abcnovels
Chapter 608
Chapter 608
Chapter 608
Chapter 608
1/2
As the memory of Matthew leading Cynthia away resurfaced, a hypothesis wormed its way into his mind. Could it be possible that Matthew had spilled the beans about his mental recovery to Cynthia? Well, if he had, it would not matter much to him. Matthew had no proof, and he could easily keep up the act in front of Cynthia.
“Joshua,” Cynthia called out to him, her tone devoid of the affection she had shown before. It was as though she was addressing an ordinary person. In response, Joshua’s grip tightened on the blanket that was covering him, but he gave no visible sign of his discomfort. “Yes, Cynthia?”
“Why did you lie?” she asked, getting straight to the point.
“Lie?” Joshua feigned confusion, playing the part of the innocent child to the hilt.
You had lunch and dinner yesterday, yet you claimed you hadn’t eaten. Why? And then there was that comment about Matthew beating you up at Matthew’s place last night. Why would you frame someone like that?” Cynthia’s gaze was filled with a hint of reproach as she confronted him.
Joshua felt a surge of resentment. Was Cynthia blaming him?
“Speak up,” Cynthia demanded, suunding like an adult admonishing a child.
In response, Joshua removed the TV needle from his hand, covered himself with the blanket, and turned his back to her. He had been tempted to tell her that he had been following Yoel’s instructions, but on second thoughts, he realized that Cynthia, knowing Yorl’s character, might lose faith in him if any discrepancies surfaced. Hence, he needed to keep his cool and devise a foolproof plan
Seeing Joshua’s reaction, Cynthia did not try to coax him out or unveil him. Instead, she spoke to him in a serious tone, “If you do not provide a satisfactory explanation for these two matters, I’ll call your father to take you home later.”
Still, Joshua did not respond.
“Joshua,” Cynthia tried again.
“If you want to send me away, then do it. You don’t like me anyway, and you can’t stand me,” came Joshua’s muffled reply, filled with melancholy,
Staring at the lump curled up under the blanket, Cynthia spoke up, “I have no problem with you. I am just trying to tell you that it’s wrong to lie and deceive. I don’t know why you had to tell those lies.”
Joshua remained silent, giving no response.
Moving to the other side, Cynthia lifted the blanket off Joshua’s head. As she was about to ask something, she saw his eyes filled with tears. He was biting his lip, curled up like a discarded child: helpless, scared, yet unwilling to let anyone know his feelings. Seeing this, Cynthia’s cold demeanar softened slightly. After all, she could not bear to see someone cry.
“Tell me why you hted,” Cynthia asked again, striving to maintain her calm demeanor.
After a brief glance at her, Joshua looked away, clearly not willing to explain.
His performance was commendable Oscar–worthy, even.
“If you continue to remain silent, I am going to leave. I want you to tell me why you lied” Cynthia expressed her hope for an explanation
“I thought that if I didn’t act this way, you wouldn’t care about me. If you knew I was behaving well and eating properly yesterday, you wouldn’t talk to me or show any concern once you took me back,” Joshua finally replied, his voice hoarse.
Cynthia furrowed her brow, unable to comprehend this line of thinking-
“I know you don’t want me, you think I’m a burden. But I can be obedient, I can listen, and understand,” Joshua began, hist voice choked up by the end.
“Don’t create unnecessary worries. Since I brought you back from Sean, I will take care of you. Later, why don’t we apologize to Captain?” Cynthia replied, uncertain of how to continue the conversation.
“If I apologize, will you like me a bit more? Joshua asked, pursing his lips.
“First, you need to promise not to lie or deceive anymore.” Cynthia skillfully sidestepped the question.
“Alright,” Joshua agreed.