Glenn’s eyes immediately turned red. He pouted, hurt. "That’s what Dad said. Why are you yelling at me, Sis?"
Willow was furious, her little face flushed red.
’I so badly want to tell him. Your dad is lying. Things aren’t at all like he says!’
’Mom didn’t abandon us. She had no other choice but to leave secretly on her own.’
’I have to work hard and save up lots and lots of money so I can go find Mom.’
As if suddenly drained of all strength, Willow’s clenched fists slowly relaxed. Her shoulders slumped, and she began to sob quietly.
Hearing her cries, Glenn was a little stunned.
He blinked in confusion, then said helplessly, "Why are you crying, Sis? You were the one who yelled at me, so why are you crying?"
As he spoke, he looked around for tissues.
But he couldn’t find any tissues no matter where he looked.
Even more bewildered, Glenn said, "Mom’s not home, and now the tissues are gone too."
"Yeah," Willow choked out. "Without Mom, we’re like stray kids. Your dad doesn’t care about us at all."
"Then what do we do?" Hearing that he had become a stray kid, Glenn was instantly overcome with sadness. "I don’t want to be a stray kid! I want my mom!"
He started wailing at the top of his lungs.
Willow’s suppressed sobs gradually grew louder.
The dilapidated house echoed with the helpless cries of the two children.
Inky knew that not having a mother was indeed a very sad thing.
It stared at them, a hint of sympathy showing in its tiny, beady eyes.
’So pitiful.’
’I think I’m going to cry.’
"SOB SOB SOB... Renee, they’re so pitiful." Inky stood on the coffee table in front of Renee Jennings, crying its heart out. "Why would their mom abandon them?"
Renee Jennings’ slender brows were tightly knitted, her porcelain-white face deep in thought.
Michelle Fuller and Sean Fuller sat on her left and right, their slightly similar faces showing the exact same curiosity.
But Renee was thinking, and they didn’t dare disturb her.
After a moment, Renee’s lips moved, and she asked softly, "Inky, Willow called that man ’Mister’, but Glenn called him ’Dad’, is that right?"
"Yes!" Inky bobbed its head emphatically and added a detail. "That man told Glenn to buy candy, but not Willow!"
Renee pursed her lips and analyzed, "Then Willow and Glenn must be half-siblings, sharing the same mother but different fathers."
Inky didn’t understand the term and tilted its head in confusion. "What does that mean?"
Renee explained it, then summarized, "Their mother is gone, and Glenn’s father told them their mother abandoned them to be a mother to someone else."