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Pausing in his steps, Damian looked back at Quintin.
A few seconds later, he replied firmly, “It’s a pity that you’re my son in this lifetime. You don’t
have a choice.”
After saying that, he and his men left in the cars parked outside.
Quintin kept his head down. He stared at the ground and remained silent for a long time.
Josephine grabbed his arm, looking at him with concern. After a while, Quintin slowly raised his head to
look at Josephine. In the dim light, his face looked exceptionally pale. In just that few minutes, he
seemed to have lost some of his vitality, instantly appearing haggard and
exhausted.
Hurt flashed across his eyes, along with a hint of helplessness. He stared at Josephine and opened his
mouth to say something, but he couldn’t utter a single word. In response, Josephine tightened her grip
on his arm, trying to comfort him.
Quintin closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He then broke free from Josephine’s grasp said, “I’m
fine.”
and
His voice sounded hoarse and nasally as if he was choking back tears. He walked toward the cages.
However, as he approached them, his steps faltered. He didn’t have the nerve to get.
closer.
Josephine stayed by his side, gathering her courage and approaching the cages. As she got closer,
she saw all the dogs lying haphazardly inside the cages. They looked as if they were sleeping.
Josephine reached out a finger and gently poked the head of a Golden Retriever, but it was cold, and
no response came from the dog.
Her gaze flickered. The last time she had been this close to death was when Alan passed away. When
Alan passed on, he looked as if he was peacefully sleeping. He didn’t look much different. from when
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇthe used to bask in the sun in the yard.
The only difference was that after closing his eyes that time, he never opened them again.
For a long period of time following his death, when Josephine saw familiar places, things, and
especially that familiar rocking chair, her heart felt empty. The feeling of melancholy and loss would
slowly rise in her heart. It was like tiny needles pricking away at her heart when she least expected it.
Such feelings of prolonged loss made her understand the true meaning of death and what it entailed.
She knew what it meant to those who were still alive. Whether they were humans or animals, as long
as they had been alive, one would develop emotions toward them after interacting with those lives for
some time. In Quintin’s case, he had taken care of the dogs over an extended period of time, so the
emotional bond was bound to be deeper.
Summoning his courage, Quintin walked over. He appeared to be mentally prepared as he lifted his
hand and opened the cage. He turned on the lights right above the sheds.
Light shone on the cages instantly, revealing the horrifying state inside.
With trembling hands, Quintin reached out and touched the Husky before him. “Number 29…”
Josephine was somewhat surprised.
A tear rolled down his cheek, and he choked as he said, “This is the 29th animal I’ve adopted. I even
boasted about filling this facility with animals. I wanted to be able to count from one to one thousand.
That would have been quite grand, wouldn’t it?”
Pausing slightly, Quintin then said with a bitter smile, “I remember all their names and can tell them
apart based on their looks. They must never have expected that, in the end, they would die because of
me. They must have felt utter despair just now, waiting for me to save them. Why didn’t I come back
sooner? If only I’d been faster, they wouldn’t have died.”
As he spoke, he began to break down. He gradually hunched his back and grabbed the iron railing,
almost kneeling on the ground. Josephine stood silently beside him, feeling equally distraught at what
had transpired. She hesitated, extended her hand, and placed it on his back. Then, she gently patted
his back as if to comfort him. That was how Lewis used to comfort her.
Her fingers touched Quintin’s trembling back, feeling him holding back his pain and the utter
helplessness he felt. She could tell that he was very despondent at the moment.
“He’s my father. Why would he treat me like this?”
Josephine couldn’t find the right words to console him, so she could only pat his back.
Unable to hold it in any longer, he turned toward Josephine and embraced her tightly. Josephine froze
at being hugged so suddenly. Her fingers remained suspended in the air,
unsure of what to do.
Quintin rested his chin on her shoulder and held her tightly. He whispered, “I’ll be alright
soon.”
Josephine’s gaze flickered, catching a whiff of the scent he emanated. He smelled of sunshine and
freshness-it was the scent of youth.
Quintin held her for a few minutes before letting go.
He let out a long sigh, his expression returning to normal. He looked at the carcasses in the
cages once more.
Then, he looked at Josephine and asked, “Can you help me with something?”
Josephine understood him and nodded in agreement.
Quintin went further into the shed and soon came out with a shovel. He held It In his hands
and walked a few steps before coming to a halt, seemingly lost in thought. His eyes swept over the
entire shelter.
After a while, he threw the shovel on the ground unceremoniously. The shovel made a harsh sound
upon hitting the ground.
He turned and went back into the shed. Soon, he came out with two containers of gasoline. Quietly, he
began dragging the cages to the center of the open space and stacked them together. Josephine
wanted to help, but the iron cages were too heavy. She tried to do what Quintin was doing a few times
but ended up aggravating her injured wound, causing her to wince in pain.
Quintin quickly ran over and stopped her. “Don’t move. I’ll take care of this. You help me pour the
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmgasoline.”
Josephine nodded and went back to get the gasoline. She then started to pour gasoline all over the
cages. Her body was incredibly weak, and pouring one container of gasoline left her panting for breath.
She remembered that she could easily carry groceries back from the market without getting tired in the
past. She surmised that it must be because she hadn’t eaten dinner. Assuring herself that it must be
the case, she wiped the sweat off her forehead.
The two of them worked tirelessly throughout the night, gathering all the cages together and dousing
the carcasses with gasoline.
When they were done, it was the break of dawn. The distant clouds showed an abnormal crimson
color. Quintin pulled out a lighter and stared at the carcasses on the ground, remaining silent for a long
time.
He said, “Do you think I’m useless, Josephine? I can’t even handle such a small task properly.”
After he asked that question, he turned to look at Josephine.
Josephine stared back at him intently, shaking her head and gesturing, “You have done a great job.
Without you, they might have starved to death long ago and wouldn’t have made it this far. Although
they are gone now, you gave them a second chance at life. Thanks to you, they got to live until now.”
As Quintin looked at her nimble fingers moving around swiftly, his expression became slightly dazed,
and an unknown emotion flickered in his eyes.
The red glow from the horizon illuminated their faces, casting a somber tone on their features and
enveloping them in a hazy light.
Quintin gazed off into the distance for a while before asking, “Will they hate me?” The next second, he
let out a bitter laugh and added, “They most likely will.”
Josephine shook her head and motioned, “No, they won’t hate you.”
“Is that so?”
She nodded vigorously and gestured, “They would only regret not being able to see you one
last time.”
With those words, tears finally escaped Quintin’s eyes, sliding down uncontrollably.
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