Adele was still stammering, and her sentences weren’t very coherent yet. But the fact that she was willing to speak delighted
Holden.
He took the cake she handed him. He was happy to see that there was at Least some improvement in her condition. Holden sat
down with his daughter, and the two ate the cake happily. Adele lowered her head to fork some more cake and then looked up at
Holden.
“Mommy is good. Adele likes Mommy. Daddy, be nice to Mommy,” she stammered.
Hearing Adele stringing together so many words, Holden’s heart swelled in pride, and he ruffled her soft hair affectionately.
He envisioned a future where Adele would live a normal life like any other child.
Just then, Sadie emerged from the kitchen with freshly baked cookies, basked in a welcoming glow. Her eyes glimmered at the
sight of Holden smiling warmly at Adele, and she instantly assumed the picturesque role of the ideal wife and mother.
Accompanied by the sweet smell of baked goods, she approached them with a gentle smile on her lips and said, “Holden, I
made some pastries. Adele loves them. Would you like to have some, too?”
“I’ve already eaten,” Holden replied, his tone casual as he maintained a front of normalcy.
Sadie’s smile didn’t falter, and she didn’t press him to eat, either.
Instead, she lifted Adele in her arms, took the fork, and fed her some more pastry. As she did, she gently ushered her into
speaking.
“Adele, is this yummy?”
Adele didn’t reply, her eyes wandering in a childlike manner. Sadie didn’t get frustrated and continued to coax her into speaking.
Finally, with Sadie’s guidance, Adele nodded cutely and agreed, “Yummy .”
Holden observed their exchange with satisfaction. He was pleased to see Sadie helping Adele develop and Adele responding in
return. It was a rare moment for him to witness as it was one of the times he didn’t immediately retreat to his study but chose to
keep them company when he returned home.
Sadie felt a sense of triumph at the sight of Holden lingering around, gazing at them fondly. She realized the significance of
Adele and her aptness in capturing Holden’s attention for an unusually Long time.
However, just as she was reveling in her success, Adele, who was enjoying a mouthful of cake, suddenly blubbered and spat it
out. Her mouth was smeared with cream and crumbs, and she burst into tears, crying.
“Not eating, too full!”
Adele suddenly became frantic, sobbing and insisting that she didn’t want to eat, which caused Sadie to freeze. She felt a surge
of panic rising inside her chest as her mind raced on what could be wrong.
“Goddamn it, I should have known not to feed her so much. But this bastard wouldn’t say that unless I fed her cakes!” Sadie
muttered to herself, gritting her teeth in frustration. She had come up with the idea of using food to coax Adele into speaking
those few words she instructed her to say to Holden.
Worried that Holden might notice that something was off with Adele, Sadie reacted quickly the moment the child dissolved into
sobs and raised her voice to drown out the crying. She held little Adele in her arms, wiping the cake and tears off her face, and
said, “Alright, alright, you don’t have to eat anymore. Mommy’s here. Adele, be good.”
As she spoke softly, she cuddled Adele in her arms and hushed her sniffles, occasionally stealing anxious glances at Holden,
fearing that he might form doubts about this situation.