Insist? In the mental hospital, I only learned to be obedient and how to turn others into the mentally ill.
Hearing her question clearly, I calmly finished wringing out the cloth in my hands. "Madam, I don't like taking photos."
Phoebe frowned. Her gaze fixed intently on me as if trying to see whether I lied or not while I quietly wiped the dust off the family photo, adjusting the frame little by little until it was perfectly still.
Jose stood on the stairs, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes. He walked over, scooped Phoebe up in his arms and kissed her deeply on the lips.
"You're back!" he exclaimed. "I tried putting the baby to sleep myself today and I actually succeeded."
Phoebe glanced at me instinctively.
I nodded, the corners of my mouth lifting into a sincere smile of praise. "Mr. Levine is indeed amazing. He effortlessly lulled the baby to sleep."
I could see Phoebe's frown deepen, but I had no time to play word games with her because the nourishing soup for her was simmering on the stove.
I hurried into the kitchen, slipped on heat-resistant gloves and carefully carried the soup out.