Upon hearing this, Briony’s gaze instinctively drifted down to Irwin’s bare feet sticking out from under his pants.
They were filthy—ten tiny toes, red and raw from the cold.
She couldn’t help but frown.
The female officer, catching Briony’s look of concern, let out a sigh and said gently, “I can see you have a good heart. Even if he’s not your own child, he still calls you ‘Mom.’ Don’t send him away, not after everything he’s been through.”
Briony pressed her lips together and stayed silent.
“It’s not easy for any family,” the officer added. “Whatever’s happened between you and his father, just set it aside for now. Focus on the boy—he’s had a rough time.”
In the end, Irwin was allowed to stay.
Once the police left, Briony led him to the lounge bathroom and turned on the shower, adjusting it to a warm temperature.
“Wash your feet,” she told him, holding out the showerhead.
Briony used to do things like this for him herself.
Irwin could sense she was still upset. Though he felt a little aggrieved, he didn’t dare complain. Whatever Briony told him to do, he obeyed without a word.
When his feet were clean, Briony handed him a towel. “Dry off.”
Irwin took the towel and quietly patted his feet dry.
There was nothing of Irwin’s left in the apartment, so Briony fetched her own slippers and handed them to him.
He shuffled awkwardly in the too-big slippers, struggling to walk without tripping.
Briony didn’t pay him much attention. She grabbed a short jacket she rarely wore and passed it to him. “Put this on for now. I’ll call your father to come get you.”
Irwin slipped on the jacket and sat there quietly.
Briony stepped out of the lounge to call Stewart.
But all she got was a busy signal.
She sat down on the sofa, her expression cold.
Irwin emerged from the lounge and scrambled up onto the sofa beside her, sitting obediently, careful not to touch her.
Briony turned her head, looking down at his small, anxious face.
Irwin immediately dropped his head, nervously twisting the zipper of the jacket in his hands.
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