The boy, still teary-eyed, blinked up at me, his thick lashes wet with tears. “Huh?”
Realizing what I meant, he quickly wiped his eyes and grabbed my hand, as if terrified I’d change my mind. Taking tiny, shuffling steps, he hid behind me, looking so helpless and fragile.
He clung to my arm, his wide eyes shining with uncertainty, just like a puppy testing his boundaries. “Will you... feed me?” he asked hesitantly.
“Of course!” I replied confidently, giving him a reassuring smile.
His eyes brightened, and after a moment, with an almost hidden sense of resolve, he pressed on. “Then... will you marry me?”
4
“I... I’m not ready to get married,” I muttered, avoiding his hopeful gaze and feeling more uncertain with every word.
Charles’s eyes dimmed with disappointment. He loosened his grip on me, lowering his head as an air of sadness enveloped him. “Oh, I see…”
In the end, Charles chose to stay behind at the Shaw mansion, silently retreating to his room, while I returned to the Miller household alone.
The moment I stepped into the living room, my brother, Brandon, with his bright red hair sprawled across the couch, glanced over at me.