Chapter 72
Cyrus hadn’t been to George’s office since that awful nightmare during his last hypnosis
That dream kept buzzing him, making him restless and uneasy. He needed to know if
As he sat in the hypnosis chair, his thoughts started to fade, and little by line, he slipped away When he r apartment building.
The stair railing was covered in dust, like no one had touched it for year. The w
new–there were old cardboard bones, empry bonites, and junk piled everywhere
dways lived in luxury. This place was nothing like
— lupen, banging against the wall
The decided to go back and check
ve to be fou
His face showed dist Suddenly, the beny
Leatt if you don’t bring back money today, don’t even come home–juit die out there!” A mai btle yelled at a little girl who looked only two years old.
s jacket and clenchi
I felt like winter. The girl wore a faded down jacket that was barely stuffed anymore. She faced away from Cyrus, so he couldn’t see her
She was so linfe, she had to bend her neck just to look at the man. I’m hungry,” she whispered, her voice soft and fragile
The man suddenly crouched down and jabbed his finger at her forehead. Then survet
He showed the girl to the ground,
The man glared with wide eyes. “If you don’t bring back money today to feed me and my son. I’ll beat you to death
The girl pushed herself up slowly, shaking but strong. She clutched her stomach, defiance in her wide eyes. “Tm hungry,” she said again.
“Oh, you little wretch: I’ll beat you to death!”
Seeing his anger, the girl ran away. Barely taller than a table, she hadn’t gone far before a liquor bottle flew at her, smashing right in front of her The bottle shattered, sending glass and liquor everywhere.
Barefoot, the girl’s feer were cut, but she kept running. The man chased after her.
Trembling all over, it was like she didn’t feel a thing. She kept running down the stairs but stumbled and fell down.
She landed at the bottom, bating her lip as she lay still.
Fully, Cyrus saw her face clearly_____
“Simone” he called softly, his voice shaking as he looked into her eyes.
Those eyes–alm yet f
yet full of despair–were cerily similar to the Simone he knew now.
“Simone, it’s Dud,” he whispered, feeling a heaviness in his chest. He stepped forward to help her, but his hand went right through her like she wasn’t even there.
“Simone,” he whispered again, desperate. His heart hurt as he looked at that fragile little girl
beaded hair framed a pale face, and her raw, cracked hands were covered in angry red sores from the cold. She didn’t respond–the couldn’t
nor did she seem to know he was there
hurt, his eyes stinging with tears.
in appeared at the top of the stairs. Cyrus nouced Simone flinch slightly. Without thinking, he stepped in front of her, wanting to but it was pointless–they couldn’t see him, and he couldn’t touch them
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The man glanced at Simone, a smirk on his face. “I thought you were dead, Sull alive, huh? Then go make some cash,” he said with a casual tone before walking away.
The door slammed slut. Simone tried to get up immediately, but fell heavily back to the ground Cyrus felt his heart sink as he reached out, but his hand passed right through her
All he could do was watch as her socks were soaked in blood. Sitting on the stairs, Simone scrunched her face, biting her lip as she pulled out the glass shards stuck in her foot.
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3:22 PM TA.
Chapter 72
Once she got them out, she limped upstairs, dragging a bag of plastic bottles and cardboard down to the ground. The ground was a mess of snow and trash. Cyrus frowned, seeing no clean spot to step on.
Simone shivered as she step
stepped outside, pulling her coat tighter.
The icy wind stung her cheeks, making them bright red. But Simone kept going, trudging through the snow all the way to the recycling station
“Damn it! That heartless bastard sent you out in this freezing weather?” The recycling station owner cursed as he took her items.
“Can you weigh these for me!” Simone asked softly, her smile as sweet as an angel’s.
“Wright, Simone, come on in, the owner said, feeling sad for her and silently cursing the man who sent her out.
Inside, he weighed the items. Seeing how pitiful she looked, he added a little extra money into her hand before letting her go.
Her eyes were red as she gripped the money tightly and walked away. Instead of going home, she strolled into the busy city streets, murmuring softly. “If only I had a dad.”
Cyrus felt his heart tremble.
Just then. Simone’s eyes lit up like she saw something special. She ran over excitedly and threw herself into a man’s arms, softly calling out, “Daddy”
Samuel, Cyrus muttered quietly, shocked. But under the surprise, jealousy burned in his chest.
Since Simone returned home, she had never called him “Daddy” or shown hin affection like that. Yet Samuel, without even trying, had what Cyrus had longed for but never received.
Samuel looked annoyed and pushed Simone away without a second thought. Cyrus’s heart tightened at the sight, anger bubbling up as he cursed Samuel in his mind. But Simone seemed unfazed by the rejection, stubbornly clinging to him.
Eventually, Samuel sighed and took her hand, planning to send her home. But after meeting the man, Samuel changed his mind and decided to take her to his own place instead.
In the days that followed, Cyrus could only watch as Simone worked hard to win Samuel’s favor. Her efforts worked–Samuel finally chose to adopt
her.
At that time, Samuel was in debt and struggling. Still, after adopting Simone, he took care of her. Even when he couldn’t afford to eat himself, he made sure she had good food.
The fragile girl transformed within months; her cheeks became rosy, and she looked healthy and full of life. Meanwhile, her bond with Samuel grew deeper.
The image that haunted Cyrus the most was of Simone standing by the window of Samuel’s small apartment every day, waiting patiently for him to return. She would stand there for hours, as if nothing else mattered.
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