I tried to comfort her, but fear consumed my mind.
Suddenly, silence fell on the other end. Then came the sound of children crying.
“Melanie?!”
“Melanie, what’s happening over there?!”
My chest felt as if it would burst open as I screamed in panic.
After what felt like an eternity, my daughter’s trembling voice returned.
“Mom, a kid got strangled to death by the bad man.”
“It was Auntie Cassidy’s daughter, Lyra. She said the bad man was crazy, a rapist, and then he suddenly went mad.”
“Mom, Dad is talking to him. He said he wants Lyra…”
“Why doesn’t Dad want me?”
Her innocent, naïve question left me speechless.
Ever since Cassidy’s daughter transferred into the kindergarten, Aidan had changed.
During the kindergarten sports day, he left me and our daughter behind to stay by Cassidy and her child’s side.
When the children at the kindergarten all caught the flu, he even took leave to be with Cassidy and her child.
I had argued with him, demanded answers, yet Aidan always spoke with the same calm tone.
“Cassidy and her daughter are alone in Rockville, with no relatives. It’s my duty to help them.”
Those words haunted me, echoing in my mind. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to stand.