Chapter 312 Peter Lost His Mind
Avery was prepared for Shane’s advice. However, Shane just nodded and didn’t say anything, which made Avery feel very surprised.
“You’re not going to give me any advice?”
“Is there a need for it?”
“If this decision was made by Braden, would you advise him then?” Avery was curious.
“He’s not that smart.”
Avery immediately smiled.
Shane’s meaning was very simple. If Avery was smart enough to make such a decision, it meant that he had considered the pros and cons. In that case, there was no need to persuade or remind him.
At this point, the discussion was over, but Avery had no intention of leaving. Instead, he asked for a cup of coffee and took out a stack of documents.
“Come on, let’s continue with our work.”
Sometimes, Charlotte really envied their energy to handle so many things. It had only been 30 minutes and she couldn’t stand it anymore. She just wanted to find a place to rest.
It was a waste of time to think about official business.Exclusive content © by Nô(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.
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On the other side, in the orphanage.
Under the sun, the trees formed shades on the ground, and children were running around at the playground.
After Peter took the little girl to complete some paperwork, he took her home. Zoe’s house was still being renovated, so she and Peter still lived together.
“Uncle Peter, I thought you wanted to leave me in the orphanage.” The little girl climbed into the passenger seat and buckled her seat belt.
“Why do you think so?”
“When I was a child, my mother adopted me from an orphanage.”
Peter was stunned and pointed to the scar on her arm, “When I asked you the first time, you said you got it while working. Is that true?”
The little girl shook her head. “I’m an orphan. Even if I was brought back from the orphanage, I was always abused. They treated me very well in front of outsiders. I don’t know why they could do this. They could have treated me well, but they didn’t do so.”
“Mr. Emerson said that you didn’t want to leave for River City. Were you afraid of getting hurt again?”
The little girl nodded.
Peter smiled and took off his shirt, revealing the injuries on his shoulders and arms. “Don’t be afraid. I have the same past as you, although I am not an orphan.”
“How do you know for sure?”
Peter frowned.
The little girl looked at him seriously. “How do you know that they must be your parents? You don’t look like a child who has been abused at home. You’ve had a stroke of luck, haven’t you?”
“What a mischievous kid.” He sighed and turned on the ignition.
“But a good opportunity requires a good brain. Do you think your parents’ biological child would be as smart as you?”
Peter froze instantly. The little girl reached out and gently held his big hand. “Peter, I am an orphan, so I understand. I am different from other children. My parents must be very outstanding, so I’m smarter than others.”
“You…” Peter turned and looked at her. Her eyes were as clear as his eyes in the past.
The little girl smiled at him. “Peter, you like Zoe, don’t you?”
The focus of the conversation shifted a little too quickly. Peter nodded. “I like Zoe very much.”
“Zoe has a similar experience with us, but she is different. Her eyes show that she is very satisfied with her biological family and accepts the status quo. Everything she does is to get away from the past, and this separation gives her a sense of accomplishment.”
“So what you’re saying is…”
“And Ms. Emerson, although she is optimistic and positive, she is very envious of you and me. She keeps sighing whenever she looks at us. But whenever I mention my mother, she has a look of longing on her face, which means that her family is not bad. Her daddy is a bit of a jerk, but her mom is very good to her.”
Peter gradually believed in what the little girl said. He couldn’t wait to ask, “What did you see in my eyes?”
“I see myself when I grow up,” the little girl replied. “That’s why I said you would leave me in the orphanage, because if I were you, I wouldn’t want a child with me. It’s so troublesome.”
“I have indeed thought about it, but you are the job that Ms. Emerson assigned me, so don’t worry.”
The little girl smiled sweetly. “We’ll be able to find our own parents, won’t we?”
Peter answered in a very responsible manner.
He clearly knew that she was just a child, and she spoke without holding back. He should not have taken her words to heart, let alone take them seriously. However, he was actually looking forward to the truth behind this matter.
Back home, the little girl obediently took the tablet Zoe gave her and watched TV.
Peter was investigating his family background to the best of his ability, and he ended up with no conclusive result. But it didn’t mean that he was an orphan.
It just meant that he didn’t have any information about his birth.
When he was three years old, his name appeared on the household registration system out of nowhere. He then went to school, grew up, and left home.
He was someone who knew how to hide his identity. Of course, he knew the year he was born. If he wanted to hide his identity, then it would be extremely difficult.
Peter smoked several cigarettes to calm himself down. He took out his mobile phone with a trembling hand and made a phone call on the balcony.
Zoe was cooking when she suddenly heard the sound of something breaking. She immediately rushed out and saw Peter smashing everything in sight on the balcony. His hands and legs were covered in blood, and his eyes had turned red. He stood at the same spot and heaved laboriously, as if he was crying or laughing.
The little girl looked at him evenly with no trace of surprise, and even gave him a smile.
Zoe felt that this commotion was unusual, like the scenes in horror TV dramas. She quickly put on her sneakers and ran to the balcony to grab Peter’s hand. “Let me treat your wounds.”
Peter felt that he was engulfed in the darkness, and everything became chaotic and untouchable.
However, in the next second, a ray of light pulled him out of the chaotic darkness.
He didn’t know what Zoe was talking about. He only knew that she was dressing his wounds with the utmost care and tenderness.
Peter suddenly turned around and kissed Zoe. He pressed her under his body roughly and bit her lips. Zoe was frightened and struggled to push him away, but Peter was stronger and she couldn’t break free.
“Peter…” Zoe shouted at him in a hoarse voice, “Let me go.”
Peter exerted more force and grabbed her arms with both hands. His freshly bandaged wounds reopened under the sheer pressure and blood ran down his arms and dripped onto the sheets.
Two voices in his head urged him.
To destroy all beauty, or to embrace beauty.
He stared at the person below him and once again bent down to kiss her. This time, it was even more forceful. Her lips were covered with bite wounds, and the metallic scent of blood drifted between them.
Zoe’s threshold for pain was high, but in this moment, her eyes watered from the pain.
She didn’t understand what was wrong with Peter. She didn’t think what had happened was in the spur of the moment. It was more like Peter lost his mind and succumbed to his sea of emotions. In the midst of drowning, Zoe was his only driftwood and he desperately clung to her.
“Peter, can you hear me?” Zoe tried talking to him again.
Peter just looked at her. Suddenly, he reached out and pulled at her clothes.
Zoe seized his hand and stared at him. “Peter, talk to me. Calm down!”
She knew that he wasn’t in his right mind. What did this action mean? He lost all self-control, leaving only the primal instincts of an animal.
And as animals, the most instinctive demand was to take.
To take food, to take warmth, and to take desire.