"Whether you appreciate her or not is your own business, but I see her as unfit for the task. You should find someone else to follow up." Neil rejected without hesitation once again.
Mitch fell silent on the other end, and after a moment, he said, "Alright, I understand."
Then he hung up.
With that, the tension in my chest eased, yet at the same time, I was intrigued.
Neil didn't tell Mitch that I was holding Yara in the car at the moment.
But I didn’t ask. I just held the child tighter in my arms, lost in thoughts about what to do next. Should I involve Stella in this and let her make the decision?
"We're here." Neil didn't step out of the car when we reached my house, just reminded me.
"Thanks for today." I got out of the car, still cradling Yara.
Through the car window, Neil's gaze remained on the child in my arms, which made me anxious. He didn't say anything earlier, but he might spill the beans to Mitch as soon as I leave.
With this uneasy feeling, I returned home, while Neil drove off.
Norah came to check on Yara. After I told her about the dosage, I went to check on Serena and Brandon. The two were playing, their innocent gestures and babbling melting my heart.
Every time I saw these two, all my worries disappeared. With them by my side, there was always hope.
...
I wanted to tell Stella that Neil knew Yara was with me, but I was worried that it might affect her situation.
After two days of anxiety, Mitch didn't show up, and my worries gradually faded, the matter momentarily forgotten.
"Ms. Finch, I'm taking Serena and Brandon for a walk." By late afternoon, after dinner, Norah greeted me with her usual baby carriage.
"Sure." I nodded. Fearing that Yara might be seen, or that Mitch might have someone lurking around, I didn't take Yara out. Instead, we stayed home most of the time, while Norah would take Serena and Brandon out for walks.
After Norah left, I found a set of clothes, preparing to bathe Yara.
Just as I got Yara into the bathtub, the doorbell rang. Could Norah have forgotten something? But didn't she know the code?
I went to check the situation first, and my heart nearly stopped when I saw Mitch.
Why was he here again? Wasn't he supposed to return to Rosemont?
In confusion, I decided to ignore him.
But Mitch said, "Irene, open the door! If you don't, I'll kick it down! Or you can wait for the cops. You've hidden my child!"
At his words, my mind went blank. From his tone, it seemed he was certain that Yara was with me. How did he know?
"Bang!"
The loud noise startled me. Someone had kicked the gate.
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