Hurrying into the living room, Sophie's voice cut through the air, catching Duncan's attention as he hovered near the door.
"What?!" he snapped, his tone sharp, causing Daniel and Angelina to pause their play and exchange worried glances.
Sophie's frown deepened at his abruptness, but she offered the children a reassuring smile before following Duncan outside.
"Stop, Duncan," she called after him, her voice tinged with concern as she caught up to him on the porch.
He halted, his shoulders tense, and turned to face her, avoiding her gaze. "What's wrong with you? Have you become so desperate that you'd suggest something like that to Carissa?" Sophie demanded, her voice filled with disappointment.
Duncan rolled his eyes and looked away, a defensive edge creeping into his demeanor.
Sophie reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing him to face her. "Answer me! You've become ungrateful and forgotten everything Carissa has done for us," she pressed, her voice tinged with frustration.
He flinched at her words, a flicker of guilt crossing his features. "Spare me the lecture, Sophie. Yeah, she's done a lot, but sometimes she lets big opportunities slip through her fingers, and it drives me insane!" he retorted, his voice tinged with bitterness.
Sophie shook her head, disbelief evident in her eyes. "You're the one who's driving me insane," she muttered under her breath, turning to leave, unable to bear his negativity any longer.
But before she could go far, Duncan reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her back. "Let go…!" she protested, her discomfort evident as he invaded her personal space.
"No, you listen," Duncan asserted, his grip firm on Sophie's shoulders as he looked her squarely in the eyes. "I just want us to have a good life. You, our son, all of us."
"Then work for it," Sophie shot back, her tone laced with frustration as she glared at him, her patience wearing thin.
Meanwhile, across the street, David sat in a parked car, watching the confrontation between Duncan and Sophie unfold.
George returned to the car, holding a cup of coffee.
"Let's just go," David muttered, irritation evident in his voice as he observed the scene outside.
As the car pulled away, Duncan stared after it in astonishment, prompting Sophie to call out to him. "Duncan!"
He released his grip on Sophie and turned back to her. "I caught a glimpse of him," he explained, gesturing towards the departing car.
Sophie followed his gaze, her brow furrowing. "Him? Who?"
"That looks a lot like David. The man in that car," Duncan clarified, his expression tense as he watched the vehicle disappear down the street.
In the car, David grimaced as he took a sip of the coffee George handed him. "This tastes awful," he muttered, wrinkling his nose in distaste.
George glanced back at him, puzzled. "Is there a problem, Sir?"
"It doesn't taste like hers," David grumbled, his thoughts drifting to Carissa.
George furrowed his brows, puzzled by David's reaction. "Where did you get it from?" David inquired, gesturing towards the coffee cup.
"Uh, from a café back there…" George replied, his confusion evident.
"Weren't you served coffee by Carissa back at her house?" David grunted, his irritation growing.
"I was," George confirmed, still puzzled. "But I drank it. You didn't expect me to bring it out for you to drink, right?" He stifled a laugh as David rolled his eyes and disposed of the coffee.
"Ridiculous," David muttered. "Why would I want you to do that?"
"About Carissa, I didn't even see her. She was bedridden. I had a little chat with her family and gave them her jacket," George continued, shifting the topic back to Carissa's condition.
"She's bedridden? Is it that serious?" David's eyes widened, a glimmer of concern flickering across his features.
"Yes. She caught hypothermia," George explained.
"Hypothermia?" David's expression darkened, guilt gnawing at him. "She should be at the hospital or seeing a doctor."
"I asked them about that, but they said she refused, so they're taking care of her and had a doctor check on her earlier to avoid medical costs," George elaborated.
David frowned. "Now they're poor, and she's compromising her health. Pathetic," he muttered bitterly, though a pang of remorse tugged at his conscience.
As the car continued on its way, David's thoughts lingered on Carissa's well-being. A part of him wanted to turn the car around and check on her himself, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.
Noticing David's worried expression, George asked, "Are you okay?"
David nodded and sighed heavily, unwilling to delve further into his thoughts.
In Carissa's room, she sat on the bed with Daisy standing by her side. Her parents stood in front of her, their mouths agape but unable to form any words.
Breaking the strained silence, Joyce took a step forward. "Carissa, sending Duncan away was a mistake. You shouldn't have done it."
Carissa lifted her hand up in protest. "That's enough!" she exclaimed. "You keep treating me like a source of money and a terrible person because of Duncan. It's sickening."
Just then, Sophie walked in and Joyce's attention turned to her. "What are you doing here?"
"Mother, Duncan left and-" Sophie started to explain.
"Then you shouldn't be here either," Joyce snapped, causing Sophie to flinch.
"Mother, please stop being hostile towards her," Carissa interjected.
"Why should I? I don't like her. I feel like she's the reason things aren't going well for Duncan."
"Oh, come on, Mother. Don't blame her for your son's failures!" Carissa retorted, irritated by her mother's words.
"She's partly responsible too. She carelessly got pregnant and forced him to marry her," Joyce argued.
"But he also has some responsibility!" Carissa countered, triggered by her mother's accusation.
"She could have used protection before having sex with him. It's foolish in this day and age," Joyce continued.
"Stop it, Mother!" Carissa stood up, unable to contain her anger.
Tears started to well up in Sophie's eyes, feeling hurt by her mother-in-law's words. She considered leaving the room.
"Yes, go and cry, crybaby!" Joyce shouted at Sophie as she noticed her.
Sophie turned to leave but then Daniel walked in, silencing everyone with his presence. He looked up at his mother, Sophie and she forced a smile, trying to comfort him as she fought back her tears. Then he turned to Joyce and innocently asked, "Grandma, did my mommy do something wrong? I heard you yelling."
Joyce frowned at him. "Were you eavesdropping? That's not polite. Don't do it again," she scolded.
"It's not right to yell at my mother and make her cry," the young boy retorted. "Please don't do that again, granny."
Joyce was taken aback by his words. She glanced at everyone before looking back at Sophie awfully and silently leaving the room.