Chapter 5 - Aftermath

After going through that horrible incident, the entire family was in complete shock. They couldn't believe that something so horrible happened to them.

Ella was still crying with Amelia in her arms, the fact that she failed to protect her children from that awful torture was twisting inside her chest like a knife, and Cesar was sitting in a corner covering his face with both hands due to shame.

Inwardly grumbling that he should kill himself for being such a coward, what good was he if he couldn't even protect his mother and sister? But he couldn't even summon his courage to do that, all he could do was sit down in the corner in shame.

While Ella was weeping with Amelia then her eyes fell right onto Amelia's arms. Amelia's arms were completely red, and her skin was slightly burned by the soup, She looked at Amelia's face and tenderly clasped her face like her arms—- her face was also red.

Ella wiped her tears and then wiped Amelia's tears and immediately asked Cesar to bring a bucket of cold water from the bathroom.

She then helped Amelia to sit up.

Cesar rushed to the bathroom and picked up a plastic bucket and filled it with cold water.

When the bucket was finally filled, Cesar turned off the tap and pulled the bucket out of the bathroom but the bucket was slightly heavy and with his thin body, Cesar could hardly drag it out of the bathroom. He hadn't eaten everything since the morning and the dinner was ruined as well, with his stomach empty to the point that it started rumbling, Cesar hurled the bucket.

Amelia couldn't bear the pain from the burns and Ella called Cesar immediately to hurry up.

Hearing his mother's shout, Cesar increased his pace and brought the bucket from the bathroom before placing it in front of his mother.

Ella was worried about her daughter at that moment and didn't ask why Cesar took so long, pulling the bucket near her she immediately asked Cesar to hand her the bathing mug.

Cesar did as she asked and Ella took the bathing mug before filling it up with water and started pouring it gently over Amelia.

When the cold water flowed down Amelia's body she winced because her skin was almost blistering when the cold water trickled down, her sensitive skin couldn't take it.

At first, Amelia's skin was irritated by it but after Ella poured four to five mugs of water over her made, her burning skin was soothed.

Though the soup was hot, it wasn't scalding hot. After pouring a little cold water over the burns Amelia started to feel better and Ella sighed in relief before turning to look at the water that was spilt on the floor. " Cesar dear, can you wipe the water after applying some ointment to that wound on your lip?"

" Okay mother," Cesar picked himself off the floor and went to grab the ointment from the cabinet.

Cesar agreed with what her mother asked him to do, he picked up the ointment bottle from the drawers and applied a little on his lips and winced lightly when the medicine started to sting.

After he was done applying the medicine, he picked up another clean cloth from the kitchen and started to mop the floor.

While he was cleaning the floor his eyes raked the room where his family went through a horrible incident—— the soup spilt over the floor, and squashed eggs. The second he raised and took in the sight in front of him, the images of that horrible incident started to flash in his mind again and again.

He turned his eyes from the spilt soup and eggs and increased his pace as he cleaned the room in a hurry. He needed to get out of here before he go crazy from the memories of what just happened.

Cesar cleaned up the floor while Ella wiped Amelia dry in her room and dressed her up in clean clothes before laying her down on the bed and carefully caressed her daughter's face as she clasped her hand in the other and softly whispered, " I am sorry, baby…mommy couldn't protect you."

Amelia knew that her mother was feeling guilty and immediately held her hands as she said, " Mother it's not your fault, it is daddy's. He brought that bad man into our house," then raising her hands, she wiped her mother's tears. " Don't cry, mother …I am fine, look——" Amelia was sensible but she was still a young girl with a growing appetite, as soon as she said that, her stomach rumbled and she blushed furiously before saying, "Mother I am hungry! If there is anything left can you give me to eat? If not then forget it."

She was sensible and knew that the house might not have much food left.

Ella wiped her cheeks and replied, "Yes! you wait here, I'll bring something for you to eat."

Then she hurried to the kitchen to see if was there something that she can feed her daughter.

After looking for a long time in the cabinet where she hid the emergency rations, she found two eggs and decided to cook scrambled eggs for Amelia.

Cesar walked inside the kitchen to tell his mother that he was done cleaning the floor when he saw that Ella was cooking scrambled, his stomach started to rumble and saliva pooled in his mouth but he knew that these scrambled eggs weren't for him it was for his sister.

When she saw that her son's eyes were locked on the scrambled eggs on the stove, embarrassment flooded Ella's heart and Mr Richardson's words echoed in her head.

' Your kids are suffering because the useless you and your husband decided to have children, it's your fault that they are suffering!'

She had two kids yet she couldn't even feed both of them, biting her lips, she looked at Cesar before softly asking, " Cesar, honey would you want some scrambled eggs?"

But Cesar shook his head, he knew that more than him, his sister to eat at least once a day with her sick body, unlike her, he was born with a healthy body and if he couldn't protect his sister the least he could do was let her eat a decent meal at least once. "It's all right, mum… give it to Lia, I am fine. It's not like I am going to die if I don't eat one day." He joked to lighten the situation.