By the time Axel was done speaking, Hannah was already crouched in the corner of the kitchen. She was shaking violently and she kept muttering something to herself but Axel wasn't close enough to hear her.
He was still angry though.
Even though Raymond had told Hannah that he would help Penelope, Hannah should have checked by herself. That way, Penelope would not be in the condition she was in right now.
The two of them stayed in silence for a while, with none of the saying anything. But that was not what Axel wanted. He wanted them to shout it out so they could come to a conclusion on what to do with the child but that would be impossible if Hannah remained in the position she was in.
"I'm taking Penelope home with me". Axel stated angrily and as expected, he got a reaction from Hannah. She stood up and shook her head violently.
"I won't let you take her away!"
"Then what? Will you continue to neglect the child? Are you going to leave her home all day by herself? Do you think she is a pet?!" Axel shouted without control and Hannah flinched at every word he uttered.
She could not say anything because guilt was eating her up. If she could, she would run down to the basement and slit Raymond's throat without a care in the world. What right did he have to do this?!
But it wasn't entirely Raymond's fault. If she was always with the child, she would have known. If she hadn't trusted Raymond blindly, she would have been aware of Penelope's condition.
But she wasn't there.
"I'm sorry". She apologized in a low voice to Axel whose lips twitched when he heard her. Why was she saying sorry to him? He was not the one who was sick. "Please, don't take her away…"
Axel sighed in frustration. He had planned to chastise Hannah to his satisfaction but how could he when she was being like this? He was even starting to feel guilty for shouting at her.
"I will find a caretaker for her". Axel said and watched for Hannah's reaction. She didn't look like she was against the idea of getting a caretaker for Penelope. After a while, Hannah nodded. It would be better if Penelope had someone else watching over her. Hannah could allow that but she would never let anyone take Penelope away from her!
Axel looked at Hannah as she seemed to be thinking about something that he didn't know. His eyes fell on the cups he had filled with water. He thought they were going to have a heated argument but it wasn't the case. It was just him shouting and Hannah flinching whenever he raised his voice.
Too bad…
But still…
He picked one of the cups and poured the water on Hannah and she just stared at him in shock. What? She deserved it?!
"You deserve it!" Hannah couldn't deny that. We watched as Axel turned around and started picking ingredients for cooking. That was when she noticed the difference in her kitchen. Axel had filled her kitchen to the brim! She wasn't sure how he did it or what made him do it but he had done it!
"Will you keep staring or will you get changed?" Axel asked nonchalantly as he washed his hands. Hannah nodded to no one in particular as she walked out of the kitchen.
When she saw Penelope quietly seated in the same position they left her, Hannah's heart turned cold. If Raymond had not said those things to her, Penelope wouldn't be like this.
The child was scared that Hannah might send her away because she went outside…
Hannah was suddenly filled with so much anger. Quietly, she walked away in the direction of her room.
Reaching her room, she picked up her phone and searched for Raymond's number which was not hard since she had only three numbers in her phone; Raymond, Axel, and Camden. She dialed the number and after two rings, Raymond picked up.
"The day I find you, I will end your life myself".
After saying that, Hannah hung up and threw her phone on the bed before going to change. That threat was enough for Raymond. If he was wise, he would stay away from her because Hannah was going to kill him.
In the basement…
The room was cold and silent. The walls were black and the only light source was the window on the side, the light from it falling on the man sitting by the window. His blonde hair was messy and his blue eyes seemed sorrowful.
He was in agony.
From the side of his lips, blood flowed freely out of his mouth, from where he had bitten his tongue to stop himself from speaking to Hannah.
Raymond closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair, something that had become a habit for him. Earlier, he found out that Axel had taken Penelope to the hospital. Since he had done that, it was no surprise that Hannah suddenly called to threaten him.
But she only threatened him.
Clearly, she didn't know the whole truth. Axel did not tell her everything. If he did, Hannah would be here by now, armed to the teeth and ready to take his head back with her.
But why did Axel tell her only half of the truth…
Just then, Lucas walked in. He pulled down the hood that covered his eyes and looked at Raymond who looked miserable. He was thinking of Hannah again. Only Hannah could make him like this.
"Lucas," Raymond called. Even with his eyes closed, he could still detect Lucas' presence. He was so used to it. "Would you do the same if you were in my place?" Raymond asked solemnly.
Lucas' fists were balled by his sides when he heard that question. If he was in Raymond's place, that child would be dead by now and Hannah would be back in the basement where she was safe! The bond between Raymond and Hannah… only Raymond knew about it and could feel it… Hannah couldn't, or else she would have understood that Raymond was only trying to protect her.
"She said she would kill me the next time she sees me. I better not show up in front of her… that would be disastrous". Raymond laughed wryly before opening his eyes.
His blue eyes were back to being blank, showing no emotion and he turned to look at Lucas.
"What did you find?"