He didn't hear Flora's response as the living room door was ajar, someone walked in from outside.
"Boss, the car is ready, we can..." The newcomer gulped, forcing out the words "leave now...", then bowed his head. His face screamed 'I didn't see anything.'
Interrupted, Matthew released his hold, stepping back. He sighed, speaking to the girl still panting against the wall:
"The car is ready. Let's go... to visit the children."
The cheerful anticipation of seeing Flora's children was dampened by the melancholic melody of the evening. She followed Matthew to the car, which swiftly moved to a mansion by the river.
"This place is guarded very carefully. Without my permission, no one can step in. The children are here, you can rest assured." Matthew spoke as they walked.
Flora looked around, frowning: "Isn't this... a bit excessive? Why don't you bring the children home?"
After a pause, Matthew finally replied: "I am their father, I wouldn't harm my children."
He didn't directly answer Flora's question, which made her even more confused. She was almost certain that this man had something to hide, something very important.
"You..."
"Dad! Mom! You're here!" Their conversation was interrupted by Paul's cheerful shout. The little one ran up, clinging to her mother's legs: "I missed you so much, mom."
"Walk slowly, don't fall." Following behind was the child's older brother, hands in his pockets, his face emotionless, always appearing mature beyond his years.
Flora temporarily set aside her jumbled feelings, smiling at her children: "Of course, mom missed you too... Charlie, did you miss mom?"
The little boy frowned slightly: "Don't call me Charlie, thanks mom... I kinda missed you."
He hadn't changed at all. Flora couldn't help but laugh, pulling her son into a hug. This was the longest she'd ever been away from her children in her life.
Having not been in her mother's warm embrace for so long, the little girl suddenly burst into tears. Flora panicked, quickly comforting her daughter: "What's the matter, Paul? Did something happen? Did someone bully you?"
"No... it's just... I missed you so much..." The little girl spoke between sobs: "Mom... I want to stay with you..."
As the mother of these little tykes, how could Flora bear to see her daughter weep so? She tenderly used her handkerchief to dab away the child's tears.
"There's no need for difficulty." she reassured, her voice gentle yet steady: "Let me speak with your father. We will all return home soon, we won't stay here anymore..." Her yearning for her children was palpable, not wanting to spend another day apart.
However, as she contemplated how to convince Matthew to bring their children home, her son obstinately held a serious face: "No! We can't leave this place!" His resolution was unwavering, rock-solid.
Flora's brows knitted together in confusion and concern. Could it be that her children were being coerced to stay here? Was this Matthew's doing? The unusually tense attitude of her little boy was indeed puzzling.
This little lad had always been self-willed, difficult to communicate with. She turned her attention to her smaller daughter: "What's the matter, Paul? Why can't you leave this place?"
Upon being questioned by her mother, Paul immediately shot a pleading look at her brother. He merely grunted in response, refusing to say anything. The little girl fumbled for an excuse: "It's fine, mom. This place is nice, but I'm bored staying indoors all day, I just wanted to get out and play a bit."
Ever since they had returned, due to her health issues, the child had been confined to bed. It was not just playing outside that was an issue, even getting out of bed was a challenge. It was only today that she seemed to be stabilizing a bit.
"In that case, it's even simpler. I won't even have to discuss with your father. I'll take both of you out to play now." Flora laughed, patting her daughter's head fondly.
Speaking of Matthew, she suddenly remembered that she hadn't seen him since they entered the mansion. So engrossed was she with the children that she completely forgot about his presence, wondering where he had disappeared.
But this was his territory after all, probably nothing was amiss, right?
However, to take the two out, she had to deal with the stubborn blockade that was her son. His little brows furrowed, shaking his head: "No, we can't."
Flora and her daughter turned simultaneously, their matching brown eyes, one large and one small, boring into the little boy's gloomy countenance.
Before Flora could even begin to coax him, the boy was already pulling on his sister's arm: "There's a deep and dangerous lake outside. It's dark out there, what if something happens? Father has always warned us..."
"Don't use your father's words to scare me." Flora cut him off sharply: "With me around, what do you two have to fear?"
She found it rather perplexing how her tiny son seemed to echo his father's distant concerns, his stern expression when uttering 'No' was like a miniaturized carbon copy of Matthew.
With her mother's reassurances, her little daughter cheerfully ran towards the door: "I'll wait for you outside, mom."
Contrastingly, her son's reaction was poles apart from his sister's. His face held a stubborn grumpiness, eyebrows refusing to soften. Seeing his mother's gaze upon him, he crossed his arms and huffed coldly.
"Charlie... Do you even remember that you're still a child? You're always behaving like a little old man..."
Sometimes, she wasn't sure if she was his mother, or if he was her elderly relative.
Her concept of a child's world was full of joy, innocence, and vibrant colors.
But the world of child prodigies, like her son, was much heavier.
Her son looked up at her, his dark eyes void of any visible emotion.
Yet from those eyes, she felt a wave of helplessness and confusion.
The little boy shook his head: "I'm not like other children."
Of course, Flora knew her son wasn't like other children.
She had noticed it early on.
"I'm a bad mother for not giving you a carefree life, so you were forced to grow up too early." she confessed.
"But...seeing you like this, my heart aches.
You should be like the other children out there, freely laughing, not worrying so much.
It's all my fault..."
"No, you're not wrong." her son denied, shaking his head. He reached up to wipe away the tears that clung to her lashes: "Don't be sad anymore."
In truth, the boy already felt that he was a happy child.
Being too smart, maturing too soon, he had to grapple with more concerns than his peers.
But he also had his own joys.
Right now, having a father, a mother, a grandmother, a sister, even though they were temporarily apart, he felt truly content.
As long as his parents were together forever, he could always be this happy.
Flora tightly hugged the small body of her son, her voice choked with emotion: "I love you..."
"Alright." the little boy retorted, his face turning dark as he pushed her away: "Let's go outside with that teddy bear, or the little girl might get lost."
To their surprise, his playful comment turned out to be a reality.
When they stepped outside hand in hand, the little girl was nowhere to be found.
The boy's eyebrows, initially relaxed, furrowed again: "She was just here, where could she possibly have gone?"
"Paul! Where are you? Don't scare mommy!" Flora's face showed visible concern as she called out.
Matthew had left their children here, and she was certain the area was secure, so she didn't worry about that.
Her first thought when she didn't see her daughter was that the girl was playing a trick on her and her brother.
Just as this thought occurred, a faint sobbing sound reached her ears.
Both mother and son turned pale and rushed towards the sound.
"It hurts... Mom... I'm here..."
"Paul! How did you get hurt again?" Tears welled up, blurring her vision.
Flora wiped away her tears and bent down to pick up her child.
Just out of sight for less than five minutes, and the little girl had already fallen, her limbs scratched, her face pale.
Entering the lit area, they saw her face was incredibly ashen.
The boy quickly ran inside, shouting: "Where is everyone? Is anyone here? Please come help my little sister!"
The boy's call was like a switch.
People in white coats rushed out from the house, took the girl from Flora's arms, and placed her on a stretcher.
Someone checked her heart and lungs with a stethoscope, another checked her vital signs, someone else immediately set up an IV.
The chaotic scene left Flora stunned, hurriedly being pushed aside.
Only when her daughter was taken into the room and the door shut tight did she snap out of her stupor.
Things were becoming more and more strange.
Why was there a hospital room in the mansion, complete with doctors? Why did a simple fall seem to have such serious consequences for her daughter? What did this have to do with the children having to stay here?
A flurry of questions whirled in her head, as tangled as a ball of wool.
She had a vague feeling about something, but she couldn't quite grasp it.
Just then, a familiar deep voice echoed from behind: "Flora..."
It was Matthew!
Flora turned around, taking a deep breath.
All the questions she just had, the answers she was searching for, surely rested with this man.
The question now was whether he would choose to tell her.
"Matthew, explain to me, what's all this about?" She was no fool, by now she had the certainty that Matthew was keeping something from her.
His deep-set, ebony eyes met hers directly.
In his eyes were shades of confusion, sorrow, and a hint of levity: "The truth is..."
Flora's brown eyes were fixed on Matthew, awaiting his forthcoming words.
"Actually, the little one's health has been facing some issues recently.
But... let the doctor explain it to you."
Standing next to Matthew was the private physician of the Charles household. On hearing his cue, he took over: "I want to clarify something, hasn't Paul's health been weak ever since he was a child?"
Flora nodded, her face full of worry.
Her two children were twins, but it was true that her daughter's health had always been weaker than her son's, and she was often sickly.
But she had always assumed that things would improve as the child grew older, never daring to anticipate a turn for the worse.
Seeing her nod, the doctor continued: "Upon examination, it seems the issue lies with her immune system.
It's not an incurable disease, but it is indeed complex, and treatment will be a lengthy process, requiring at least three to five years, and potentially more.
But rest assured, with enough persistence, she can be cured."
"Three to five years?" Flora furrowed her brow: "She's only six years old, if it takes three to five more years, I must be by her side."
No mother would want to be away from her child for three to five years.
Three days was too long, let alone such an extensive stretch of time.