Leaving the subway station, Angela and Eddie headed to the supermarket to buy some groceries together.
Eddie relished the warm atmosphere, sticking close to Angela as they made their way through the aisles.
"Eddie, do you want this?" Angela picked up a bag of chips.
Eddie excitedly raised both hands, "Yes!"
Angela also picked up a variety pack, comparing the prices. She watched her mother carefully calculate the discounts, fully enjoying his favorite lifestyle.
In the distance stood Sidney, peeking from around a corner, utterly unaware of the chaos his disappearance from Woodberry School had caused. The Murphy Group was searching for him across the city, but all Sidney could see was this kind and gentle woman who captivated his heart.
Angela remained oblivious to the extra little presence trailing behind her.
As she maneuvered her shopping cart, Sidney quietly trailed after her. Whenever he observed Angela smiling at Eddie, a subtle yet bitter sense of envy and yearning welled up inside him.
This tender scene secretly pained his heart.
Born into affluence, the heir with privileges, whom Carlos never spared love.
Yet, in his heart, he also painted the image of a mother.
He longed for a mother—someone warm and tender like Angela...
Sidney discreetly trailed them until Angela had completed her payment and was heading home, one hand laden with shopping bags, the other holding Eddie.
At the doorstep.
Angela and Eddie had just entered the house, with Eddie dutifully carrying the groceries into the kitchen. Sidney, still outside, watched as they entered, hesitating in front of the somewhat worn Iron Gate, his clear black and white eyes blinking softly before he reached out and gently pressed the doorbell.
"Ding dong—"
Angela was surprised to hear the doorbell.
Who could it be?
She went to the door and opened it to find Sidney's cute and pretty face.
Her expression transformed in shock, "Sidney!?"
Sidney looked up, his eyes pleading and innocent as a fawn's, seemingly asking, "May I come in?"
Angela glanced behind him, seeing no one else.
Was Sidney alone?
How could such a little child appear at her doorstep so suddenly?
Angela asked, "Sidney, are you here to see me?"
Sidney nodded slightly.
A glimmer of joy appeared in her heart. He could understand her, which proved... he had his own thoughts and was definitely not the "mentally challenged child" the Murphy family thought he was.
"Come in then!" Angela welcomed Sidney inside.
Eddie, who had just tied on an apron, came out to the noise and frowned upon seeing Sidney. He wasn't fond of him at all.
Why him?
He was the cause of Mommy's fall down the stairs and had been pointed fingers at by the Murphy family.
Eddie crossed his arms and eyed him warily, "What are you doing here?"
Sidney, however, wasn't focused on Eddie; instead, he began surveying Angela and Eddie's living space.
It was a humble dwelling, probably a subsidized apartment.
Even in New Jersey, a comparable apartment would typically command a monthly rent of three to four thousand dollars. For the young master accustomed to the grandeur of the Murphy family estate, it appeared quite modest.
After all, the built-in aquarium bathtub in the Murphy mansion was larger than this entire place.
Angela wasn't overly particular about her home as long as it provided shelter. Despite occasional leaks during rain and stuffiness in summer, there were no major issues.
In the neatly maintained two-bedroom apartment, Sidney discovered a preference for the warmth of the compact living space over the opulent yet cold Murphy Mansion.
Standing at Eddie's bedroom door, curiosity shone in his eyes.
Since Sidney had entered, Eddie had stuck close by, watching his every move like guarding against a thief, "What are you up to?"
Sidney pointed to the room, glanced at Eddie, seemingly asking for permission.
Angela read Sidney's gaze, "Sidney would like to have a look at Eddie's room."
Eddie scowled, reluctant but for Angela's sake, he conceded, "Fine, I guess I'll show you around!"
He led Sidney inside the room, which was squeaky clean. Sidney stopped at a desk with a photo album lying on it.
Eddie boasted, "This is my favorite album!"
Sidney opened his mouth, pointed to the album, and, for the first time, made a childlike request, "Can I see?"
Angela was taken aback. Sidney really could speak. His sudden utterance that night wasn't an accident.
"Absolutely not!" Eddie asserted possessively. "It's my treasure."
Sidney blinked, gazing at Eddie with a pout, and accused, "Stingy."
Eddie arched an eyebrow, embraced the album more tightly, and declared, "These are all the precious memories I have with Mommy. I won't just show them to anyone!"
Disappointment flashed momentarily in Sidney's eyes, his lips pouted in an almost biting expression.
Angela quickly intervened, "Eddie, weren't you making Mommy cream mushroom spaghetti tonight?"
Eddie nodded abruptly, "Oh no! My pasta is still in the pot!" He put down the album and raced back to the kitchen.
Angela seized the moment to place Sidney on the bed and started perusing the album, comforting him, "Don't feel left out, Sidney. Eddie has always valued this album and never allows anyone to see it. We can take a sneak peek."
With that, she opened the album, filled with memories of seven years shared by Angela and Eddie.
Eddie's initial month, his developmental milestones like sitting and crawling, the tentative first steps he took; Eddie's inaugural day at kindergarten, Angela cradling him for a snapshot at the school entrance; his initial involvement in a parent-child game, hand-feeding llamas with Angela; Eddie's kindergarten graduation, proudly showcasing his diploma alongside Angela, his face radiating a warm and enchanting smile.
Sidney was struck with envy as he pursed his lips. Having a loving mother seemed like such a wonderful thing. Every photo showed Eddie's genuine happiness, something Sidney had never experienced.
Looking up at Angela, Sidney asked, "Eddie has a mommy, but what about Sidney?"
Where was his own mother?
Angela said, "Sidney has a mommy too, and Sidney's mommy must love Sidney very much."
Sidney replied, "Mommy doesn't want me anymore."
That's the story Carlos narrated to him—that his mother had forsaken him after childbirth, possibly due to his not entirely human appearance.
The Murphy family servants gossiped covertly, alleging that the woman had birthed him and, upon realizing his cognitive challenges, abandoned him.
However, he was aware that this narrative was false.
He understood he wasn't intellectually impaired; he could speak, he could think. The woman abandoned him solely because she didn't love him, didn't want him.
Angela said, "How could she not want you? If she doesn't want you, I do."
A shimmer of light appeared in Sidney's eyes, a sparkle igniting within. He turned to Angela, his smile sweet and containing dimples, irresistibly charming, making one long to embrace him and nuzzle his cheeks.
Just then—
There was a hasty knock at the door.
"Is this the residence of Angela Parker?" came from outside.
Angela tensed, walking to the door but cautiously not opening it. Through the door, she asked, "Who is it?"
"I am the Captain from the St. Martin Police Station. Ms. Angela, we have reason to believe you are involved in kidnapping and child trafficking. Please open the door and cooperate with our investigation."
Angela was speechless, "Kidnapping and trafficking? Who have I kidnapped? Who have I trafficked?"
The Captain shouted angrily, "Enough talk! Hand over Sidney!"
Angela choked with fear.
This was a colossal misunderstanding; she was being accused of kidnapping and trafficking!
"Open the door!"
"Open it now!"
BANG BANG BANG!
Eddie rushed out from the kitchen, "Mommy, I saw a bunch of police cars downstairs, what's going on?"
Angela looked at Sidney.
With an expression of guilt and helplessness, Sidney clutched the hem of her clothes. He hadn't anticipated that running away from school would cause such big trouble for her.
The school must have reported him missing, alarming Carlos, causing a city wide search, and now they had quickly locked onto his location.
Eddie was clever, instantly understanding what had transpired.
He said to Sidney, "It must have been the Murphy family who called the police! You have to explain right away, my mommy didn't kidnap you."
He feared that the Murphy family would take his mother away as a human trafficker.
Sidney nodded obediently.
He walked toward the door, ready to open it. But in the next second, the door was violently burst open by the police!
Sidney nearly got slammed into the wall.
Angela rushed to protect him in her arms—a move that in the eyes of the patrolman only aroused greater suspicion, suggesting she was holding a hostage!
"Let him go!"
At that moment, the patrollers drew their guns and aimed at Angela.
A multitude of dark gun barrels targeted her forehead.