Isaiah exchanged glances with Joshua, who remained composed. In the end, Isaiah yielded."Daddy Joshua, can we go play with Luther tomorrow?" Isabella asked innocently. She was oblivious to the emotional undercurrent between the two. "He's all alone all day, and it must be very boring.""Sure," Joshua agreed to her request, as he often did.Isabella giggled. "You're the best!" Seeing her so happy, Isaiah did not press further. After all, having one more person who loved her was a good thing.Later that night, when it was almost bedtime, Isaiah went to talk to Isabella. She was still quite bothered that he had not immediately told her Luther's name, and she said, "Isaiah, you're a bad brother!""Be mindful of your words," Isaiah advised with a maturity beyond his years."It was your fault. You knew I wanted to know Luther's name, and you wouldn't tell me," Isabella began, pretending to be angry."What about Jojo?" Isaiah inquired."What about him?""Do you remember the promis
Jojo was stunned. He looked at Isabella's adorable face through the screen and cautiously asked, "Didn't you promise me that you wouldn't forget about me?"Jojo's heart felt a little heavy."Jojo, are you upset?" Isabella sensed the change in his mood."If Jojo made friends with other little girls during the holidays and grew closer to them than you, would you be happy?" Isaiah chimed in, understanding that Isabella's behavior might be a bit disheartening for Jojo.Isabella replied, "Of course, I'd be happy."Jojo and Isaiah were taken aback."Our teacher said we should make more friends," Isabella said earnestly. She was not that possessive about most things. "Jojo is a bit introverted, so I'd be happy if he had other friends."Hearing this, Isaiah realized an important point. Both he and Jojo had more possessiveness because of their relatively mature minds compared to kids their age. However, Isabella was different. As long as they shared common interests, she could play with
"Why would I be unhappy?" Isabella asked, looking confused. Isaiah thought of an easier way for Isabella to understand and explained, "Because Jojo played bride and groom with someone else.""Isaiah!" Isabella said with great seriousness.Isaiah was puzzled. Isabella continued, "It's just a game, like when we play hide and seek.""Why did you tell everyone around you that Jojo is the one you want to marry?" Isaiah was somewhat confused about that. If Isabella truly did not care, why announce it to others? Moreover, she appeared serious when she said she wanted to marry Jojo."Isn't that part of the game? Have you never played this game before?" Isabella was surprised that Isaiah could not understand that. Isaiah remained silent. Actually…He had never played this game before. Then, Isabella added, "But Jojo is really handsome. When I grow up and have money, I'll definitely take care of him.""So you're not marrying him anymore?" Isaiah asked again.Isabella replied,
After that, Isabella went to the living room. Isaiah was tempted to call her back despite seeing her determination. However, Isabella was stubborn, insisting on waiting for Luther.Ultimately, Joshua and Isaiah had no choice but to leave, heading outside to wait for her. In the hallway, Joshua glanced at the open living room door, somewhat confused by Isabella's behavior. "Does she like Luther that much?""Her affection for him is probably just a small part of it. More importantly, she wants to bring warmth to Luther and make him feel cared for and loved," Isaiah explained, showing his understanding of his little sister.Despite her young age, Isabella was the family's beloved little ray of sunshine, optimistic and cheerful. She had a unique and magical ability to uplift those around her with her positivity, infectious smile, and boundless joy."However, she might be disappointed this time," Isaiah guessed. Joshua looked at Isaiah, surprised by how mature a child could be. It m
This time, Luther did not chase her away. He knew Isabella would only appear briefly in his long, solitary life, yet he selfishly yearned for this moment to last a little longer.Seeing that Luther did not dismiss her, Isabella began to share the jokes Joshua had told her. Every time she started one, she burst into laughter before she could even finish. Luther could not help but steal a few glances at the giggling Isabella. Her innocent laughter was like a soothing balm to his wounded soul.Isabella was in fits of laughter, tears almost streaming down her cheeks. "Luther, do you think it's funny?"Luther lied with a straight face, "No, it's not funny.""Really?""Mm.""In that case, I'll have Daddy Joshua find some funnier jokes." Isabella was relentlessly optimistic, with no room in her dictionary for pessimism. "Do you like corny jokes or the ones that make you burst into laughter?""I don't like either," Luther rejected.Isabella stood up and came to his side. Then, she sa
"Mmhmm," Isaiah replied.Isabella looked at him disapprovingly. "Isaiah!""I was just giving you an answer," Isaiah explained."You're not Luther, so how do you know what he's thinking?" Isabella was convinced it must be her jokes that were not funny. "I'll learn new jokes tomorrow and then go visit him.""Don't go," Isaiah stopped her.Isabella, puzzled, asked, "Why not?"Isaiah found an example to make Isabella understand and began, "If a rabbit from someone else's house came to your house one day and you liked it a lot, gave it a name, and even slept with it. But the next day, the rabbit's owner took it back. What would you do?""Make friends with the rabbit's owner!" Isaiah asked, "What if the rabbit's owner was an alien?" Isabella was confused. "An alien?""That's right." Isabella's attention was immediately diverted. "Are they like the ones in the movies?"Isaiah rubbed his temples, regretting using aliens as an example. "Why aren't you saying anything?" Isabell
Isabella's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Really?""Mmhmm," Joshua replied gently."Can we go to an amusement park?" Isabella asked, explaining, "Luther is somewhat introverted and probably hasn't been to an amusement park much.""Sure," Joshua agreed.Isabella glanced around, and Joshua could tell she had more requests, so he asked, "Feel free to ask for anything.""Can we rent the whole place?" Isabella pulled out her bank card again and scratched her head. "I learned about Luther's daily routine, and he doesn't seem to like crowded places much."If the amusement park were too crowded, Luther would definitely feel uncomfortable. Isabella wanted him to have a fun time."Of course," Joshua agreed to her request. Isabella jumped in joy and kept saying Joshua was the best. When Isaiah heard this, his immediate response was to refuse. "I'll stay home and study. You two go ahead.""You can read at any time, but Luther is only playing with us for one day. Come with us, please?
Isabella was absolutely overjoyed, not expecting such a delightful surprise so early in the morning."Luther!" Isabella rushed toward him with a beaming smile, exuding an infectious sense of happiness.Luther simply responded faintly. "Mm.""Did you have breakfast?""We're going out to play later. Where would you like to go? How about the amusement park?""Are you afraid of ghosts, Luther?"Isabella greeted Luther warmly, chattering away. Luther, who usually kept his distance, did not seem bothered by Isabella's chattering. In fact, his usually emotionless heart felt as though a ray of sunshine had pierced through.Noticing that she had said so much without much response from Luther, Isabella asked, "Luther, do you dislike me talking so much?" "No," Luther replied. Despite being a child, he was extremely quiet and reserved. Isabella took a seat beside him and said earnestly, "If there ever comes a day when you don't want to hear me talk, just tell me to stop.""Okay."Is