Facade of Love

Chapter 346 The Boy Left Behind in the Snow
I said okay and hung up without asking more about Alice’s accident.
I had not asked Idris or Mom how Alice got hurt. It was partly because I had my own stuff to deal with and also because I was not
exactly close enough to Alice to be fussing over her. For some reason I could not quite put my finger on, I just did not feel
comfortable around Alice. It was probably because we were just not close.
The house was quiet, the evening shadows creeping in as I headed back to my room for a bath. After a day spent shivering in
the cold, sinking into the warmth of a hot bath was pure bliss. Wrapped in the comfort of my towel, my phone buzzed from where
it lay at the foot of my bed. It was Charlie, I answered it to hear his deep voice. “Are you busy?”
I paused. “No. What’s going on?”
I could not see his face and could not guess what was behind his call, so I waited.
His voice was as smooth as ever. “I just noticed it’s snowing outside. I felt like calling you.”
His tone was hard to read, but something told me he was not in the best of spirits.
I tried to lighten the mood. “Snow’s a rare guest in Lake City. It’s pretty magical this year, Isn’t it?”
“Mhm.”
He hummed a response, then silence.

I glanced at the clock. It was already ten. Fresh from my bath, sleepiness was setting in, and I wondered what made Charlie ring
me up so late.
I thought about ending the call, but what if he needed someone to talk to? He did not have many friends in Lake City. It would not
be right to just hang up on him.
While I was still hesitating, his voice cut through the silence. “Tired?”
1 let out a sleepy hum, and I could almost hear the smile in his voice as he said, “Alright then. Sleep well.‘
The line went dead.
Holding the silent phone, a bit lost, I shrugged it off and set it down to dry my hair.
An hour later, I was cozied up in bed, phone in hand. I noticed a few new texts from Inch.
[Ms. Scott, are you asleep?]
He must have been waiting for a reply because soon after, another message popped up.
[Sorry to bug you so late, but I’m at a loss here. Can you try talking some sense into Mr. Yates?]
That text made me frown, and I quickly called Inch.
Lucky for me, he picked up almost immediately.
“Ms. Scott, sorry for the late call.” Inch’s voice was raspy.

Chapter 346 The Boy Left Behind in the Snow
I did not beat around the bush. “What’s up with Mr. Yates?”
There was a heavy silence before he let out a weary sigh. “He’s been out in the snow for nearly two hours, just sitting there. I
cannot get him to move. He says he wants to take in the snowy view, but you know his leg is in bad shape. It can’t handle this
kind of stress. Things are only going to get worse.”
I was confused. “What’s gotten into him? Can’t he just watch the snow from indoors? Why go outside?”
Inch paused, his voice dropping. “He was abandoned in the snow when he was just a little kid. He ended up being adopted and
moved to Silvana.”
My frown deepened. “He doesn’t like snow?”
Inch let out a sigh. “The day he was left behind was his birthday, which is today. He used to live in Silvana where it never snows,
so it didn’t really hit him before. Now, in Lake City, with the snowfall... it’s hitting him hard.”
I froze, the pieces clicking into place. Charlie had been left alone in a blizzard on his birthday when he was young.
That explained why he was always so distant when he talked about his childhood, saying he did not really have one and had no
family or friends. I had no idea...