Thaddeus snorted coldly. âCanât you see whatâs going on? Theyâre not even accepting my apology, so why should I stay here? Letâs go; weâre leaving!â
âBut Dadâ¦â Lea protested as a troubled expression appeared on her face.
âNo buts!â Thaddeus countered as he bent down to scoop his daughter into his arms. âWe shouldnât have come here in the first place! Letâs go! Iâll take you to find your sister. Sheâs waiting for us to rescue her!â
Bertha, embarrassed and helpless, watched her irritable husband leave. Sighing, she quickly bid farewell to Marlinie and Ellinor and followed her husband and daughter.
After watching the three of them leave, Marlinieâs eyes dimmed, and a heavy mood settled upon her.
Ellinor didnât say anything. She acted as if the incident hadnât happened and served her mother some food. âMom, you should eat something.â
Nodding, Marlinie forced a smile and accepted the food from her daughter.
After her mother began to eat, Ellinor turned to Theo, who had been silent and supportive throughout.
âCan you accompany me to the bathroom?â
Without a word, Theo moved to follow her.
The hospital corridors were quieter in the evening.
Ellinor took Theoâs hand and said seriously, âListen, you donât need to go easy on Thaddeus for my momâs sake. I donât need you to suffer for me and my mom Deal with this situation as you see fit.âBooks Chapters Are Daily Updated Join & Stay Updated For All Books Updatesâ¦
Theo turned to look at her. âHonestly, I donât feel wronged.â
Ellinor frowned. âWell, I do! Why should we easily forgive a man who once broke your legs?! Everyone must pay for their mistakes! Thaddeus is no exception, nor is Sophia!â After seeing her so upset, even to the point of tears, Theo felt a wave of sympathy wash over him. He pulled her into his arms and gently stroked her head. âOkay, I wonât go easy on them. Iâll make them pay. You donât have to worry or cry. Please donât cry for me; I canât bear to see your tears.â
Ellinor buried her face in his chest. She knew that she would not let Thaddeus off the hook for her motherâs sake, but Theo might, out of love for her and respect for Marlinieâs feelings.
She wouldnât allow it!
Why should Theo swallow such humiliation just because of her and her mother? This was unacceptable!
âI am serious. You donât need to show any mercy to Thaddeus. He spoiled his daughter into being so ruthless. Itâs his own fault, and he should bear the consequences.â
Theo held her. âYes, youâre right; Iâll listen to you.â
Ellinor emphasized again. âAs for my mother, I will explain it to her myself. You donât need to worry about it. Do you hear me?â
Theo rested his chin on top of her head as he nuzzled her affectionately. âYes, I hear you.â
Meanwhile, in the elevator.
Bertha was pleading with her husband. âThaddeus, didnât we agree not to rescue Sophia? Why do you want to save her now?â
While holding his younger daughter, Thaddeus grunted, âBertha, you saw it too. Itâs not that I didnât apologize; itâs that my apology was useless! They didnât give you any dignity, nor did they give Marlinie any dignity! Whatâs the point of all those years of friendship with Marlinie? Instead of caring about them, I might as well care about my own daughter! Just leave it be!â