Chapter 957 Sure enough, it was because Adina had not eaten anything for the whole day.
She stood up weakly. âI mustâve gotten it last night. Iâll feel sick whenever I eat anythingâ¦â Duke carried her to the couch in the living room. âSit here. Iâll cook you some oatmeal.â âItâs alright. I donât have an appetite.â Adina smiled. âDuke, go accompany Hal. I want to be alone.â
âIâll accompany you. I will neither say anything nor bother you. Donât chase me away.â
Duke sat in front of her. There was a hint of pain in his gaze. âWhenever Iâm in pain, heâs in pain too.
âI owe him so muchâ¦â
She lowered her gaze. âDuke, Iâm going out for a walk. I donât want to stay here.â âIâll go with you.â
He stood up. He put on his coat, then helped Adina put on her down jacket. âLetâs go.â
âDuke, I want to go out alone. Pleaseâ¦â She bit her lower lip. âI want to be alone. I want to be by myselfâ¦â
âYou can walk in front, and Iâll trail behind you, then. I wonât make a sound.â He said softly. That aloof and decisive Mr. Winters was humbled into the dust. âDuke, please donât act like this. Iâll suffocateâ¦â
She tugged on her collar. âOnce Iâve calmed down, Iâll come home. Let me take a walk alone, okay?â
Adina wanted to find a place where no one was around. She wanted to be alone in silence.
âI need to think about what I should do nextâ¦â
Duke looked into her eyes and saw her gaze filled with pain.
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice, âAlright. Addy, you can go out and be alone for a while.
Iâll wait for you to come back.â
She tiptoed and gave him a peck on his lips. âDuke, thank you for putting up with me. Once Iâve cleared my mind, Iâll come home.â She turned and walked out and pushed the front door open. As winter came to an end and spring was about to start, the night was chilly. The night breeze blew in when she opened the front door, blowing through her black long hair.
She pulled up her down jacket hood over her head, put on her shoes, and walked out.
Duke followed her and walked her out.
He said in a dull and low voice, âAddy, are you sure you donât need me to accompany you?â
âGo be with Hal. He needs you more than I do.â Adina touched his face. âIâll be back soon.â She turned.
Her emaciated figure looked even more fragile as she walked through the winter breeze.
Duke stood by the door and watched her fade into the night. A sudden uneasy feeling rose in himâ¦
Alden, who was standing behind him, said, âDaddy, someone called Mommyâs phone. Whereâs she?â
Duke hurriedly took the phone. âIâll pass it to her.â He turned and rushed into the night. Alden let out a sigh of relief.
He was worried when he saw Adina going for a walk alone. He felt better when he saw Duke go after her.
He turned and returned to Haroldâs room. That poor child was still crying and having hiccups. No matter how George and Alden tried to persuade him, it would not work.
âMommy had a nightmare. Thatâs why she did what she did just now. It doesnât mean anything.â George said calmly, âDo you know how painful and guilty Mommy felt, seeing how hard you cried? She went out for air just now. If you continue to cry, she might not come home anymore.â Harold quickly stopped crying when he heard what George said. âI wonât cry anymore. I want Mommy to come home.â âWe should go to sleep. When we wake up in the morning, weâll see her preparing breakfast for us downstairs.â Melody blinked her eyes and said, âHal, if youâre scared, we can sleep with you tonight.â