, right?"Careful not to reveal her true feelings, Renee stated, "I used to like him, but not anymore."Isabella tilted her head curiously and inquired, "Why don't you like him anymore?" "Because he doesn't like me and even rejected me," Renee replied, speaking candidly without knowing if the child fully understood.Isabella shrugged it off with an innocent smile, praising Renee, "It's okay. If someone doesn't want you, you'll find someone even better next. You're so pretty, Auntie Renee. It's h
After Isabella finished speaking, she seemed to recall something. Her eyes welled up with tears, and she asked, "Daddy Joshua, has your heart... stopped racing?"Joshua remained silent, contemplating his response.Isaiah, who had been silently observing them from a corner of the room, could no longer stay quiet. He set aside his book and walked over. "Uncle Joshua meant that 'heart racing' is an emotional feeling, not a physical one. You won't understand this now, but it will become clear one day when you know how to solve equations."Isabella looked puzzled. "What are equations? Are they difficult to solve?"Isaiah replied calmly, "It varies from person to person."Isabella asked innocently, "If I can't solve them, can I use scissors?"Isaiah responded, "You'll understand when the time comes."Isabella simply replied, "Oh, okay.""It's getting late. You should go back to your room and sleep," Isaiah urged her, not wanting her to discuss matters of feelings with Joshua. "We hav
Snap!A sharp sound cut through the air as the man struck the young boy's body. The boy lowered his head; his forehead was sweaty from the punishment, and a bright red handprint marred his cheek.Isabella was drawn to the commotion, and she could not see the boy's face from her angle. However, she saw the man continue to strike the boy repeatedly."Stop it!" Isabella rushed over.Joshua and Isaiah followed her voice and found her approaching the middle-aged man and the boy.Isabella shielded the boy behind her, lifted her small head, and addressed the middle-aged man, "Uncle, if you keep hitting him, he'll get hurt.""What's it to you?" The middle-aged man, Albert Brooks, remained unkind and yelled, "Who do you think you are, little brat? Get lost!" "Who are you telling to get lost?" Joshua's cold and commanding voice suddenly sounded, exuding a strong sense of pressure."I'm telling..." When he saw Joshua's face, he stopped abruptly and changed his tone, saying, "M-Mr. Neal..
"Take him to the hospital," Joshua told Albert."Those are only minor injuries. A couple of days' rest will do," Albert, anxious about potential complications, said with a hint of unease.Joshua remained silent, his gaze fixed on Albert, who was beginning to sweat nervously."Thank you for your concern. I'm fine, and there's no need to go to the hospital," Luther spoke again, his expression devoid of emotion. With that, he turned and walked toward his home.Isabella called out, "Hey!"Luther did not turn back, leaving her with his distant and indifferent back.Albert breathed a sigh of relief, offering a forced smile as he told Joshua, "You see, he doesn't want to go. I can't force him as his dad.""Daddy Joshua..." Isabella was obviously worried."Mr. Neal, I'll head home now," Albert said before quickly disappearing from their view.Isabella did not fully grasp the complexities of adult matters, but her persistence led her to ask, "Daddy Joshua, are we really not taking th
Someone knocked on their door."Go answer the door," Albert said, suppressing his anger.Luther obediently left the table, opened the door, and hesitated when he saw Isabella outside, smiling broadly.Isabella grinned, radiating a big smile. "Hello, may I come in?""No," Luther replied, suppressing his emotions and promptly closing the door.Isabella was confused but continued knocking on the door.However, Luther paid no further attention to her and returned to the table. He knew exactly what would happen if he invited Isabella into their home. Albert would act courteously while they had guests, but Luther would face his tirades and beatings as soon as they left."You just want to make me a fool, don't you? Should I call the police to arrest me?!"Luther knew Isabella could help her now, but not for a lifetime."Who is it?" Albert asked."The girl from earlier and that man," Luther replied truthfully, leaving the choice to him.Upon hearing this, Albert immediately got up
Luther was in deep thought.Take care of themselves…However, Luther did not think he could get truly better. Old wounds would persist, and new ones would replace them. In that case, it was almost more bearable to endure the pain constantly."If you don't talk, I'll assume you've accepted it," Isabella said, extending her hand to place the ointment in his palm.Luther hesitated but ultimately rejected her, pushing the ointment back toward her. It was this very action that led to an unforeseen accident. Isabella suddenly tumbled, frowning as she looked at her elbow that had just hit the ground. Her round eyes quickly welled up with tears, and she began to cry softly.Luther had never seen a scene like this, and he felt a pang of guilt in his heart."Are you okay..." Luther asked, standing awkwardly in place.Isabella started crying, and her voice was heart-wrenching as she sobbed, "It hurts."Luther helped her to her feet, his expression unchanged, but something in him changed
When the mature and composed Isaiah saw the scars on Luther's back, he was shocked. The weight of such injuries, something even adults might not endure, left him wondering how this child had managed it all."All done." Isaiah, regaining his composure, finished applying the ointment to the last of the wounds. He returned the ointment to Isabella and said, "Time's up."Isabella smiled brightly. As Luther observed his body, he felt as if the pain he had been experiencing earlier had somehow reduced. He looked at Isabella and calmly declared the result of their game, "I won.""Huh?" Isabella was momentarily puzzled."I won the game," Luther repeated emotionlessly."No, you lost. See, there are still thirty seconds to go until fifteen minutes," Isabella replied, showing him the countdown timer on her watch.Luther was confused. It was the first time he had encountered such a situation. He glanced back and forth between Isiah and Isabella and finally concluded, "You two tricked me?"
"Most importantly, Uncle Joshua can help you. Both Isabella and I can help you too," Isaiah said."No, thank you. I appreciate your kindness," Luther declined. He did not want to engage in a battle of wits with Albert. If he had to fight, he would fight, and once it was over, everything would be done. However, engaging in a battle of wits would subject him to unpredictable variables.Seeing his determination, Isaiah also realized that words would not change his mind."Help me say thank you to your sister," Luther finally said. Isaiah looked at him and did not insist further. "She probably wants to know your name.""You managed to find out about my mom, so there's no reason you shouldn't know my name," Luther replied. He was exceptionally intelligent, but he was simply too cold. "I do know, but unless you say it yourself, she won't accept it. In fact, she might scold me for invading your privacy and disrespecting you." Isaiah was straightforward, not one to beat around the bus