Walter sneered.


    Quinn finally blurted out the question that had been bugging her, "Walter, why do you hate Alexander so much?"


    When it was just the two of them, Walter wasn''t exactly a sweetheart to Quinn, but he was definitely nicer to her than most folks.


    But when it came to Alexander, Walter would go out of his way to mess with her. Quinn couldn''t shake the feeling that it wasn''t just about her connection to Alexander. "Why do you care so much?" Walter shot back. "He''s already dead."


    His words could''ve easily set Quinn off, but this time she kept her cool and didn''t snap back.


    "Let''s just say he''s dead. Since he''s already dead, what''s stopping you from telling me?" Quinn pressed.


    Walter stared at her, a faint smile ying on his lips, watching her for what felt like forever.


    Just when Quinn thought he was gonna dodge the question, he suddenly said, "I''ll tell you once I''m sure he''s really dead."


    Quinn was taken aback. He didn''t say much, but now she was sure Walter had another reason for going after Alexander.


    Walter seemed done with the convo. He got up and said, "I''m outta here."


    Quinn didn''t try to stop him.


    Walter walked out without calling for Peanut, who followed him anyway.


    Walter walked fast, and Peanut had to hustle to keep up. As they reached the corner near the door, Peanut took a sharp turn and wiped out.


    Quinn sat up in shock, instinctively wanting to get out of bed, but Peanut quickly picked himself up and kept chasing after Walter.


    Peanut moved like he''d fallen a million times and didn''t feel the pain anymore. Maybe it wasn''t that he didn''t feel pain, but he knew crying wouldn''t get him any attention. To him, there were bigger things to worry about than pain. And that was the fear of being left behind. Peanut was like a vine with nothing to cling to, trying totch onto any tree nearby to grow.


    Walter actually noticed this. He stopped and watched Peanut run towards him.


    As Peanut got closer, he reached out his small hand to grab Walter''s, but just as he was about to make contact, Walter pulled his arm back, leaving Peanut hanging.


    Peanut looked up, meeting Walter''s mocking gaze. He didn''t get it, but he felt Walter''s rejection.


    So, he silently pulled his hand back and stood obediently in front of Walter.Content is property ? N?velDrama.Org.


    Walter said, "Your mom schemed against me, leaving you with me. But you need to understand, to survive, you gotta rely on yourself."


    Peanut still didn''t get it, just looked at him.


    "In this world, you can''t rely on anyone," Walter remarked.


    It didn''t sound like he was talking to Peanut, and he didn''t care if Peanut understood. He turned and walked away.


    Peanut hurried to follow, limping from his earlier fall. This time, Walter seemed to walk a bit slower, letting Peanut keep up despite his limp.


    When they reached the parking lot, Walter opened the passenger door for Peanut, who climbed in.


    It wasn''t out of kindness that Walter was concerned Peanut wouldn''t make it to the door. Rather, it stemmed from a past incident when Peanut had crawled in through the driver''s side and squeezed into the same seat with him. At that moment, Walter had the urge to throw Peanut out, but with the cops watching him from the front, he had to patiently point to the passenger seat, indicating for Peanut to sit there.


    To his surprise, Peanut mbered over hisp to reach the designated seat. In that instant, Walter couldn''t decide whether Peanut was genuinely naive or just ying dumb.