**14**
Julian disappeared, but Caleb kept showing up outside our house. On the first day, he
stood in the garden, anxiously peeking inside.
On the second day, he bought a lot of fertilizer and helped me fertilize the flowers in the
garden.
On the third day, Caleb brought Daisy many dolls, ones I hadn’t been willing to buy for her. For some reason, Daisy really liked Caleb, her big brother.
But Caleb’s actions and words that day were like a nightmare, making my heart race
whenever I saw him.
Caleb knew he’d made a mistake and wouldn’t actively call me “Mom,” afraid of upsetting
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Only sometimes, when I made small things for Daisy, he would secretly ask Daisy to share some with him. But when it came to me, Daisy would be particularly insistent
“That’s ‘my‘ mom, not your mont
“Mom said she only has Daisy as her child for this Metime”
“Brother, don’t lie to me anymore. If you lie again, Daisy won’t like you!
Caleb would always lower his eyes, his face pale, and not speak
On the fifth day, Noah invited him in, Noah didn’t chase him away, just as he said he wouldn’t ask me anything until I was willing to tell him. That night, I told him everything.
Noah’s eyes were red, and his nose was red too. I looked at him and laughed. “What’s wrong? You’re a dad now, and you still cry so easily!
He buried his head in my neck. “Sister, you’ve lived such a hard life. My heart aches for
you?
“Don’t you think I’m… solled?
He gently covered my lips with his, then bit me lightly, as if in punishment. “Sister is the cleanest person. What nonsense are you thinking?”
Two days later, Noah came back from the coffee shop with blood on his mouth. I frowned as I cleaned him up, asking who did it. He stammered, refusing to answer.
I called Julian directly. I chewed him out, but the more I cursed him, the more excited
Julian seemed. “Mia, it’s been a long time since you’ve cared about me like this…”
1 cursed him under my breath, calling him a psycho.
Julian texted me, telling me to meet him at the flower shop. Caleb lowered his head, silently braiding Daisy’s hair. Noah looked at me and said, ‘Go, Sister. Settle things with
them.*
<
“Daisy and I will wait for you to come home.”
