Knowing that Cutie must have recalled something unpleasant, Qin Yuji couldn't think about much else and reached out to embrace her.
Her body was tightly tense, and it took a while to relax. Cutie took a few deep breaths and continued, "Mom was with that man for ten years, from when I started elementary school to starting middle school. When I was little, I never understood why, whenever I came home, Mom would always come over to see me every now and then, as if I would disappear from her sight in the blink of an eye."
"Later, in my third year of middle school, one night, that man crept into my room drunk. I saw Mom go crazy, biting and kicking him, shielding me behind her."
Thinking of that scene, Qin Yuji's heart ached as if it was being wrung, yet Cutie's recounting was especially calm.
"It's all my fault. Back then, I should have taken Mom and left, but I didn't. I was just too scared, so it was all my fault."
