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All Chapters of The Price of His Return: Chapter 1 - Chapter 9

9 Chapters

Chapter 1

I curled up in the closet, desperately breathing in the scent my father, Warren Foster, had left behind.His clothes were always neatly arranged and freshly laundered. Just looking at them made me feel safe. I buried my face in his clothes, feeling my life slipping away.The closet was dark, just like the night Dad had left.But this time, I wasn't afraid.That unfamiliar voice had told me that if I gave up my life, Dad would come back. Then Mom wouldn't have to be so sad anymore.I closed my eyes, and my consciousness gradually faded.When I came around again, a robot was in standby mode in the living room. I floated in the air and curiously reached out to touch its head.It had a round head and could make sounds just like me, so my mother, Melina Foster, had named it Roundy.She said she was going to find a way to bring Dad back, so she had Roundy take care of my meals, bedtime, and homework.I was really thrilled. With Roundy around, Mom finally didn't have to work herself

Chapter 2

I floated in the air, watching Mom walk in."Max?""Mom! You're finally home!" I excitedly threw myself at her, but passed right through her.I stared blankly at my hands. Only then did I remember that I was already dead."Max? I don't feel like playing hide-and-seek today. Come out!"I pouted and instinctively wanted to protest, to tell her I wasn't playing, but no matter how loudly I shouted, my voice couldn't reach her.All I could do was watch as Mom approached Roundy and checked its operating status."Roundy, where's Max?"Roundy's big eyes lit up.System: [Administrator's voice detected. Kitty is taking a nap inside the bedroom closet.]System: [Breathing steady. Sleeping.]Mom froze for a moment before heading toward the bedroom.My heart suddenly started pounding. I wanted Mom to find me, but I didn't want her to discover so soon that I was dead.Dad still hadn't come back. I couldn't make Mom sad again.Just as she reached for the doorknob, her phone suddenly ran

Chapter 3

The living room fell silent.I stared blankly at Roundy, lost in thought.Mom noticed that the recording had played, and when I still hadn't called her back, her voice came through again."Max? Are you still mad at me?"The house was silent. No one answered. Mom grew anxious and tried to remotely control Roundy to turn on its camera.[Roundy, locate Max.]Roundy was just about to head toward the bedroom when I hurriedly stood in its way.But I was already dead. If Mom found out I was dead now, Dad wouldn't be able to come back!Roundy passed straight through my body, its mechanical voice repeating over and over.[Locating kitty! Locating kitty!]I summoned every bit of strength I had and tried to press the call-back button on Roundy's body.Come on, Max! Don't let Roundy into the bedroom!Perhaps my desperate prayers had finally moved God, because I discovered that I could actually touch Roundy.There was no time to celebrate. I immediately pressed the call-back button.T

Chapter 4

Liar!Deandre was lying!I planted my hands on my hips and glared furiously at him.Ever since Mom took me to the laboratory last time, I clearly felt that something in our home had changed.Dad smiled less and less, while Mom came home later and later.Meanwhile, Deandre started visiting our house more and more often. He would bring me toys and smile as he pinched my cheeks.Dad watched all of this coldly. There was something in his eyes that I couldn't understand.I only realized later that it was the look of utter despair—the look of a man watching his own family fall apart.Then came the day Dad vanished from the world.No one knew where he had gone. Mom went crazy, searching everywhere and asking everyone for clues about his disappearance.Deandre arrived almost immediately. He held Mom in his arms and cried. "Don't be like this. Warren will be okay."Back then, I thought he was genuinely upset. He must have cared a lot about Dad.But now, thinking back on it, I felt s

Chapter 5

Dad froze in place, as though he'd been nailed to the floor.Mom squeezed past him and switched on the light.The room lit up. The living room was empty. A thin layer of dust covered the coffee table.Roundy stood in the corner. When it detected someone, its eyes began flashing.[Administrator detected. Welcome home.][Pet mode activated. Please confirm that Max should be fed five pieces of cat kibble every day.]Something changed in Dad's eyes. "Melina, is this what you meant when you said Max was being taken good care of?"Mom opened her mouth. "Deandre said Max was fine... I didn't know..."She suddenly stopped, remembering the phone call I'd made to her.Dad didn't ask anything else. He turned and headed toward my bedroom. "Max? Are you in there? I'm home. Open the door."I followed behind him, shouting as loudly as I could, "Dad! I'm right here!"But Dad could no longer hear me. He rushed into the room, but couldn't find me anywhere.Frantically, he searched the entire

Chapter 6

Dad's voice was very soft, as though he were afraid of waking me.Only this time, there would never again be a little boy rubbing his eyes awake and sweetly calling him Dad."I'm home. How about I make you some scrambled eggs? I'll add just a little sugar, the way you like it."I let out a little cry of delight, and my mouth started watering.Dad's scrambled eggs were the best. Even Mom couldn't make them taste the same.When Mom heard that, she'd once gone quiet for a long time before telling me: "That's because it tastes like Dad."..."You eat too many sweets. You've already ruined several teeth. With Dad gone, have you been sneaking sugar again?"I shook my head and puffed out my chest. I hadn't been sneaking sugar! Besides, ever since Dad left, Mom hadn't bought me any candy.Suddenly, all the air went out of me. I slumped down behind Dad."I bought you a new Ultraman toy. It's the one you've wanted for so long. Get up and see if you like it."I won't leave again. I wil

Chapter 7

His voice was hoarse, but there was an unmistakable firmness in it that left no room for argument.Mom pressed the answer button.On the other end, Deandre's voice was deliberately gentle. "Melina, is Max okay? I was in such a hurry when I left yesterday that I forgot to tuck him in. Did he catch a chill? Do you need me to come over and check on him?"Dad said nothing. He simply listened, his face expressionless.I floated behind him, looking at his profile. Suddenly, I felt uneasy. It was as though Dad was about to do something very serious.He picked up the phone and spoke in a frighteningly calm voice, "Hello? It's me."There was suddenly no sound on the other end.After a long silence, Deandre finally spoke, "Warren? You're really back?"Even I could hear how fake Deandre sounded. Dad could certainly hear it too."Warren, Melina has really missed you all these days. She's told me more than once that she was determined to bring you back. And she finally did it. I'm genuinel

Chapter 8

I watched Mom walk around Deandre, ignoring his complaints. Then, with a thud, she dropped to her knees in front of my body. "Max, I know I was wrong. Please wake up. Please, won't you wake up?"Dad gently held my hand. His voice was tender. "Max, look. The bad man who hurt you is here. I told you before that people who do bad things will eventually get what they deserve. Don't worry. I will make sure he does."Deandre stumbled backward, his face filled with fear. "Melina, Warren, you must have gotten this wrong."I don't know how Max ended up like this... I really don't! I came to see him every day and even made him food. Maybe Max ate something he shouldn't have..."I stuck out my tongue at Deandre, thoroughly disgusted. I would never eat things I wasn't supposed to! Dad had taught me better than that."So you're saying Max ate the cat kibble himself?" Dad looked up at him. "You must have deleted all of Roundy's data, right? The video recordings, feeding records, and operation l

Chapter 9

I covered Dad's ears with my hands, not wanting him to hear those words.As far as I was concerned, I would have been willing to do anything if it meant bringing Dad back.Dad watched as Deandre was taken away by the police. The house fell silent once again.He returned to the bedroom and gently took my hand. "Max, he was right."Before he could say anything else, tears the size of beans fell onto the back of my hand."I knew exactly what kind of person he was, and yet I still left. I chose to be myself again, but abandoned you in the process."I shook my head desperately.No! Dad, that's not true! You just wanted to be yourself again. Before you were a father, you were a person in your own right.But it was no use.My voice couldn't reach his ears. My arms passed straight through his shoulders.I held Dad, but he couldn't feel a thing.Mom walked in from the living room and knelt at the bedroom doorway. She stayed there for a very long time—So long that night fell again.S

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