Quinton was locked up inside, but a gap had been left underneath so food could be given to him easily. Earlier, Carmen had gone down to the basement and asked him to stick his feet out of the gap so she could paint his nails.
Pulling his feet in, he asked, “Why are you here? Are you inviting me to eat dinner with you guys?”
“Nice try,” Michael answered.
If he were to show up now, Cooper would tear him into pieces right away. Moreover, Sophia was not too keen to see him either. But Quinton was not expecting to receive her forgiveness; his main priority in returning this time was to check up on Celine.
On the other hand, Michael also had conflicting feelings toward Quinton. Looking at the carbon copy of Theo, he realized that even the lines and edges on Quinton’s face were exactly the same as the Theo in Michael’s memories. Michael’s eyes filled with pain as he let out yet another sigh. How great would things have been if Quinton had been born into the Fletcher Family?
After taking a good, long look at Quinton, Michael eventually got up to leave. Before he left, he asserted, “In two days, I will send you to Michel Town in Africa.”
Once Michael was gone, the small space returned to being dead silent. Looking down at his feet while still in his seat, Quinton stared blankly at the pink on his toes.
Meanwhile, the whole family had dinner together in the dining room. They were having salamander soup again tonight. Celine was excitedly scooping out some soup to give to Quinton. Carmen also handed Justin some jelly and chocolate to give to him.
On the other hand, Sophia kept acting as though she did not know Quinton was locked up in their basement. After dinner, she simply went to pet the new dog.
Once Michael was done with his meal, he saw that Sophia was still in the living room with the dog and went to join her. While petting the dog, he also petted her. Even though she did not talk, he knew that she was not happy. In fact, she had not been happy ever since Quinton returned.
Grasping her shoulder, he murmured, “What’s wrong? You don’t look happy.”
She shook her head. Ever since Quinton returned, she kept having this premonition that something had gone wrong, but she did not know what.
Michael continued, “Why don’t we go to the spa on the weekend?”
She nodded. The spa sounded pleasant. Her period had also ended just in time. Looking up, she kissed the corner of his mouth while her arms were wrapped around him tightly. Although she did not know what was going to happen, she just wanted to hold him tightly in her arms now and in the future.
In the basement, the moment Justin left after giving Quinton his food, Carmen came in. While Quinton was eating inside that confined space, Carmen sat outside and drank her milk. Watching her drinking her milk made Quinton feel like he could easily eat two more bowls of rice.
When she was halfway through her milk bottle, she asked, “Uncle Quinton, why did Daddy lock you up in here?”
Quinton drank every last drop of the salamander soup. As the thought of how delicious the food was crossed his mind, he answered, “Because I didn’t listen to him and did something bad. That’s why I got locked up in here. You can’t be like me, Carmen. You have to listen to your dad, mom, and grandpa.”
Carmen nodded as if she understood his words. After that, she asked him to watch ‘Where Are We Going, Dad?’ with her again. Before they reached the end of one episode, however, Sophia came down to look for Carmen.
“That’s enough. You can continue tomorrow. It’s time for bed now. You still have to go to school tomorrow.” Taking Carmen’s small hand in hers, Sophia walked out of the basement as though she did not see Quinton locked up right next to her.
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