Inside the Apartment.
"Mommy, are we leaving soon?" Adam asked while dismantling a toy car, his forehead covered in sweat. Lately, Mike Walker had given him many fun toys, and he'd been enjoying them immensely.
Claire was also packing nearby, equally drenched in sweat.
"Yes," she replied with a soft smile. "We're going back to Nocta for now. After a while, we'll come back to visit Great-Grandma."
Adam paused, blinking his big eyes in thought. Then, holding a tissue, he ran over to wipe the sweat from Claire's forehead and asked in his childish voice, "If we leave, what about Uncle Mike?"
He had grown quite attached to Mike over the past few days. The thought of leaving made him feel sad.
Claire gently caressed his little face. "Uncle Mike's home is here, so he has to stay. But our home isn't here, which means we need to go. People can only stay together if they're close family. Otherwise, we can't force it. Do you understand?"
