Forbidden Passion

Ruby didn't have time to scold Ethan. She hurriedly picked up the food on the floor and threw it all into the nearby trash can.

Ruby turned her head away in shame, "It's nothing, Ethan was being disobedient, and I was scolding him."

"I wasn't being disobedient," Ethan argued loudly, then started crying again, "You said that delicious food should be saved to eat slowly."

"Enough!" Ruby was so angry she felt dizzy, but with Phoebe there, she didn't want to let her know about such an embarrassing matter. She suppressed her anger, her voice seething through her teeth, "Do you know that cooked food goes bad after a day?"

Phoebe had seen the food on the floor earlier-chicken legs, fries, jerky, and other things from the past few days.

Hearing Ruby's scolding, she almost guessed what had happened.

Ethan had lived a hard life before, and there were many things he hadn't eaten, so he cherished them and would hide the food he couldn't bear to eat, thinking he could eat it slowly. But Ethan didn't know that food had a shelf life and would go bad if left for too long. The smell in the house probably made Ruby discover his hidden food, which led to her outburst. Phoebe felt heartbroken and didn't know what to do.

She walked over, picked up Ethan, and said to Ruby, "You clean up the house and air it out. I'll take Ethan to play with Ollie for a while."

"He can't go anywhere until he realizes his mistake today." Ruby knew Phoebe was smart and had probably already figured out what had happened, which made Ruby feel even more ashamed. Phoebe grabbed Ruby's wrist and shook her head, "Ethan is still young. Some things aren't as serious as adults make them out to be."

Ruby pressed her lips tightly together but eventually let Phoebe take Ethan away.

Ethan lay on Phoebe's shoulder, sobbing softly. Phoebe carried him to the master bedroom and let Ollie out of his cage to play with him. Ollie curled up next to Phoebe.

Phoebe put Ollie on her lap and waved to Ethan, "Ethan, come sit next to me. Let's talk, okay?"

Ethan moved to sit next to her, his head hanging low, looking very unhappy.

Phoebe smiled and asked him, "Ethan, do you like cats?"noveldrama

"I do," Ethan said sullenly.

Phoebe raised her hand to pat his head, "Then do you know that when Ollie was little, he almost died from eating expired food?"

Ethan looked up at her sharply, his eyes wide with shock, "Really?"

"Yes," Phoebe said, grabbing Ollie's front paws to show the scar on its belly, "Look, this is where they had to operate and stitch him up."

Ethan didn't quite understand what Phoebe meant by operating and stitching up, but when he saw the scar on Ollie's belly, he thought of Leah often sitting under the eaves sewing clothes.

The stitches looked a lot like the scar on Ollie's belly.

"Does it hurt?" Ethan asked Phoebe sadly.

Phoebe nodded, "Yes, it hurt a lot. So now Ollie doesn't hide his food anymore and eats it after it goes bad because it would make him sick."

Ethan lowered his head in shame, twisting his fingers together, "I didn't mean to, Auntie Phoebe."

Phoebe said, "I know, you must have had a reason for doing this. Can you tell me why?"

"Mom used to go hungry a lot. I wanted to save the delicious food for her, so if we ever ran out of money for food, she wouldn't have to go hungry," Ethan said, then suddenly burst into tears, "I don't want her to go hungry."

Phoebe didn't expect such understanding from a child just over two years old. She reached out and hugged him, gently patting his thin back.

"You are a very thoughtful child, don't cry," Phoebe comforted him softly.

She knew Ruby had been ostracized by the Adams family and that it wasn't easy for her to take care of Ethan, but she hadn't realized just how hard it was. How could the Adams family do such a thing?

Ruby was their biological daughter. Ignoring her was one thing, but to go so far as to destroy her?

The more someone comforted him, the more aggrieved Ethan felt. He cried so hard he could barely catch his breath, his small body shaking with sobs. Phoebe sighed inwardly.

When Ethan's crying finally subsided, she said, "Good boy, don't cry anymore. Now listen to me, okay?"

"Okay," Ethan said, looking at Phoebe with red eyes.

Phoebe said, "I know you're worried about your mom not having enough to eat and want to save food for her, but some food goes bad overnight. Things like chicken legs, fries, and ribs can't be kept overnight, or they'll make you sick, like Ollie, and in severe cases, it could be fatal."

Ethan's face turned pale with fear.

Phoebe didn't want to scare him, but she was afraid he might continue doing this in the future, so she deliberately spoke very seriously, "Ethan, tell me, have you ever secretly eaten the food you hid?"

Ethan shook his head, "No, I wanted to save it for Mom."

Knowing that Ethan hadn't eaten the spoiled food, Phoebe felt relieved.

"Ethan, I know you care about your mom, but we can't hide cooked food anymore. If you're worried about her being hungry, you can keep some cookies and snacks in your pocket. That way, it's both hygienic and safe, right?" Ethan nodded, "Yes."

Phoebe patted his head, "Good boy. But your Mom is very angry right now. Do you know what to do to make her not angry?"

Ethan tilted his head and thought for a long time before nodding, "I know."

Phoebe gave him an encouraging smile, "Then go find your Mom now."

Ethan got up from the floor and left the master bedroom. Phoebe let out a long sigh. After a while, she heard Ruby's heart-wrenching cries from the next room.

Phoebe's eyes welled up with tears.

The phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated, startling Ollie in her arms. He jumped away and stared at Phoebe warily.

Phoebe chuckled silently. She took out her phone and saw a video call request from Theodore. She frowned and declined it.

A few seconds later, another video call request popped up persistently. Phoebe declined it again, and soon Theodore sent a message.

s: [I want to see my cat.]

Phoebe was halfway through typing a reply when another video call came through. She accidentally accepted it. As the video connected, she quickly adjusted the camera angle to avoid showing Hubert, Boris, and Noomi's toys and clothes in the room.

The screen flashed, and Theodore's face almost filled the entire screen. Fortunately, he was good-looking enough to handle the close-up shot.

Phoebe glared at Theodore, "Why are you calling me out of the blue?"