Sure enough, it was because Adina had not eaten anything for the whole day.
She stood up weakly. “I must‘ve gotten it last night. I‘ll feel sick whenever I eat anything...” Duke carried
her to the couch in the living room. “Sit here. I‘ll cook you some oatmeal.” “It‘s alright. I don‘t have an
appetite.” Adina smiled. “Duke, go accompany Hal. I want to be alone.”
“I‘ll accompany you. I will neither say anything nor bother you. Don‘t chase me away.”
Duke sat in front of her. There was a hint of pain in his gaze. ‘Whenever I‘m in pain, he‘s in pain too.
‘I owe him so much...‘
She lowered her gaze. “Duke, I‘m going out for a walk. I don‘t want to stay here.” “I‘ll go with you.”
He stood up. He put on his coat, then helped Adina put on her down jacket. “Let‘s go.”
“Duke, I want to go out alone. Please...” She bit her lower lip. “I want to be alone. I want to be by
myself...”
“You can walk in front, and I‘ll trail behind you, then. I won‘t make a sound.” He said softly. That aloof
and decisive Mr. Winters was humbled into the dust. “Duke, please don‘t act like this. I‘ll suffocate...”
She tugged on her collar. “Once I‘ve calmed down, I‘ll come home. Let me take a walk alone, okay?”
Adina wanted to find a place where no one was around. She wanted to be alone in silence.
‘I need to think about what I should do next…’
Duke looked into her eyes and saw her gaze filled with pain.
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, “Alright. Addy, you can go out and be alone for a while.
I‘ll wait for you to come back.”
She tiptoed and gave him a peck on his lips. “Duke, thank you for putting up with me. Once I‘ve cleared
my mind, I‘ll come home.” She turned and walked out and pushed the front door open. As winter came
to an end and spring was about to start, the night was chilly. The night breeze blew in when she
opened the front door, blowing through her black long hair.
She pulled up her down jacket hood over her head, put on her shoes, and walked out.
Duke followed her and walked her out.
He said in a dull and low voice, “Addy, are you sure you don‘t need me to accompany you?”
“Go be with Hal. He needs you more than I do.” Adina touched his face. “I‘ll be back soon.” She turned.
Her emaciated figure looked even more fragile as she walked through the winter breeze.
Duke stood by the door and watched her fade into the night. A sudden uneasy feeling rose in him...
Alden, who was standing behind him, said, “Daddy, someone called Mommy‘s phone. Where‘s she?”
Duke hurriedly took the phone. “I‘ll pass it to her.” He turned and rushed into the night. Alden let out a
sigh of relief.
He was worried when he saw Adina going for a walk alone. He felt better when he saw Duke go after
her.
He turned and returned to Harold‘s room. That poor child was still crying and having hiccups. No matter
how George and Alden tried to persuade him, it would not work.
“Mommy had a nightmare. That‘s why she did what she did just now. It doesn‘t mean anything.” George
said calmly, “Do you know how painful and guilty Mommy felt, seeing how hard you cried? She went
out for air just now. If you continue to cry, she might not come home anymore.” Harold quickly stopped
crying when he heard what George said. “I won‘t cry anymore. I want Mommy to come home.” “We
should go to sleep. When we wake up in the morning, we‘ll see her preparing breakfast for us
downstairs.” Melody blinked her eyes and said, “Hal, if you‘re scared, we can sleep with you tonight.”
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