Be My Strength 218 Twins Birthday 5

The first thing Lyle saw when he opened the door was a perfectly wrapped box with a bow that was placed on his bed.

Since the lights from the hallway were able to illuminate his room, he did not bother to flick on the switches as he intended to pick up the gift and leave.

When he absent-mindedly picked up the box, he felt that something was off and gave the box a light shake.

"It's empty?" thought Lyle as he looked at the box. He looked at the small card that was on the present and read it out.

"Dear Lyle, Happy Birthday to my eldest son. I hope this will bring you as much happiness as she brought me...Love, Dad."

His eyes went wide and he slowly lifted his head. That was when he saw the shadowy figure of a woman who was standing next to his bookshelf.

Her back was facing away from him as she looked at the books on the shelf. When she finally turned, Lyle noticed that she was wearing a mask.

Unable to believe his eyes, Lyle asked softly, "Who...are you?"

"Did you miss me, my brave little soldier?" asked Kai Xin as she watched the myriad of emotions running through the boy's face.

....

Upon receiving the call from Han Ye, Kai Xin told him that she would visit him tomorrow. Because of the fight with DX, she was reluctant to call him to ask about Little Lyle. She had been thinking about Little Lyle ever since she left him and the thought that he was crying for her made her heart ache.

The next morning, she prepared some minced pork porridge and brought it over to the hospital with her. As promised, when she got there, only Han Ye and a guard were waiting outside the door.

"Thank you for coming, Ms. Zhen," said Han Ye as he opened the door for her.

"No problem..."

When she entered the room, she saw the little boy sitting at the edge of the bed while holding onto his dinosaur blanket tightly. His back was facing her as he stared outside the window.

At that moment, Little Lyle had a lot going through his mind as he was unsure whether he was truly safe or whether this was an illusion that would be broken at any moment.

"Lyle..." Kai Xin called out softly so that Little Lyle would not be afraid.

Upon hearing her voice, Little Lyle turned around so fast that he slipped off the bed and fell on the ground.

"Ouch..." groaned Little Lyle.

Kai Xin immediately placed the packed porridge on the table and rushed over to help him out. Nervous, she shot a succession of questions while she patted him from top to bottom. "Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself? Are you in pain anywhere? Should I call the doctor? Maybe I should..."

Just as she was about to go and call for the doctor, she felt someone tugging her pants and glanced down at the little boy with a pair of the most sorrowful looking eyes.

"Mummy?" asked Little Lyle. He thought he saw wrongly and he needed the confirmation from her.

Kai Xin picked him up and placed him back on the bed before saying softly, "I'm here now..."

Reaching up, he touched her with his little hands and once he was sure that she was not a dream, he smiled, "You came..."

Kai Xin smiled and hugged him tightly, "I'm sorry I scared you..."

He rested his head on the crook of her shoulders and mumbled, "I miss you, Mummy...Please don't leave me again..."

She carried him up and paced around the room slowly with him resting in her arms. As she held his little hand, she asked, "Lyle...Mr. Doctor told me that someone hurt your wrist before..."

Little Lyle nodded tersely.

"Who did it?"

"I don't know his name..."

"It must have been really painful," said Kai Xin as she rubbed his wrist gently. She then asked, "Why did he do it?"

"He is angry because I steal food..." replied Little Lyle. The memory of the man snapping his wrist to punish him caused him to tremble. Kai Xin felt it and she immediately rubbed his back to comfort him. "There, there..."

When Little Lyle looked up at Kai Xin, she was frowning and and he thought that she was angry with him. Afraid that she might hate him, he added nervously, "I'm not a bad boy! The little ones are crying...I want to feed them..."

"You silly boy...I won't be angry with you..." said Kai Xin as she tried to pacify him. She took his hand and kissed him on the wrist repeatedly before saying, "No one would ever hurt you again, Lyle..."

Little Lyle nodded. He rested his head on her shoulder before asking meekly, "What about the bad man?"

"Which bad man?"

Little Lyle pointed to his face and said in a hushed tone, "He looks like me but bigger... and he is a scary man."

Kai Xin chuckled at his description of his father. She sat down on the couch with him sitting on her laps and patiently explained, "Lyle, the scary man is not a bad man...He's your daddy..."

"Daddy?" Little Lyle repeated the word as if it was a foreign word to him.

"Yeah, daddy. Let me tell you this. Your daddy is a silly man. He did not know about your existence. Once he found out about you, he panicked and ran around like a headless chicken..."

"Headless chicken?" Little Lyle laughed when he thought about a headless chicken running around.

Kai Xin smiled when she heard his laughter, "...Lyle, you daddy loves you very much. When he heard about you, he practically searched the entire world for you..."

Little Lyle frowned and rested his head against her chest as he admitted, "I'm still scared of him...Men are scary..."

She kissed the top of his head and said, "It's ok to be scare, Lyle...But please give him a chance, ok? He is really a giant teddy bear..."

With a sigh, he nodded, "I'll try. Mummy will stay with me as well?"

She looked at him sadly before shaking her head, "Not now, Lyle..."

When he heard her, his eyes started to get watery again. Afraid that he might burst into tears, Kai Xin said, "I'll come back soon, Lyle. I promise..."

Little Lyle shook his head as he held tightly onto her shirt, "Don't leave me, please...Please don't leave me again... Why do you have to go?"

Kai Xin sighed as she patted his little thigh. Trying to divert his attention, she asked, "Lyle...Do you want to know a secret?"

Little Lyle nodded as he tried to hold back his tears.

"You cannot tell anyone, Ok?" Kai Xin held up her pinky finger.

Without any hesitation, Little Lyle hooked it with his and said solemnly, "I promise..."

"I have a little boy of my own...He would have been a little older than you this year..."

"Where is he?"

Kai Xin looked at the window and sighed sadly, "He's gone...I hurt him and he's gone..."

Little Lyle did not understand what she was trying to say. However, he could tell that she was in some sort of pain. Using his small hand, he reached up and patted her on the head before saying, "Don't be sad...Your boy will come back soon..."

She smiled at Little Lyle's innocence and said, "Lyle...Even if you cannot see me, I'll always be by your side and protect you secretly. So, until I can come back to you, can you be a little brave soldier for me?"

Even though he was reluctant, he nodded, "But you must come back!"

Kai Xin nodded.
.....
Lyle looked at the woman with the mask on. He wanted to run towards her but he was afraid that she might run off.

"Lyle?" Kai Xin called out when she noticed that he stood frozen in place.

Worried, she walked over to him and cupped his face while asking, "Are you feeling ill? Should I call your father for you?"

He shook his head slowly. With hands that trembled, Lyle reached up slowly to touch her cheeks. When he felt the warmth, his eyes teared up as he asked softly, "Is that really you, mummy?"

She smiled and when he saw it, Lyle smiled back at her. Even if he had forgotten how she looked like, he would never forget about her smile.

"Can I?" Lyle asked as he placed his hand on her mask.

Kai Xin nodded, "It's your birthday..."

When he slowly took it off, and as the face underneath the mask was revealed, Lyle went wide-eyed as he finally recognized the face.

Disbelief over what he was seeing, Lyle wiped the tears off his eyes and blinked before confirming. It was his father's lover! The man who tried to take over the position of his 'mummy'!

"K?"

As if it was perfectly normal for a woman to dress up as a man and pretended to be gay, Kai Xin shrugged nonchalantly, "I did say that I would always be by your side even if you cannot see me." When he did not say anything, Kai Xin thought that he was angry and asked, "Are you upset because I hide it from you?" Instead of being angry, Lyle laughed and shook his head. He then hugged her tightly and said happily, "I'm not! I'm glad! I'm glad that you are here! Please don't leave me anymore!" She laughed as she hugged him back, "I won't ever leave you ever again, Lyle..."

Chapter end

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