Rachel nodded. “Please don't take my trust for granted. Take good care of Sky. If something bad happens to her, Lucas and I will kill you." Edmund smiled faintly. “Please watch over us carefully. You will know that I can be relied on and always keep my promises.” "Mama, Uncle Ed, what are you doing there? Are you having fun without me?" Edmund looked up at the veranda. Sky was standing with her hands on her hips. She just made an adorable little stomp. "No, Honey. How could we have fun without you? We're just picking vegetables in the back garden." Rachel pointed to the basket in Edmund's hand. "That's called having fun, Mama. Why didn't you wake me up?" As Rachel walked towards the stairs, Sky followed, shifting like a crab. "We didn't want to disturb your sweet dreams, Dear," Rachel said while hugging her daughter. "How did Mama know I had a nice dream? I dreamed of playing with a baby pangolin! I brought candy to invite lots of ants. It was happy to see lots of food." Rach
"It's unusual for you to break your husband's rules, Rachel. What makes you brave? Mr. Hills?" Hunter inquired.Rachel let out a faint sigh. "Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Green. This is for Sky's sake. She's been holding back a lot all this time. I don't think there's any harm in her stepping out of her comfort zone for once." "Which means stepping into danger?" Hunter raised an eyebrow. Rachel shook her head while letting out a dry laugh. "Don't Arai and the others often swim here? Please don't be Lucas, Mr. Green. Give Sky some freedom." "She's been free and happy, Rachel." "No. In her heart, there are many things she wants to do but is always opposed. Please understand her, Mr. Green. Just take our side this once. For Sky." Hunter glanced back at the water. Sky was laughing while kicking the water. When their eyes met, the little girl waved. "Uncle Green, look! I can almost swim!" The stiffness on Hunter's face faded. Sighing, he waved back. "What have the three of you d
Edmund laughed heartily. "How about someday we return to Mauritius? I can pay for your tickets and accommodation. We can see the waterfall together." "Really? Is that okay? If we come there just to see the waterfall, wouldn't that be a waste?" Edmund blinked as he digested the little girl's words. "No, if I'm running my business too. I'm thinking about providing tour services there." Sky's eyes instantly lit up. The worry was peeled off from her face. "That sounds cool, Uncle. Mama and I will help you as much as we can. We are great at promoting places and their beauty, and also remind tourists to preserve nature." Edmund smiled faintly. His eyes were full of pride. "You don't need to help, Sky. Just accompany me." "Relax, Uncle. We're happy to help you. It's not a hassle. Now, how about we put a star on Mauritius and move on to somewhere else?" Sky took off the star sticker she had kept for a long time. Then, Edmund helped her hold the globe so it wouldn't spin. Seeing the cl
“Yes! That's one of my favorite activities with Uncle Ed, apart from swimming in the river and seeing pangolins. He's a great teacher, Uncle Green. I can memorize many letters thanks to him. Lastly, I have memorized the letter H for Hunter.” Hunter's eyes widened. "You already know my initial?" Sky nodded firmly. "Yes! It looks like a ladder." Not only Hunter, but Rachel was also wide-eyed. "How come?" Sky drew the letter H on the table with her tiny finger. “It has two poles and one step. If we stack several letters H, they will become a ladder." Rachel laughed amusedly at that explanation. “Okay then, what does the name Hunter have to do with a ladder, Dear? As far as I know, Uncle Green rarely uses it.” “Because Uncle Green likes to give hope to the animals he saves, H can also be for hope.” “And what does hope have to do with a ladder?” Rachel raised an eyebrow. “They both take us to higher ground! Uncle Ed said that.” Hunter spontaneously glanced at the man in front of h
“Mr. Hills, you don't need to help me. I'm fine. This is light work,” Rachel said.“Precisely because this is light work, you shouldn't mind me helping you.” Rachel took a deeper breath. She worried that she would become even more fascinated by Edmund. She had to immediately change the subject. "Where's Sky?" “In the living room.” “She doesn't mind you leaving her alone?” Edmund shook his head. “I gave her a task.” “A task?” Rachel finally looked at him again. While putting the clean plates on the rack, Edmund muttered, “I asked her to find a way to memorize the remaining letters. I've given several word options as instructions. Maybe she's using her crazy imagination to find the correlation now.” Imagining Sky's thoughtful expression, Rachel let out an amused sigh. After drying her hands, she moved to the dish rack next to Edmund. “I never thought Sky could have such a high enthusiasm for learning. All this time, she always wandered around when I asked her to study," Rachel s
“Which is more important? Your ego … or their happiness?” These questions had been haunting Edmund for several hours. Even though he closed his eyes and covered his ears with a pillow, Hunter's voice kept ringing. “Wouldn't they be happier if they came home with me?” he muttered while looking up at the dark ceiling. Previously, Edmund was enthusiastic about imagining his life with Alice and Sky. They would greet him every time he came home from work. They could play together every night, or hang out on weekends. Their house would always be filled with jokes and laughter. But now, doubts lingered on him. “Am I selfish if I want Alice back? Would it be selfish of me to take them away from here?” “What if Sky isn't used to life in the city? What if she prefers to live in the forest? Should I buy a new house in a forest area?” “By returning to that house, will Alice have to face her trauma again? Will she fall again? And if her memory comes back, can I clear up all the misunderstand
“Good morning, Mr. Hills. Have you finished exercising?" Rachel greeted in soft voice, but Edmund flinched. His footsteps slowed down. “Hey, you're awake? How are you feeling?" Rachel immediately looked down embarrassed. “Sorry about last night. I don't understand why I could do that. Maybe I felt guilty because I went against Lucas' rules." Edmund unconsciously gritted his teeth. He didn't want to discuss the matter any more. “It's good that you're fine. Is Sky awake?” "Not yet. Looks like she'll wake up late. I disturbed her sleep last night." “Uncle Ed!” Sky suddenly jumped out of the door. Rachel stared at her wide-eyed. “Honey, why are you awake?” “I can't wait to climb the tree and harvest fruit in the forest, Mama. Today, I can circle all the pictures in my journal!” Sky spread her arms and jumped happily. Edmund smiled sadly seeing her cheerfulness. His fears became more real. Sky loved her house and environment too much. Would she want to move? “Uncle Ed, what are y
“No, Sky. You can." Edmund held the little shoulder. His eyes looked at her expectantly. “Every chance I get, I can take you and your mother on an adventure. It's just that the place is not in this forest, but in another forest." Biting her lip, Sky met Edmund's gaze from the corner of her eye. After one slow blink, she exhaled. “Please don't be disappointed, Uncle. I can't imagine what it would be like if I moved somewhere else. Every time I joined Papa to work in another country, I always missed this house and forest. I even dreamed about Canis, Felis, Gigi, and Gusi. I think I would be very sad if I left them. My home is here, with Mama and Papa.” Edmund's heart cracked a thousand hearing that answer. He pondered for a moment, looking at Sky with various feelings. "You really love Lucas and your house, hmm?" Sky nodded. “Yeah, he's my Papa all this time. If suddenly you became my Papa, it would be very confusing even though I like you." Edmund blinked wordlessly. His heartache