"I called her, but her phone is off. She didn't go to the office either. No one can find her," she said.
My tears fell in large drops, but I bit my lip tightly, making no sound at all, until I tasted the faint tang of blood.
Martha, face full of sorrow, gently patted my back, "Hendry, if you want to cry, just cry. Don't hold it in …"
My tears made Grandpa Bale even more dissatisfied with Helen, "Find her! Send people to look for her! I don't care if you have to search through the whole world, find that unfilial woman!"
I bowed deeply to Grandpa Bale, then straightened up and forced a smile, "There's no need, Grandpa. The kids wouldn't want to see her anyway. Don't let her dirty their eyes."
I said, "What you've said yesterday still counts, right? Then please take care of yourself. Goodbye, Grandpa."
Grandpa Bale's lips trembled for a while, but in the end, he didn't say a word.
After leaving the cemetery, I went straight home.
There were still many of the children's things at home. I wanted to take them with me. I didn't want them to be left alone in that empty house. They didn't like it.
But just as I pushed open the door, I saw a tall, thin figure standing outside the children's room, giving instructions to the two workers inside, "Yes, yes, those. Move all this junk out of here. It's bad luck to leave it lying around."
I thought my heart had already died, that nothing could affect me anymore.
But Mateo's words still pierced me like a knife. I stumbled into the children's room, forcefully pushing the two workers aside, "Stop! All of you, stop! Who gave you permission to touch any of this!"
Mateo stepped toward me, eyes gleaming with triumph, "Oh, Hendry, you're back? Don't be mad. I told them to do it. Helen said both kids are gone, so what's the point in keeping the room, right? You heard too, didn't you? Helen's pregnant now. She said we can turn this room into a playroom for our baby …"
I couldn't hold back anymore, I punched Mateo square in the face, "This is my house! Take your people and get the hell out of here …"
Before I could finish, a strong force shoved me from behind. Caught off guard, I fell hard to the floor. My eyes landed on a wrinkled piece of drawing paper.
It was a picture the kids had drawn when they first started preschool, a family of four. They couldn't write yet, but at the top of the picture, they had drawn a big heart.
Helen's voice exploded in my ears, "Hendry, what are you throwing a fit for now!"
I swallowed the lump in my throat and glared straight at her, "This was the children's room. What right do you and Mateo have to touch anything in here!"
Mateo stood beside Helen, all signs of arrogance gone. He looked pitifully at her instead, "Helen, I just wanted to put the kids' things away so you and Hendry wouldn't get upset seeing them. He misunderstood and hit me. Don't be angry."
He pretended, "It's my fault. I shouldn't have touched anything without permission."
At that moment, a sharp sting made me realize my palm had been scraped when I fell. Tiny beads of blood were forming.
Helen's gaze fell on my hand too. She frowned slightly. Her hesitation lasted only a second, once she heard Mateo's voice, her expression turned cold again while she said, "The children's death was an accident. They're gone now, so what's the point of keeping this room? Stop making a scene. I'm pregnant now, keeping a dead person's stuff around is just bad luck!"
