"Ahem! Papa... come, let us depart immediately. Otherwise, you will undoubtedly be late for your obligations," Mama interjected smoothly, her voice fracturing the dense, suffocating atmosphere. Without waiting for a response, she abruptly hooked her arm through Papa’s rigid elbow, systematically guiding his steps toward the exit that led to the garage. Driven by a restless, clawing curiosity, I mounted a desperate bid to intercept their calculated retreat. "Wait!" I cried out, deliberately planting my frame directly in their path to block their exodus. "Is Papa truly not the slightest bit curious as to whose residence Erika laid her head in last night?" Papa immediately averted his countenance, his eyes pivoting away from mine. I recognized the maneuver instantly—he was deliberately dodging my gaze. For reasons I possessed zero capacity to articulate, a dark, unsettling intuition whispered that they were actively concealing a mon
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