The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 1035 You Will Risk Our Lives If You Kick Her Again

"We are family. With family, thanks are not necessary," Andy replied reassuringly. After a short moment of silence, he looked at Sheryl and added, "Don't worry. I will inform you once I hear anything." "Thank you very much." Sheryl made sure to express her gratitude. She bid Amy goodbye before going back to Dream Garden. When she arrived, she was surprised to find Charles already standing at the gate, waiting for her.

Sheryl couldn't believe it. She looked at her watch. "It's so late. Why are you still up? You didn't need to wait for me." After such a long day, Sheryl felt beyond exhausted. In addition, she was not at all ready for surprises. Finding out that Charles hadn't slept either definitely was a surprise.

Charles held Sheryl's hand and said, "I heard about..." Suddenly, he was unsure about how to proceed. But looking at Sheryl's eyes, he found his voice again. "I heard about what happened to Sue," he continued.

Sheryl did not respond. Charles kept his eyes locked on Sheryl and added, "Don't worry. I have someone investigating this matter. And I will let you know as soon as I hear anything new."

"Thank you," Sheryl managed to say softly. The weariness in her voice rang in Charles' ears.

Somewhere in the east of the city, light from the moon illuminated the roof of a deserted garage.

Sharp pain shot across Sue's lower back from her hands being tied behind her back. She straightened her back to get rid of the pain. Immediately, it was gone. But she knew it wasn't for long.

A few feet from her sat Allen and Peggy. Peggy had managed to find potatoes from God knew where and had roasted them promptly. After carefully arranging them on a makeshift plate, she handed a bunch of these over to Allen and said, "My son, at least have a bite. It's only a matter of time before we get out of this damned place."

"For the last time, stop forcing me to eat those disgusting things!" Allen exclaimed, pushing Peggy's arms away. Some of the potatoes, still smoking, fell onto Peggy's hands and arms before falling to the ground and rolling in the dirt. Peggy yelped in both pain and shock.

Hearing Peggy's shrill cry of pain, Allen quickly realized he had hurt his mother. He immediately felt guilty and went to her aid. "Mom are you..." He looked for signs of burns or bruises on his mother's skin. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. I'm fine." Peggy shook her head slightly. She held on to the makeshift plate, which now held much less food for the both of them. Then she put on a big smile and added, "It's nothing. It's just that they were still too hot. I will be feeling much better later on. Don't worry."

Allen then heaved a deep sigh of relief. "You can have those." He motioned at the remaining potatoes. "I'm not hungry anyway."

"I know you must be sick of having these potatoes every single day." A breath of resignation escaped Peggy's lips. Allen didn't want to look at her. "Listen to me," Peggy continued. "We are running and fighting for our lives. We are fortunate enough to still have food to eat. If you don't eat now, how could you have the energy to go any further? The most important thing for us to do right now is to survive. Once we leave the country, you can eat whatever you want." Peggy had to keep pleading Allen to eat.

"But I really don't want to eat these any more," Allen replied with a disgusted expression on his face. He looked at the potatoes; a decision he immediately regretted. He was just so sick of them. "Since we started trying to get away, I have never had anything but these. Look at my face! It's almost the same color as these potatoes! If this goes on, I'm gonna go crazy."

He paused, looked around, and continued, "And if we spend another second in this place, sooner or later, I will go crazy."

"I know, I know," Peggy accepted defeat. She was left with no other choice but to nod her head. After taking a moment to think, she said, softly, "I know it's unfair that we have to hide out here. But you also know that if you want to eat anything else, that means having to go out. And leaving, even for a short while, can mean danger, even death, for the both of us. And what's more, we don't even have any money right now. So just hang in there. I know you don't want these now, but keep them handy in case you feel hungry later on. After a coupe of days, we..."

Instead of finishing her sentence, she handed the remaining potatoes over to Allen. She would rather starve herself than her son.

"I already told you! I don't want any more of these disgusting things! Why can't you understand that?" Allen's voice echoed within the walls of the garage. Running out of patience, he pushed Peggy's arms away again and yelled, "Eat them yourself! Leave me alone."

Allen charged toward the gate. He desperately needed a smoke. He took out the pack of cigarettes which felt light in his hands. He remembered buying this pack with Sue's money the day they left the hospital He shook it lightly. A single stick remained.

The more he thought about how things turned out, the more annoyed he felt. Fortunately, this would end soon. He would finally be able to leave this god-forsaken place.

As long as Sue was in his possession, Anthony would do whatever he wanted him to do. This was what kept Allen going. Sue was going to be his key to a new life.

Peggy, seeing Allen distressed, chose not to disturb him. She set aside several potatoes for him, setting the plate on a clean spot on the floor. She then took some of the smaller potatoes and walked toward Sue.

Sue's hands and feet were all bound. Peggy had no choice but to peel the potatoes for her and feed her. "Just eat," she said with a blank expression. "Don't starve the kid in your belly."

Sue looked at the potatoes in Peggy's hands and began to speak. "Are these what you have been eating..." The sound of Peggy peeling the potatoes filled the air for a short while. "...every day?" Sue continued.

"Oh, no! Are you unhappy with these potatoes? Don't worry. If you can wait just a bit longer, the turkey will soon be done and can be taken out of the oven and we can have a proper feast," Peggy replied with a sarcastic smile on her face. Sue remained motionless and did not speak. In seconds, Peggy's smile turned into a cold glare. "You think we still live a life of luxury and comfort?" she asked. But she did not need

an answer.

Peggy wiped a strand of hair away from Sue's forehead. "Sue, if you still regard us as family, get your husband to find a way for us. We have to leave. I can't allow Allen to live in prison for the rest of his life." "Mom..." Sue answered. Deep lines formed on her brow. She carefully studied Peggy and continued, "You've lost it. Do you really think you can get away with this?" Sue tried to explain it as clearly as she could. "What Allen...did...was murder. He has to pay for his crime."

"Shut up!" Peggy yelled in fury. She glared at Sue. Her voice cracked in anger as she spoke. "No matter what you say, nothing can change the fact that he is your brother. How could you say that?" Peggy looked away for a while, composing herself. "Yes, he killed someone. But he had no choice! It was that bitch's own fault for her death."

"Mom!" Sue's face turned white out of rage. Sue was feeling hopeless but she managed a tired smile. "Mom," she said. "I'm begging you. You can't keep protecting Allen like this. If you keep this up, he is going to cause trouble after trouble and other people, even he, may end up dead!"

Sue looked at Peggy's eyes. She had no clue as to how her mother was feeling, but she decided to press on. "Mom, it was Allen who committed murder. I promise you. No matter what happens to Allen in the end, I will be here for you. I will take care of you. You don't need to worry about anything. I..."

"You shut up!" Peggy did not let her finish. She was fuming. Peggy's breathing was now ragged. She took a moment to calm down. After a deep breath, her lips curled into a smile. "I'm getting the feeling you're not hungry at all. That's fine. More food for us."

With a sardonic smile, she stood up and told Sue, "If I knew you were going to be such a heartless person, I would have killed you the minute I gave birth to you. Allen is your brother. I can't believe you want to just throw him in jail rather than help him out."

"I..." Sue didn't know what to do. Trying to ignore her mother's hurtful remarks, she continued to explain, "Mom, I'm really trying to help him. He can't keep doing these kinds of things over and over!" When Sue heard these very words come out of her own mouth, her emotions got the better of her and hurt turned into spite. "This is for his own good! Why can't you understand that? I know you are a mother and I know you love Allen, but I don't know you can be this stupid!"

"You bitch!" Allen, who had just finished smoking the remaining cigarette, rushed toward Sue. He heard, loudly and clearly, what she had just said. A deafening slap landed on Sue's face. Allen's voice filled the garage. "I leave for a while and you develop the nerve to talk like this to our mother!" He chuckled. "Oh, I think you're tired of living. Let me help you with that."

Sue's consciousness was fading. Her body, trying to protect itself, curled into a ball without her even knowing. In her head was a loud, painful ringing. Before she could even react, Allen began kicking her. Fortunately, the first few kicks landed on her legs, not on her belly.

Sue's body involuntarily shook with every kick, but this did nothing to help Allen feel any better. He was about to go again when Peggy pulled him back and said, "That's enough. You'll risk her life and ours if you kick her again."