Chapter 13 Complaining
Alaric pushed the door open and saw Harry sitting on the bed, engrossed in a book.
Alaric couldn't help but smile. The stress and frustration from work seemed to melt away instantly.
"Caspian, what kind of book are you reading?" Alaric asked as he walked over.
"Dad, you're home!"
Harry dropped the book and jumped into Alaric's arms, hugging him tightly. His small face pressed against Alaric's cheek, his voice sweet and a little whiny.
Alaric hugged him back, gently patting his head, feeling the softness of his small body, his heart melting.
He inquired with genuine concern, "Have you been well-behaved today? Did you follow instructions properly?"
"Yeah, I'm obedient."
Harry looked up, his smile pure and innocent, his eyes sparkling like two bright stars, his voice sweet and soft.
Alaric nodded, kissed Harry's forehead, and said, "Good."
He failed to perceive the momentary glint of apprehension and deeply concealed disquiet that fleetingly traversed Harry's gaze.
Harry's true identity was always at risk of being exposed. He had to be extra careful, and ensure no one discovered his secret.
"Caspian, are you okay?" Alaric asked softly, holding Harry close, his eyes filled with concern.
Harry didn't respond, but his small arms tightened around Alaric's neck, his head burrowing into Alaric's shoulder, his little body trembling slightly like a frightened rabbit.
Alaric sensed something was wrong with this child.
He gently patted Harry's back, his voice soothing, "Don't be scared; I'm here now. No one can hurt you, right?"
Harry still didn't speak, but Alaric could feel his small body shaking even more, as if he was trying hard to hold back something, or was terribly frightened.
"Caspian?" Alaric called softly again, carefully pulling Harry away a bit to check if he was hurt.
When he saw his son's tear-streaked face, his heart clenched painfully, as if something had stabbed him hard."Daddy." Harry finally looked up, his eyes filled with tears, his small mouth quivering, his voice choked and broken. "She hit me."
Alaric's heart sank instantly, a surge of anger rising from deep within, burning his chest.
He gently wiped the tears from Harry's face with his thumb, his voice low and trembling slightly, "Who hit you? Tell me, who was it? I'll make sure they pay!"
"It was her."
Harry sobbed, his shoulders shaking with each hiccup, his small finger trembling as he pointed towards the door, his voice full of distress and fear, "She's not my mommy; she's a bad woman. She hit me."
Harry cried and stammered, accusing Orion of her misdeeds.
Though a child's words were often jumbled and illogical when crying, Alaric understood the gist of it.
The anger in his eyes grew stronger, almost ready to explode.
"Why did she hit you?" Alaric tried to suppress his anger, keeping his voice as calm as possible, not wanting to scare him.
"She said I was disobedient and called me a heartless little brat," Harry sobbed, his small body trembling like a leaf in the autumn wind.
Alaric's face darkened, his brows knitting together tightly. He pulled Harry closer, his eyes cold and sharp like shards of ice.
"Caspian, don't worry. I'm here, and I'll protect you. No one can bully you."
As he comforted Harry, he raised his voice, shouting downstairs, "Orion! Get up here!"
His voice was loud and filled with suppressed anger.
Downstairs, Orion was irritably picking up her scattered bag and makeup. Hearing Alaric's angry shout, her heart skipped a beat, knowing she was in trouble.
She had regretted slamming the door earlier, and now Alaric was back, ready to confront her.
She took a deep breath, forcing a somewhat natural smile, pretending to be innocent as she quickly ran upstairs, her voice filled with grievance, "Alaric, what's wrong? Why are you shouting? What happened?"
Alaric stood at the top of the stairs, holding Harry, looking down at her with eyes as cold as ice, as if he wanted to tear her apart. "Did you hit Caspian?"
Alaric pointed to the red marks on Harry's exposed arm, his voice squeezed out through clenched teeth, filled with anger.
"No, I didn't," Orion hurriedly denied, her eyes avoiding Alaric's, trying to explain, "Alaric, listen to me; it's not what you think..."
Alaric didn't want to hear her excuses.
He turned and walked into the room, opened the closet, grabbed Orion's suitcase, and roughly stuffed her clothes and personal items into it.
Then he dragged the suitcase to Orion. He pointed to the door, his voice cold and emotionless, "Get out. Leave my house. Don't let me see you again."
"Alaric, please, it's not like that," Orion pleaded, tears streaming down her face, trying to act pitiful, grabbing Alaric's arm, "Caspian was disobedient, I just wanted to discipline him."
Alaric shook off her hand, his eyes even colder, his voice impatient, "Do you not understand? Do I need to call security to escort you out? Or do you want to lose your job too?"
Seeing that Alaric was genuinely enraged, with an unwavering stance that left no room for negotiation, Orion recognized that forgiveness would certainly not be granted today. Persisting further would only result in greater humiliation.
She stomped her foot angrily, glaring venomously at Harry hiding in Alaric's arms, her eyes filled with malice, then grabbed her suitcase and reluctantly left the Knight Mansion.
Alaric watched Orion's retreating figure, his anger slightly subsiding, but his chest still felt tight.
He quickly returned upstairs, closed the door, and gently placed Harry on the bed, softly patting his back, comforting him like a frightened little animal, his actions gentle, his voice tender.
"Daddy, can you not let her be my mommy anymore?" Harry pleaded. He suddenly looked up, his tear-filled eyes gazing at Alaric, his small face still streaked with tears, his eyes full of hope.