Chapter 224

Mom was stunned for a moment, unable to react. "Move out of the Hastings residence?" I nodded firmly. "Yes. Mr. Hastings Senior doesn't care about you at all. I make enough money now to support both of us, so you don't have to keep suffering in that house." A mix of emotions surged through Mom. She had thought about leaving before, but… "But where would we go if we moved out now? And besides, your grandmother and aunt have already come looking for us. We can't dump this mess on the Hastings family, right?" Before she could finish speaking, a knock at the door interrupted her. "Come in," I said, getting up to open the door. To my surprise, it was Alex. He was carrying a thermos and looked visibly tired, but his gaze was warm. "Madam Burke, you're awake. I brought some oatmeal. The doctor said you should only have liquid food for now." Mom looked slightly embarrassed, especially since we had just discussed leaving his family. "Alex, why are you here?" Alex placed the oatmeal on t