Chapter 423

With gentle tenderness, he stroked Esther's head and cradled her in his arms, heading out of the room. "Don't worry, Essy," he whispered, "We'll go outside and play." From that moment on, he shielded Esther from the nauseating quarrels of the bickering couple; he used every ounce of his strength to protect her, weaving a protective web around her, creating a blissful, happy family, sparing her from the distress of her birth family. Yet dreams were just that, mere dreams. And dreams were meant to be woken up from; the more perfect he created this dream for Esther, the harder the shattering of it impacted her. He remembered vividly the day of Esther's fifth birthday. She sat by the door, expectantly waiting for her parents to come home to celebrate with her. Eventually, their return did come, but Esther's cheerful greetings were met with indifference; they were too engrossed in their quarrel. The man, defeated by the woman, redirected his anger at Esther, who had been waiting for them