"Ma'am, there's a painting like this in my daddy's room."
Kisa was washing the vegetables, and her heart skipped a beat when she heard what Andrew said. She had given that painting to Gilbert when she was thirteen. Kisa never thought he would still keep it. She thought he probably wanted to use that painting as a constant reminder of his hatred for her. Otherwise, there was no other reasonable explanation.
"Wow, ma'am, your cooking smells so good." Andrew burst out in admiration when she brought the cooked dishes over.
Kisa, on the other hand, did not respond to him, as the boy's deliberate ingratiation made her a little uncomfortable.
"Ma'am, this is the best meal I have ever had." Andrew ate with gusto, his little face full of satisfaction.
Kisa stared at him in a predicament and felt sad. 'If my child were still alive, would he also enjoy eating my cooking?'
It got dark quickly in winter. Maybe Andrew was tired; he went to bed after dinner. When Kisa tucked him in, she noticed something jiggling under his pillow. She pulled it out and saw that it was a cell phone, and Ada had sent him messages.
[Are you with that lady now?]
[Have you asked her if she knows where Mommy is?]
[How are you doing? Is that lady treating you well?]
[Andrew?]
[Andrew?]
...
Ada asked several questions in a row, and Kisa could imagine Ada's anxious look, judging by the last few sentences.
Kisa turned off the phone, intending to ignore it, but when she thought of Ada's anxious appearance, she could not help but reply.
[Your brother is asleep.]
Then she took a picture of Andrew and sent it to Ada, in case she did not believe her.
[You are Madam?] Ada replied quickly.
[Yes. Don't worry about your brother; it's not like I will eat him.]
Over here, Ada saw Kisa's reply and felt much at ease.
Gilbert clenched his hands quietly, and his hatred for Kisa grew stronger.
Just then, the family butler rushed in. "Why are you two quarreling?"
"I don't want Daddy. He lied. I don't want Daddy. My mommy loves me. I want my mommy."
Gilbert took a deep breath. "Comfort her."
With that, he strode away with exasperation. The car soon drove out of the courtyard.
'Kisa said that if you refused to release her from prison, she would not let your child be born safely.' All that echoed in his mind was what Sharon had told him outside the prison back then. 'Heck! It is ridiculous to expect a selfish, vicious woman to love her children.' He clutched the steering wheel, and because of his monstrous hatred, a sinister fury was all over his face. 'Kisa, I will never spare you in this life.'
At night, Kisa lay in bed, shivering in the cold. Since her health started to fail, she was terrified of the cold. Even more so in this kind of weather, her hands and feet felt cold even if she lay under the covers all night.
At that moment, Andrew suddenly rolled into her arms. She felt awkward and pushed him away. But in a moment, he rolled over again as if looking for a sense of security. Kisa frowned and finally took him into her arms.
She adjusted her sleeping position and tucked Andrew in again. Just as she was about to fall asleep, someone knocked on the door like crazy. Afraid of waking up Andrew, Kisa rushed to get up.
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