Without waiting for Alexander, Quinn hailed a cab alone, setting her course for the Kennedy Residence.


    The evening mist hung heavy over Amber Bay, blurring the cityscape and shrouding every structure in a veil of obscurity.


    Upon her arrival, she purchased some fruit from a street vendor, a preemptive peace offering for Kaitlyn, who she knew would likely remain unsatisfied with her visit.ConTEent bel0ngs to N?v(e)lD/rama(.)Org .


    The Kennedy Residence buzzed with life that day, the driveway and curb teeming with cars. Wayne and his ex-wife had a daughter, Valerie, who had married into another wealthy family.


    She had now arrived with her husband and two children in tow. Alexander and Freya, siblings born to Kaitlyn, were also present. There was an additional member of the family, a younger son that Wayne had brought into the fold.


    The boy''s mother had tragically died in childbirth due to an amniotic fluid embolism, and he had been raised under the Kennedy name. Kaitlyn, who had been primarily responsible for his upbringing, had treated him with less concern as he wasn''t her own, allowing him to grow up without much direction or discipline.


    As Quinn stepped through the door, the sound of children''s y echoed through the halls. The innocentughter of the children pierced her heart, stirring a tender ache within her.


    She stood in the courtyard, unsheltered, as the scene unfolded before her. Suddenly, a seven-year-old boy charged into her legs, causing her to stumble and nearly fall. "There''s Dummy! There''s Dummy!" The boy circled her, chanting "Dummy" with the unsullied candor of youth, oblivious to the pain his words might inflict.


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    Unfazed, Quinn moved past him and into the living room, her grip on the bag of fruit tightening as the boy reached for it. "Give it to me!" he demanded, ring defiantly up at her. Quinn met his gaze calmly and held firm.


    Upon entering the vi, she could feel the tension thick in the air, stirring the bitterness within her own chest. She clutched the bag of fruit, her heart heavy with a mix of pain and resentment. ''Why do they get to be so happy? Is it because I''m a dummy that my two kids died at the hands of these people? Because I''m a dummy, I''m guilty. I deserve no happy ending,'' she thought bitterly. The boy, still fuming, bared his teeth and tugged at the bag, even going so far as to kick Quinn in the leg.


    With a swift movement, Quinn let go of the bag and sidestepped his kick, causing the boy to lose his bnce and topple over.


    Fruit scattered across the ground, rolling in the mud. The boy, hurt from the fall, sat on the damp ground and began to wail.The boy''s cries caught the attention of the adults in the living room. Valerie rushed over, helping the boy up and dusting off the dirt.


    "Joseph, are you alright?" she asked, concern etched on her face. Through his tears, Joseph pointed an using finger at Quinn, voicing his grievances. All eyes turned toward Quinn, their gazes filled with condemnation as if she were an unforgivable criminal.


    Quinn''s grip on her umbre tightened until her knuckles turned white. Freya, half-joking, half-serious, chided, "Come on, Quinn, you''re a grownup. Why pick on a child?" Valerie, barely containing her anger, put on her big sister act. "I heard what happened. Kids can be kids, but shouldn''t you know better than to fuss over a child?" Despite being 35 years old, she looked after herself well, appearing more like she was in herte twenties. She muttered "no manners" under her breath, but it was barely audible over Joseph''s crying."It''s all right. Is Joseph hurt?" Kaitlyn finally spoke up. "What''s the use of talking to a dummy? Let''s go inside. It''s raining out here." They weren''t Kaitlyn''s own flesh and blood, so of course, she didn''t care as much.