âBastianâ¦â Norman Douglas stood by the door, his voice hoarse, âwhat are you doing?â
At the sound of his fatherâs voice, his son turned around.
His innocent and cute face, matched with the sharp scissors in his hand, sent wave after wave of chill through Norman Douglasâs heart as he watched, trembling with cold.
Norman Douglas stood by the door without moving and said to his son, âBastian, put down the scissorsâ¦â
Sebastian Douglas let the hand holding the scissors fall and waved his other hand at his father.
Norman Douglas walked heavily into the room.
âSister is in pain, I want to make her feel better,â Sebastian Douglas explained innocently, pointing at Jane McCain, âDad, look, sister has sweated a lot.â
Norman followed his sonâs pointing finger.
Jane McCain was heavily drunk, almost immediately falling asleep upon touching the pillow, her eyes closed, eyebrows slightly furrowed, her neckline open wide, revealing snowy-white skin and her intimate undergarments.
Norman thought to himself, what would have happened next if he had been oblivious? He would have found a disheveled young woman lying in his bed.
Of course, with the refinement of Norman Douglas, he would not take advantage of someone intoxicated, but he would definitely have a lasting impression of Jane McCain.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Many intimacies between men and women start with such awkward yet intimate incidents. After several more such encounters, the person slowly takes up space in your heart, and then you start to think that maybe this woman isnât so bad after allâ¦
But, Sebastian Douglas probably did not yet understand the adult world well enough, otherwise, he would know that no matter how much Norman doted on him, he would never marry a girl who had just turned eighteen, as it would be a fatal blow to his reputation.
Norman took the scissors from his sonâs hand, gently placing them aside, then slowly squatted down, quietly looking at Sebastian Douglasâs face.
Those eyes with distinct black and white, pupils pure and clear as if they were the worldâs most beautiful black gemstones.
This child in front of him was once his most pride-worthy creation; he was handsome, sensible, and intelligent, far surpassing his peers by countless measuresâ¦
But nowâ¦
Norman touched his sonâs face and asked in a low voice, âBastian, do you miss Mommy?â
Sebastian Douglas hesitated, then after a moment, said, âThey all say Mommy doesnât want me anymore⦠She took my sister and moved away, Dad, I donât have a Mom anymore, I want Jane McCain to be my Mom.â
He pulled Normanâs hand, walked closer to the bed, and presented his wish as if offering a gift: âDad, look how pretty Sister Jane McCain is, I like her. Do you like her?â
Normanâs eyes grew warm, and he felt as if a thousand pounds of bluntness struck his heart, painful to the point of suffocation.
âIâm sorryâ¦â He embraced Sebastian Douglas with sorrow, pulling him into his arms, âItâs Dadâs fault for not teaching you wellâ¦â
â¦
The next day at school, Zara Jameson asked Jane McCain curiously, âWhy arenât you wearing your uniform today?â
Massaging her head, Jane McCain complained, âI lost a button, and it was too late to ask the servant to sew it back on when I got home last night.â
Purple Summers, who was reading nearby, overheard and turned around to ask, âHow did you lose the button?â
âI was playing baseball with Bastian yesterday, running and jumping around. Maybe it fell off then⦠Ah, I canât really remember, I was drunk yesterday, lots of things are just a blur.â
Purple Summers looked her over carefully, her tone casual, âNothing happened, right?â
Jane McCain laughed at the question, âNo, no, nothing happened. I just lay down for a while, and after waking up, I went home. But that alcohol was really strongâI only had one drink and I couldnât handle itâ¦â
Purple Summers gave a smile and offered an unspoken word of advice, âFinals are coming up, try not to go too much. Be careful you donât end up last in the exams.â
âI wonât go anymore,â Jane McCain responded with a smile. âJudge Douglas has asked for an extended leave to take Bastian on a round-the-world trip. They probably wonât be back for half a year.â
Children have short memories. Once theyâre in a new environment, making new friends, they most likely wonât remember that there once was a big sister named Jane McCain, who played and made mischief with them.
Contemplating this, Jane McCain couldnât help feeling a little sentimental.
But Purple Summers completely breathed a sigh of relief.