Chapter 64
“When I stepped out earlier, I passed by a store packed with children’s toys, and I picked some up for you.”
Caspian felt a little nervous as he handed the bags to Elisa. The toys inside were mostly traditional boy’s toys, and he wasn’t sure if Elisa would like them.
“Toys for me?” Elisa’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked at the two overflowing bags. “All of these are for me?”
“Yeah,” Caspian said, his voice laced with uncertainty. “But I don’t know if you’ll like them, so if you don’t, just let me know, and I’ll buy something else for you next time.”
Before he could say another word, Elisa snatched the bags from his hands and began to unpack them eagerly. Her eyes grew even wider as she pulled out a premium LEGO set.
“Wow, this is a premium LEGO set! I saw one of these before, and it cost thousands!” Elisa exclaimed, her voice full of excitement and disbelief. “Do you like it?”
“Of course! I’m crazy about it!” Elisa said, practically glowing with joy. “When have I ever played with something this high-end?”
As Elisa’s happiness overflowed, she gave Caspian a mischievous look and suddenly pinched his cheek. Caspian froze, bewildered.
“Harry, did you switch souls again? Did you go from being the frugal soul who loves to tease back to being the doting big brother?” Elisa asked, still pinching his face.
Frugal and loving to tease? Was she talking about Harry? And he was the doting big brother? Confused, Caspian blinked.
“Elisa, do you like me more than him?” Caspian blurted out before quickly correcting himself, “I mean, do you like this soul, not that one?”
“Totally! Who wouldn’t love a generous and indulgent big brother?” Elisa giggled. “Harry, keep a firm hold of this soul, don’t switch back, please! I beg you. I don’t want to be forced to work at such a young age.”
“Work?” Caspian’s eyes widened. “Wait, Harry mentioned that you were going to work?!”
“Yeah,” Elisa said with an exaggerated sigh. “You said a few days ago that both of us needed to get part-time jobs to make money. I literally wanted to curse you out. If you want to work, go by yourself. Why drag me into it? It’s so wrong.”
“Yeah,” Caspian agreed, nodding enthusiastically. “That is wrong, very wrong!”
At that exact moment, Harry sneezed loudly from the other room. Who was badmouthing him?
Suddenly, the sound of a car pulling into the yard caught everyone’s attention. Harry quickly sat down on the living room sofa, ready to confront Alaric with all the authority he could muster.
As Alaric entered, he saw Harry sitting there, a cold expression on his face and fiery anger burning in his eyes.
“Caspian, it’s getting late. You should head to bed,” Alaric suggested, trying to avoid a confrontation.
“I’m too upset to sleep,” Harry replied sharply, his voice tense with frustration. “I was so mad this afternoon that I couldn’t even eat. I feel like I’m about to explode.”
Alaric’s heart skipped a beat. Could it be that Harry had found out he hadn’t successfully married Galatea? How was that possible? He hadn’t even told anyone.
“What’s wrong?” Alaric asked, feigning ignorance. “Who managed to get under Caspian’s skin? Cormac? If it’s him, I’ll deal with it tomorrow…”
“It’s you!” Harry retorted bluntly.
Alaric froze. It seemed Harry had figured it out. But how was he supposed to explain himself? How could he tell his son that he had planned to marry Galatea but was rejected?
“I promised to marry Galatea,” Alaric said cautiously, trying to regain control of the situation. “But right now, her health isn’t good. We’ll have to wait until she’s fully recovered before we can go ahead with it.”
“Are you even my real dad?” Harry snapped, frustration evident in his voice. “Do you even listen to the main point?” He shook his head. “I just told you I was so upset I didn’t eat lunch. Doesn’t that bother you? And now I’m not just upset, I’m so hungry I can hardly speak.”
Alaric fell silent, unsure how to respond. Harry was clearly pushing him into a corner. His patience was wearing thin, but he knew he had to keep calm.
“Alright, what do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you,” Alaric offered, his tone forced.
“Don’t you know what I like to eat? Why ask me?” Harry shot back, his irritation evident.
Alaric paused, the tension in the air thickening. He had been in a terrible mood all day. It seemed that Harry was deliberately picking a fight, and it was starting to wear on his nerves.
“Upset now?” Harry noted, watching Alaric’s expression darken. “What? Is it okay for you to throw a tantrum when you’re unhappy, but no one else can get upset?”
Alaric clenched his jaw. Harry’s words struck deep. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and muttered, “Fine, I’ll go cook for you.”
After changing his clothes, Alaric headed to the kitchen, his movements stiff with frustration. Harry followed, watching him cook, quietly fuming at his father’s actions.
What a jerk, Harry thought bitterly. He has no patience with me, but he’s always so hard on women.
Once the meal was finished, Alaric served the food to Harry, watching him eat in silence. Harry, sensing the tension, quietly began to eat, choosing not to press the issue further for the moment.
As he finished, Harry set his fork down and looked up at Alaric.
“Remember when I asked you to marry Mom?” Harry began, his voice steady. “Well, I’ve changed my mind.”
“What?” Alaric was taken aback, clearly not expecting this.
“I now want you to let Mom go,” Harry continued, his words carefully chosen. “Let her find a truly good man who cares for her.”
Alaric’s heart sank. He had thought Harry wanted him to marry Galatea for their sake, but now, the boy was asking him to step away completely.
“Why?” Alaric asked, struggling to understand.
Harry looked directly at his father, his expression serious. “Because I was shocked,” he said, his voice full of determination. “There’s this kid in our class whose dad hits his mom. Can you believe that? There are still losers out there who bully women. I love Mom, and because I love her, I want her to be happy. But marrying you won’t make her happy. You have this macho attitude and a terrible temper. Mom is so kind-hearted, and marrying you would only bring her misery.”
Harry’s words cut deep. He continued, his voice unwavering, “Look at what she’s been through. She was in a car accident, and now she’s in bad shape. If she has to live with your temper every day, how will she survive? Rather than having her as my mom, I’d rather she live a long, healthy life. So please, if you have a grudge against someone, marry them instead. Don’t ruin Mom’s life. Let her enjoy a few more years, okay?”
Alaric was speechless, stunned into silence for several long moments. He couldn’t believe the weight of what Harry had just said.
Harry, seeing his father’s shock, pressed on, “I’m serious. Maybe I’m just a kid, but I know what it means to be a man. You need to be generous in spirit, tolerant with girls, and especially doting on your own wife. You, with your unpredictable moods—smiling at people when they obey and turning sour the moment they don’t—who could stand that? If you love giving orders so much, why not hire a few hundred maids to boss around every day? Wouldn’t that be more satisfying than having a wife?”
Harry’s voice softened as he continued, “I know about Mom’s injury from the car accident. I know how close she came to dying when she had me. It took her years to recover, and she couldn’t handle much stress. So, please, just do something good for once. Let her go.”