Chapter 939 Do Not Dare to Gamble
The heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over everyone like an unshakable fog.
The next day, back in Capital City, that fog still lingered.
Antonio saw her in this state, unable to listen to anything, and didn't know what to say to comfort her. He could only place his hopes on the kids at home.
"Harper and the others are waiting for you at home. Let's go back, okay?"
Sarah kept her head down and didn't respond.
She just pulled her hand out of his grasp and got out of the car.
She wasn't trying to blame anyone or throw a tantrum; she just felt exhausted, overwhelmed, and wanted to be alone.
Antonio frowned as he watched her walk away. He felt something was off with her but couldn't pinpoint it. He silently followed her, carrying the luggage into the house.
The kids heard the noise and came running out, excited.
"Mommy! You're back!"
"Where's little sister? Did you bring her back too?"
"Yeah, where is she?"
Brian, noticing the commotion, gestured for his younger siblings to be quiet.
Mommy didn't seem happy.
Sofia also noticed something was wrong. Her smile faded as she approached Sarah and took her hand. "Sarah, what's wrong? You look terrible."
Sarah looked completely different.
She had dark circles under her eyes, a pale face, and a few strands of hair stuck to her cheeks—clear signs of crying.
Sofia's heart skipped a beat. Could something have happened to the baby?
Sarah had no intention of explaining. She shook her head lifelessly. "I'm really tired right now. Can I go rest?"
Her hoarse voice sounded like a dried-up well. Sofia instinctively let go of her hand.
"Sure."
As soon as she let go, Sarah expressionlessly went upstairs.
She didn't even say a word to the kids.
The children exchanged worried glances, concerned for their mom and curious about what had happened. They looked expectantly at the man who had followed her in.
"Dad..."
Harper immediately noticed something was wrong with their dad too and fearfully hugged his leg.
"What happened to you and Mommy? Why won't she talk to us?"
Antonio's heart shattered, but he forced a smile. "Harper, be good... Mommy isn't feeling well. Let's let her rest for a bit, okay? Everything will be better after she gets some sleep."
Sofia was also extremely worried. She knew some things couldn't be said in front of the kids, so she bent down and told them, "Daddy and Sofia need to talk. Why don't you go play for a bit?"
Once the kids left, Sofia immediately asked in a low voice, "What happened? Where's Eden?"
Antonio paused for a long time, slumping onto the couch in defeat.
He rubbed his temples, the pain radiating from him like a dark web spreading to every corner.
After a long while, his hoarse voice finally broke the silence. "Eden... is gone."
The weight of those three words took Sofia a long time to process.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something.
But she realized that at this moment, words were futile. The pain of losing a daughter couldn't be comforted by mere words.
Antonio was deeply burdened, but he still forced a smile at her. "I'm okay... but for now, I'll need your help watching the kids and comforting Sarah. I'm afraid she might do something drastic."
Sofia nodded, feeling like a heavy stone was lodged in her heart. "You don't need to be formal with me. But Sarah... you should stay with her. I can't do much."
After the last time, they didn't dare take any chances.
Last time, Eden went missing, and Sarah was so traumatized she lost her memory.
This time, they hoped she could get through it with Eden's blessing.
Antonio closed his eyes, sitting there with an exhaustion that seemed to seep from his bones. His deep voice came out strained, "Thank you."
They all thought Sarah would get better in a few days, or at worst, fall into another memory lapse like last time.
But they overlooked another possibility—Postpartum depression.
She shut herself off.
She didn't want to talk to anyone. Whether it was Antonio or Sofia, every word they said irritated her, and the cycle of anger and regret left her utterly drained.
After several days of staying inside, Sarah decided she needed to get out and do something.
Staying cooped up like this would drive her insane.
She had just finished getting ready and was heading downstairs when she saw Antonio sitting on the couch, looking like he was waiting for her.
"Sarah, are you hungry? Do you want something to eat?"
Just those two sentences made her blood boil.
Sarah stopped in her tracks, staring at the equally haggard man in front of her. She felt a pang of sympathy for him.
But her emotions were uncontrollable.
She took a deep breath. "I'm not hungry, and I'm fine. I'm going out now. Please don't follow me. Let me be alone for a while, okay?"
Her cold, distant gaze and attitude were like a knife to Antonio's heart.
But there seemed to be no other way but to go along with her.
"Okay... I won't follow you. Just be safe. Call me when you're coming back, and I'll..."
Before he could finish saying "pick you up," she had already left.
Sarah just wanted to find a quiet place to be alone. Staying here, overthinking, only made her feel worse.
Antonio watched her drive away, unable to shake his worry. He quickly followed her.
She was in such a bad state that even her driving worried him.
Sarah didn't have any specific plans.
She drove aimlessly, and perhaps by fate, she ended up at an orphanage.
Hearing the children's innocent voices inside, her mood miraculously calmed down. She got out of the car and walked in.
"Ma'am, are you looking for someone?"
As soon as she entered, a sharp-eyed child ran up to her.
Sarah looked at their innocent faces and smiled. "No, I'm not looking for anyone. I just heard you having fun and wanted to join you... is that okay?"
"Of course!"
"Ma'am, come on! We're playing tag!"
The children loved having someone to play with and weren't shy, pulling her along.
Soon, the director came out and was surprised to see her playing with the kids. "Ma'am, may I ask who you are?"
Sarah, a bit sweaty from running around, told the kids to keep playing.
"Hello." She wiped her sweat, feeling like she had found an outlet for her pent-up emotions. "I wanted to ask... do you need any volunteers here?"
"It's my first time here, and I didn't bring any gifts. I want to do something for them."
The director understood and kindly handed her a tissue from his pocket. "We do need volunteers. Our previous ones were college students who just went back to school... if you could help, the kids and I would be very grateful."
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
