It was not until the morning that Raeleigh realised that Marissa had gone mad. What's more, it was Scarlette who came over to inform Raeleigh.
After Scarlette told Raeleigh, she continued, "Mr. Jepherson has recovered a little over the past couple of days. If you have time, why don't you head over to Waverly Village? Wouldn't it be much easier for us to visit you that way? Raeleigh... We came to see you, not a prisoner, but look at..."
Scarlette cast a quick glance at her surroundings. They were surrounded by four very high walls along with convicts. It was unsafe here.
Raeleigh did not think much about it. She looked over at Scarlette and said, "No one had any opinion when they came to visit me. You're the only one who thinks that way. Shaney, come over and tell Madam Scarlette when we're leaving this place."
Shaney quickly rushed over and told Scarlette, "We will be leaving in a few days. Uncle Santiago, Mom and I are planning to visit Grandma and Grandpa once we leave this place."
Scarlette was stunned for a moment. Then, she asked Raeleigh, "You guys are leaving?"
"Yes, we're leaving."
"What about Mr. Jepherson? Raeleigh, are you really planning on getting together with Mr. Santiago? Have you ever thought about what you're going to tell Shaney when she grows up?"
"No, I've never really thought about it. Santiago told me that life is short and we must live in the moment."
"Raeleigh..."
Raeleigh said nothing. Scarlette did not know what else to say.
"Why don't you stay for dinner?"
Raeleigh finally broke the silence and stood up. She gently nudged Shaney and said, "Can you please go and get Uncle Austin and Uncle Santiago? I remember you said you wanted to eat raviolis, so well have that for dinner. Shaney, would you like Madam Scarlette to stay for dinner?"
"Yes!"
Shaney set off in search of Austin and Santiago. At this moment, Austin and Santiago were weeding in a quiet and isolated place. There were people watching over them from a distance. They buried themselves in work, not talking.
When they were almost done, Santiago asked, "Are you really going to let us go?"
"I'm not. I'm sure Shaney will come back when I ask her to. It's not suitable for me to bring her out to see the world, but you guys are different."
"Then, what do we need to do in order for you to let us go?"
Santiago stood up. Austin dusted off his hands and went to wash. He looked at Santiago and asked, "Kneel down. Back then, when your brother came to ask me for Shaney, I told him to beg me, but he refused. If you kneel down and beg me, I would hand Shaney over to you."
Santiago laughed and immediately went down on one knee. Austin was slightly stunned. Santiago wanted to get down on both knees, but Austin grabbed his arm and stopped him from getting onto his knees.
"Get up."
Santiago asked, "In the future, if Shaney's not in any danger, you're not allowed to find her. She's not allowed to join the army. She's just a normal kid."
"You're smart. You understand my thoughts."
"Austin, you're a very daring guy, but you'll never be able to walk out of Green House. This place is not used to house criminals, it's used to imprison you. I don't want my niece to become like you." "I don't want her to become like me either. Come on, stand up." Austin helped Santiago up and looked at him. Then, he turned around and said, "When I saw Raeleigh, it was love at first sight. It's a pity that I have a special identity. I was raised in this place and received training when I was five. I know I'll never be able to live the life I want.
Yes, I might have power, but I'm no more than a puppet. I can't give Raeleigh anything. I treat Shaney like my own daughter. I hope that one day, I'll be able to have a daughter like Shaney, but I know I'll never get the chance.
You know your brother's character better than I do. He's intelligent, yet scheming. I'm not saying that you're a good person. At least, you know how to love someone better than your brother."
"From my understanding, you sound like you've never wanted to help my brother."
"You're right."
Austin turned to look at Santiago. "If you were me, what would you do to your brother?"
"I understand."
Santiago did not say anything else. Soon, Shaney finally found them. Santiago bent down, picked her up and put her on his shoulders.
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