Since Ryan was too tall to ride the carousel, all he could do was stand outside the fence and wait for Mia to finish.
Ryan had always been a bit puzzled by Miaâs mental age. She was clearly still just a young girl, but sometimes the mischievous ideas she came up with could make anyone blushâideas that even someone ten years older might not be able to pull off so smoothly.
And just when you thought she was more mature, sheâd go and choose something like the carousel, which was usually for little kids.
Ryan had actually ridden a carousel before. A few years ago, not long after he first met Bella, she had a natural resistance to everything. To get closer to her, Ryan had taken her on a carousel ride.
Ryan didnât find the ride particularly interesting. In fact, he was so bored that he almost fell asleep on the horse. But Bella, on the other hand, was full of energy, dragging him on ride after ride, playing for an entire afternoon without getting tired. Ryan had been completely dumbfounded.
Now, though, the carousel had stopped, and Mia was finally getting off. But she didnât look particularly happy.
âMia, whatâs wrong?â
Since this outing was mainly for Mia, Ryan had been paying close attention to her mood, especially after learning about her illness. Seeing her wobble unsteadily as she got off the carousel, he quickly rushed over to her.
He wrapped his arms around her small frame. Mia, swaying like a tumbleweed in the desert, seemed to still be feeling unwell.
âRyan⦠sniffâ¦â
âIâm never, ever riding a carousel again.â
Miaâs face was scrunched up in frustration, her big eyes misty as she looked up at Ryan. When she saw Anna standing nearby with a smug look on her face, Miaâs anger flared even more.
She clenched her little fists and threw herself into Ryanâs arms.
Grabbing onto the collar of his shirt, she took a deep breath, as if she were a space traveler finally getting a whiff of oxygen after being stranded in the void.
It was a small comfort. At least he still smelled like sunflowers, that familiar scent that always made her feel safe. No other unpleasant odors had tainted it.
Ryan was hers. She was sure of that now. And she had to keep a close eye on him. If some dirty little rat from the shadows tried to steal him awayâor even just touched himâshe wouldnât be able to handle it.
âStill not feeling well?â
Ryan held Mia close, noticing that her mood had worsened even more since theyâd left âJoyful Doughnutâ earlier. She had been the one to suggest the carousel, but now she seemed heartbroken. Ryan, who didnât consider himself particularly emotionally intelligent, instinctively patted Miaâs back gently.
This time, Mia wasnât faking it. She was genuinely crying, and a patch of his shirt was already soaked with her tears.
Ryan glanced over at Anna, hoping for some advice.
But Anna, who was usually reliable and always had his back no matter what, was now casually looking off in another direction, whistling as if she hadnât noticed anything.
âAnna?â
âHuh? Whatâs up, Ryan?â
Only when Ryan called her name did she finally turn her attention back to him, puffing out her cheeks in a way that made it impossible to be mad at her.
Ryan had every reason to believe Anna was pretending not to notice on purpose. As for proof? Well, she had almost burst out laughing when Mia started crying.
Mia, still sobbing, had been calming down a bit under Ryanâs comforting touch. But the moment she heard him call out to Anna, her anger reignited. Her face flushed red, and she bit down on Ryanâs arm in frustration.
With Miaâs âbloodyâ revenge in full swing, Anna was no help at all. Ryan had no choice but to juggle comforting Mia while also trying to find a place where they could sit and rest.
They had entered the park at around 3 PM, and the park was set to close at 5:30. After all the walking, playing, and waiting in lines, it was now 5 PM, leaving them only half an hour before closing time.
The crowd was moving in one direction, gathering around something. Ryan followed their gaze and saw that it seemed to be a spot for taking family photos.
A happy family of three stood in front of the clown holding balloon animals, smiling warmly at the camera. As the photographerâs shutter clicked, photo after photo was taken, and soon they were handed over at the payment counter.
This was one of the parkâs most typical money-making schemes. Youâd see this kind of setup all over the countryâsometimes it was a clown with balloons, other times it was a variety of plush mascots.
âRyan, what are you staring at?ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âIâm telling you right now, thereâs no way Iâm taking a family photo with you!â
Mia noticed Ryan standing still, lost in thought, and followed his gaze. When she realized what he was looking at, she bit her lip and pinched the palm of his hand.
Even though Mia could handle things on her own and was destined to be a high-ranking figure in the mafia, she still looked quite small and young.
Standing next to Anna and Ryan, she resembled the child in a family of three. You could tell from the way the carousel staff had treated them earlier.
Ryan tilted his head in confusion, but when he finally understood what Mia was thinking, he couldnât help but laugh. He quickly patted her head, reassuring her. He definitely didnât have any weird âdaddy issuesâ like she was imagining.
Todayâs trip to the amusement park with Mia had finally brought a thought to the surfaceâsomething Ryan shouldâve realized a long time ago.
Ryan was a local. He hadnât visited the amusement park much as a kid, but heâd seen plenty of ads for it on TV and in the papers.
He vaguely remembered that ever since the cityâs economy had taken off, this amusement park had been the dominant one. Over the past twenty years, the rides had been updated again and again, and countless visitors had come and gone, but the park itself had remained.
Ryan wasnât interested in taking a photo with the clown. It was just that the scene had triggered a memory.
It seemed like the photo in Aliceâs bedroom had been taken here. The clown wasnât the same one, but the family photo was unmistakable.
Ryan didnât know much about Aliceâs background. All he knew was that her father had passed away last year, leaving the heavy burden of their mafia organization on her young shoulders.
Alice must have had a mother. But where was she? Had she passed away too? Orâ¦
Ryan recalled the image in the photo. Young Alice had been holding her fatherâs hand with one hand, and her other hand had clearly been holding someone elseâs. But that personâs figure had been cut out of the photo.
If it was a family photo, then it was almost certain that the person cut out was her mother.
What had happened between them? What had Aliceâs mother done to make Alice so determined to erase her from the picture?
Staring at the clown, Ryanâs thoughts froze for a moment. In that inappropriate moment, a fragile yet incredibly strong figure appeared in his mind, and he couldnât shake it.
Just then, his phone rang, snapping him out of his daze.
Miaâs small hand darted into Ryanâs pocket, grabbing the phone before he could. But when she saw who was calling, her expression darkened.
She quickly gestured to Anna to stay quiet, then dragged Ryan to a secluded corner and shoved the phone into his hand.
âItâs Alice! Ryan, youâve got to think of something!â