Summer almost laughed in disbelief. This was normal? How could this possibly be normal?Caroline, Norman, and Herbert had probably never seen Susanne try to kiss James' lips. If they saw that, they would've been infuriated. "Why don't I help you, James? I think we ought to correct Susanne's behavior.""Will you help me?" James looked surprised. That was rare because he usually showed no expression on his face and didn't talk much. However, he seemed really happy that Summer could help him this time. It appeared that Susanne really bothered him.Summer nodded in agreement and said, "I'll definitely help you." Yet, James had his worries. "I think we should let this go.""What? Don't you want to solve this problem?""Yes, but I don't want you to get hurt." Summer was perturbed by James' reply. Why would she be harmed? She noticed worry in his eyes, as if he thought that talking to Susanne would lead to disastrous consequences for her. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry
Her question stumped Summer. The meaning of love was a philosophical question. No one had ever managed to solve that problem before. Since Summer couldn't explain it to Susanne, she simply answered it in her own words. "Love is when you and someone else are happy and like each other. It's when both of you are willing to put in effort for each other."Summer's answer was very conventional and was what the general public thought about romantic love. Then, Susanne said, "Isn't that right? James and I are happy when we are together. I like him, and I'm willing to do things for him. As such, I believe that I love him romantically."She was spouting nonsense with a smile. It was quite terrifying because Summer was unable to detect any other emotions from her smile. That meant that Susanne genuinely believed that she loved James romantically. There was no way she would listen to what Summer had to say. Besides, if someone hid their emotions underneath a smile, it meant that their
"Susanne, if you aren't quick enough, I'm going to leave you alone. We have to escape this place. Otherwise, when Mom catches us, we'll be captured by her."James and Susanne had been curious about the outside world. Since they had been born, they had been stuck at the Quigley residence. After making use of the opportunity to escape, they had decided to explore the world outside. James had known that there was a strawberry field nearby. Since it had been harvest season for strawberries, they would be able to eat many strawberries if they snuck inside the place. As he had thought about it, his adorable face had grown cheerful. After that, Susanne asked, "How should we leave, James?""There's a small hole in the courtyard. I discovered it with Howe a few days ago. We can sneak out using that!"James cheerfully ran to the courtyard and escaped the house by entering the small hole that was only big enough to fit children. The Quigley residence had been a little remote. Cars had
The gang of children had looked at James with hostility. Meanwhile, James had panicked and seemed to realize his mistake. He had immediately thrown the strawberries on the ground and explained weakly, "We didn't do anything… We didn't steal those strawberries.""You stole our strawberries! My father owns this strawberry field. You plucked them without his permission, so you're a thief!" The leader of the group of boys had been very angry. He had waved a stick around, looking as if he had been about to hit James. It had seemed as if the group of boys were about to attack James and Susanne. The latter had seemed terrified. She had trembled and held a corner of James' shirt. "What are we going to do, James?""It'll be fine." Despite his words, James had actually been very scared. There had been five boys in front of them. Moreover, they had looked bigger than James. As such, he wouldn't have been able to fight them. However, he had figured that he would be able to escape if
"Don't cry, Susanne." James had immediately protected her when he sensed danger. Just then, a few boys had charged at him. Meanwhile, the leader of the group had been so infuriated that he'd used a tree branch to hit James. He said, "Rich people like you are horrible. I'm going to beat you to death!" After that, the four boys had followed suit and started fighting James.A cloud of dust had kicked up, and the sound of crying had filled the strawberry field. Everything had been utterly chaotic. Meanwhile, James had hugged Susanne tightly. He had wanted to suffer the beating alone because he hadn't wanted her to be harmed. After that, Susanne had stopped crying. It had seemed like the world had fallen silent and that James and her had been the only two people left in the world. From that moment on, she had developed a crush on him. She had thought that he was the only man who would protect her. 20 years had passed since then. After Summer heard Susanne's story, she was surpr
However, Summer had to persuade Susanne and convince her that the love she had for James wasn't romantic. It was only a familial relationship. Sadly enough, Susanne seriously believed that her concern for James was true love. "Susanne, what happened in the past was normal, wasn't it? Naturally, your older cousin protected you like your parents. They care for you, so they protect you. But that isn't romantic love."Susanne sneered. "Summer, I don't think you understand me. You can't understand James' relationship with me. You don't know anything.""I don't know anything? No, I know how you feel. That's why I said all that." Summer had joined a psychology club at university. Although she wasn't a professional, she had encountered similar cases like Susanne's before. Some siblings didn't know what romantic love was, so they developed strange feelings for each other. It wasn't an illness, but it was illegal and unethical. That type of love was twisted. She wanted to continue pe
"You aren't to blame for your mother's death. She loved you. That's why she rescued you." Susanne retorted, "What do you know? You know nothing. My mother died because of me. Otherwise, my father wouldn't have sent me to live with the Quigleys back then. He abandoned me."Summer paused. She realized that Susanne resented Herbert. At first, Summer had thought that Susanne and Herbert were on good terms. After all, when she had met them in the living room, Susanne addressed Herbert affectionately. Summer suddenly understood how terrifying Susanne was. Susanne was very cunning and wasn't as simple as she appeared to be. However, she also had a vulnerable side. Summer could tell that the sadness Susanne had shown earlier on was real. The latter was upset over her mother's death. Regretfully, she had misunderstood many things. Summer yearned to help her. "Susanne, you have to understand that Uncle Herbert doesn't blame you. If he blamed you, he wouldn't be so good to you, right?
Susanne tried to forcefully stop Summer from leaving. So, the latter turned and asked, "What's the matter?""Since you already know everything, I'll tell you why I visited the Quigleys this time." Meanwhile, Susanne's eyes glittered dangerously. She looked like a predator who was lying in wait for her prey. Summer couldn't help but worry. She felt pressured by Susanne. It seemed that the latter had an ulterior motive. Her welcoming and friendly behavior before had been just for show. Summer could only blame herself for being too naive. She finally understood why James had said that Susanne wasn't a simple person. "What do you want, Susanne?" she inquired. "Give James to me. I want you to divorce him.""That's impossible," Summer refused. Many people wanted her and James to divorce, but they weren't successful. Besides, even if she agreed to divorce James, he would never consent to it. Yet Susanne stood her ground. "Don't blame me for what I do if you don't agree to divo