Calvin almost didn't recognize the woman.

She wore a nun-like white robe, the plain, starched fabric that almost covered her neck to the instep of her feet, and her curly hair was tucked under the same white turban, and not a single hair was exposed. She didn't even wear makeup—off the cover of foundation, mascara, and lipstick, Madeleine's haggard was rather rudely on that overly emaciated face, and she looked even over fifty, her cheekbones bulging high and bracing her shriveled skin full of spots and wrinkles. There was a sickly flush around her eye sockets, and a thin white layer of dry skin rose on her lips.

In contrast to this extremely haggard appearance are Madeleine's eyes, which are like two flames in her pupils, and her eyes are amazingly bright. A large gold cross weighed heavily on her chest, and the thick chain reminded Calvin of the shackled cattle in the livestock farm. In the center of the cross is a hemispherical crystal with the face of a boy who makes Calvin feel like vomiting.

A feeling of boredom welled up in his heart, and Calvin frowned, forcing himself not to stare at the photograph and to return his attention to Madeleine.

"I didn't expect to see you here. ”

He said to Madeleine.

Then he looked at Isha and the man's table, and there were only two cutlery on the table.

“…… I thought Isha was the only one here eating with a strange man. Calvin shrugged, "I just came over to say hello so she didn't get into any trouble." ”

Calvin deliberately accentuated the word "trouble." He didn't feel the need to explain too much, and Madeleine knew what he was referring to.

After all, they are the ones who live in that kind of world—no matter how perfect the laws are, no matter how glamorous the society is on television, in the shadows, out of sight of the middle-class people in leather shoes, a lovely, self-deprived underage girl with an alcoholic □□ mother, who has to deal with something far darker than one might think.

It was clear that Madeleine understood what Calvin meant, and her gaze suddenly sharpened, and the intense hatred and disgust almost turned into a dagger that dug a piece of flesh into Calvin's body.

"You'd better keep your mouth shut!Mr. Zara Barrick, the parish's venerable priest! You'd better stuff your disgusting, filthy mind back into your □□, and if you can't, I'll be happy to help you—"

Madeleine pressed her face to Calvin's face and said it with a ferocious ferocity, but before she could finish speaking, she was interrupted by the so-called Mr. Zara Barrick!

"Ms. Mary. Pay attention to your filthy words, it is clear that you have not been able to cleanse your words. ”

He said to Madeleine, who then stood up and walked over to her, looking a little wary after discovering Calvin's acquaintance with Madeleine.

Madeleine slammed her mouth shut. Calvin was somewhat amazed to see her transformation in a short moment, and when confronted by Zara Barrick, she appeared extraordinarily submissive and weak, even humble.

She drew a small cross in front of her lips with her hand, and tears suddenly overflowed from her eyes, the kind of genuine, tears full of remorse.

"I repent, pastor, I repent from the bottom of my heart. ”

She hung her head and muttered in a low voice, then silently stepped back and stood behind Mr. Zara Barrick.

By the time Calvin realized it, the so-called pastor had fully acted as Madeleine's spokesperson.

"It is clear that this gentleman has some misunderstanding about us. Lady Madeleine is a very devout Adventist, and today is the day she overcomes many trials to finally become a believer, and it's a day to celebrate, which is why we're here. While Madame Madeleine has taken the wrong path over the past few decades, that doesn't mean she's not qualified to eat in a fancy restaurant, or that you have the right to question her......" he smiled at Calvin as he spoke, a sincere, trusting smile.

Calvin did not answer him, nor did he hear what he was saying after that.

Calvin hadn't noticed it before, but when the other party stood at this distance, even a blind man could not ignore the small cross-shaped pendant hanging from the man's chest, which was different from a normal cross in that the cross-shaped metal frame was not carved with Jesus Christ, but a boy with wings outstretched. It was a pendant of exquisite workmanship, and the boy had a perfect face, and the place of the eyes was inlaid with purple crystals.

Calvin could feel the muscles throbbing all over his body, and he could barely control himself from looking at the pendant.

An emotionless voice rang in Calvin's head, a voice identical to his own, as if there was another person in the world who was leaning on his shoulder, whispering in his ear.

(Oh, it's a pastor.) ）

(Absolutely.) ）

(This is an Adventist pastor.) ）

(Adventists, no doubt - even that smile is so similar.) ）

(Exactly the same smile.) ）

(That's Daniel's smile.) ）

……

"Calvin ......"

"Calvin ......"

"Calvin?!"

Someone suddenly shook Calvin so hard that he jerked his head up and glared at him viciously, his hand waving completely involuntarily. Soon, though, his wrist was firmly stuck in the shadows. Calvin's vision blurred for a moment, and when he finally regained consciousness, he saw Vicchi's worried face.

"Calvin, your face is really terrible, are you okay. ”

The voice of the rich boy seemed to come from a far away. Calvin felt like he had just returned from the moon, and because of the intense clash between tyranny* and self-control, the muscles all over his body were now aching, and the blood vessels above his temples were pounding, causing subtle tinnitus.

Calvin opened his lips slightly.

“…… I want to throw up. ”

He said.

Then he pushed Virgili away, stumbling all the way through the restaurant, and the others rushed out the door with a low cry.

Calvin almost fell to the side of the road, he felt no pain, and the intense feeling of nausea had completely taken over his body.

He vomited on his stomach on the road in such an embarrassed position, but because he had eaten too little, he soon vomited nothing but bitter bile. His esophagus ached hotly, and tears and snot covered his face.

For a while, he couldn't move at all because of his collapse.

"Calvin!"

Until someone whispered his name and then forcibly dragged him up.

A few minutes later, Calvin sat in Vigilli's villa in a high-end residential area. It is a chic two-storey small building, both the floors and the furniture are very clean, and it is clear that there is a cleaning company that regularly maintains the place. However, it was never fresh to smell the air, and it had been uninhabited for a short time.

Of course, Calvin didn't care about this, and he sat curled up in the corner of the couch, still very uncomfortable.

"This was my place before. Virgili tore off the white cloth draped over the furniture with some hesitation, and then explained to Calvin with some trepidation, "In my ...... I lived here until that accident. But then my parents wanted me to go home and live more because they wanted to watch me a little bit...... I'm sorry I brought you here, it's close, you look really bad, and I think you might want to take a break before heading home. ”

Calvin looked at Virgilli in a trance, and he could smell the sour smell emanating from his body—a memento from the previous vomit.

Virgili turned and turned into the kitchen, and soon he was back in the living room, and handed Calvin a bottle of water.

"Sorry because I haven't been here for a while so there's only bottled water in the kitchen......"

Calvin rudely grabbed the bottle of water and gulped it down to his upper lip, some of which spilled from the corner of his mouth and soaked his chest.

Then Virgili reached out, and he pulled out a cotton handkerchief and gently wiped Calvin clean his face with all kinds of liquid.

Calvin tilted his face back and let Virgili move, not resisting, not moving.

Oh no. He just couldn't help but think to himself.

Someone like Virgili probably hasn't seen him like this in his entire life—it's clear that he's succeeded in driving away a tricky suitor in this way.

Congratulations. But the wonderful thing is that Calvin was not happy when he realized this.

He gasped heavily, and spent a moment on the couch before he felt his heart beat normally.

"I'm sorry. ”

Calvin let out a long breath with his head down, and then said hoarsely.

Vicili sat next to him, but Calvin did not look back at Vicili.

It was clear that he overreacted today – he always felt he was ready, but it turned out that he was wrong.

He "knew" that the Adventists were there all along, and he even knew that the other party had been looking for him, and on occasional occasions he had even received flyers. But he completely miscalculated his reaction to a real Adventist priest.

It was a physiological reaction that he simply couldn't control.

Extreme, tsunami-like rage.

Calvin had no doubt that if he had been a little less self-controlled, he might have picked up the chair in the dining room and smashed the priest into a pulp, simply because the pastor's smile resembled the man named Daniel in his memory.

Oh no, Daniel......

Just thinking about that man, Calvin seemed to smell the stench of blood that had filled the tip of his nose all those years ago. Calvin felt a little hot in his eyes, and Dr. Holden kept telling him not to dwell in the darkness of the past—

You should let go of it, Calvin, let go of your anger, let go of your hatred, and don't let them drag you into the dark. Don't do it. 】

Calvin remembered Dr. Holden's serious face when he said this, and he remembered his promise.

Yes, he promised that he would do what Dr. Holden said, but ......

Calvin shuddered again.

Then, he was hugged tightly by a warm embrace.

"It's all right, Calvin, it's all over. ”

Vigili leaned over and hugged Calvin tightly.

"Oh no, I'm ......"

Calvin struggled a little as he thought of the filth on his body, but all his movements were restrained under Virgilli's impossibly strong arms.

"It's okay, I don't care," Vigilli's voice was surprisingly smooth and calm at this moment, "You don't have to worry about anything, really, I'll take care of you." ”

The calmness in the other man's voice was like magic, and it gradually infected Calvin's restless emotions.

Calvin soon stopped moving, and he stayed in Vicili's arms for a few moments before rubbing his temples and struggling to break free.

But by the time he left Vigilli's arms, he did look much better.

However, the way Virgili stared at him was a little sad.

Calvin was worried that Virgilli would ask him why he reacted so violently tonight (so violently that he completely messed up a lunch), but the latter thankfully didn't ask about it at all. Virgili simply handed Calvin a bath towel and bathrobe, and drove him to take a shower.

"I swear I'm not disgusted with the smell of you," Calvin even raised his hand in horror before pushing him into the bathroom, "I just really think you need a hot bath, your face is so ugly, really, a hot bath can help blood circulation and increase the oxygen supply in your body......"

"Poof. ”

After seeing Vicgilli's nervous chatter, Calvin finally smiled.

"I know. ”

He reached for Vigilli's chest and pushed him out of the bathroom. 166 Reading Network