Chapter 145
An autumn breeze whispered through the maple trees in the courtyard, rustling the leaves with a soft murmur.
The whisper of the wind outside brushed the silence within the house where stillness seemed so profound that one could hear a pin drop.
It was in this tranquility that Haley struggled to form words, "Angela, you really can speak..."
She deliberately ignored the particular two words the little girl had uttered.
"Sis, you're amazing!" Todd's eyes sparkled with joy. "No one can tease you about not speaking anymore!"
"Wow, Angela, you're incredible!" Owen couldn't contain his excitement, dancing around joyfully. "Quick, call me 'brother'! I want to hear you say it!"
Angela's voice was as sweet as a caramel apple, irresistibly delightful.
Suddenly, Owen paused and asked, "Angela, did you... did you just call someone 'Daddy' by mistake?"
That was his dad. Why had Angela also called him 'Daddy'?
Had he misheard, or had the little sister misspoken?
A detail everyone had overlooked became unavoidable once Owen mentioned it.
Ivan was spellbound for several seconds by the little girl's sweet, sticky call of 'Daddy', stirring a sudden urge for a daughter of his own.
Slightly crestfallen, he clarified, "Angela, I'm Mr. Winston, not your daddy."
Though he wished he could be, he wasn't.
He couldn't mislead her, not when she'd just begun to speak...
"Daddy," Angela said again, looking up.
This time, her voice was free of dryness and struggle, filled instead with determination and defiance.
Her eyes, shimmering like wet stars, reflected Ivan's form.
It was as if, in her world, only Ivan could exist at that moment...
Haley felt a pang in her heart.
She hadn't yet heard 'mommy' from her daughter, yet this man had been called 'Daddy' twice in succession.
She cleared her throat and apologized, "Mr. Winston, I'm so sorry if Angela caused any confusion. It's her first time speaking, and she may not understand the difference between 'uncle' and 'daddy'. I hope she hasn't troubled you."
Standing up, she added, "Thank you, Mr. Winston, so much. But it's quite late today; perhaps I could take you out for a meal tomorrow?"
This man had succeeded in coaxing Angela to speak.
A meal was the least she could offer.
And if a day came when Ivan needed her assistance, she'd be there with all her might.
Ivan replied nonchalantly, "We can talk about meals later. You should get Angela to the hospital for treatment first. She's young, and early intervention means a quicker recovery."
Haley nodded, standing to see the Winston family, father and son, to the door.
Owen glanced at the clock; twenty minutes had passed. Any excuse to procrastinate further was pretty much gone. But Angela hadn't called him "Brother" yet, and he really didn't want to leave.
He dragged his feet, just a few steps away from the door, turning the short distance into an epic journey akin to an odyssey.
That's when it happened.
Little Angela, clad in her pink pajamas, charged like a little cannonball toward Ivan.
She clung to the man's legs and started pulling him back into the house with all her might...
Though she didn't say a word, her actions spoke volumes.
"Daddy, Angela wants us to stay over," Owen burst out, unable to hide his exhilaration. "Let's not go back tonight, please, Daddy... can we?"
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