He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 29

The preschool principal, who had been waiting to continue the tour, watched the scene unfold and didn't dare make a sound.

A second later, Lydia's demeanor shifted entirely. She crouched down, her voice dripping with artificial warmth. "Mommy was wrong. Mommy is just upset because Daddy left, so Josie has to work hard to make Daddy stay with us, okay?"

"Okay," Josie sniffled, nodding.

Lydia patted the girl's head, but her eyes remained chillingly dark.

In the distance, Nelson had followed Juniper and forced his way into her cab.

Juniper hadn't expected him to follow her. Her face flushed with anger. "Get the hell out."

She was so out of sorts that when she accidentally met the cab driver's gaze in the rearview mirror, it felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head, leaving her entirely rigid.

She could read the driver's expression perfectly. To him, she probably looked like a hysterical, unreasonable lunatic.

In the past, everyone had praised her. They said she was sensible, that her parents were blessed to have such an obedient, driven daughter.

But then the narrative shifted. They said she went crazy over a man. They said a golden phoenix could never fly out of a mountain slum.

Juniper hated losing control like this.

Her fingers curled inward. She turned her head toward the window, refusing to speak another word.

Nelson's phone rang. It was Josie.

"Daddy, where did you go?"

The child's voice was thick with tears, sounding incredibly pitiful.

Juniper heard Nelson's voice soften instantly. "I'll be right back. Go look around inside with Mommy for a bit."

"But I want to be with you."

"I'll be back in two hours."

After hanging up, he looked at the driver. "Drive."

"Where to?"

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