try begging

As soon as I arrived at the station, I boarded the night train back to Winsford. On the platform opposite, there was a night train heading south. The inside of the train, visible through the open doors and windows, was already filled with a party atmosphere. However, the train heading west, which is generally far from a summer vacation destination, was extremely quiet.

Leon, who had boarded the train, opened the door to the first-class sleeper compartment and motioned for Campbell to go over.

"Let's take a rest now."

"Yes, you too, Major... ."

After the woman disappeared, Campbell hesitated every time he greeted someone. He didn't know what to say. There was no such thing as good night or peaceful night for him anymore.

"... Get some rest and think about tomorrow."

Leon nodded and entered the room, leaning against the closed door and pressing his throbbing forehead with his hand.

Thinking about tomorrow.

He laughed. It was a laugh that sounded like a sob.

Always hope that tomorrow will bring something, even though you know it will lead to today's frustration.

Renting a sleeper cabin was a waste of time. I ended up going to the lounge without even lying down on the bed.

Late at night, the lounge was empty. Leon sat alone, drinking whiskey, smoking cigars until his case was empty, and leafing through newspapers.

[Your nephews want to see you.]

The moment the familiar advertisement caught his eye, he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette. Where on earth is it? Wakefield searched the surrounding area thoroughly, but could not even get a glimpse of Grace.

The due date was mid-May, but it was already mid-July, the height of summer. Logically, Grace should have already given birth and recovered by then. So the fact that she hadn't returned as a body yet means that there was a low chance that something went wrong during the birth.

But Leon couldn't be sure of anything until he saw with his own eyes that the woman was safe.

He was absentmindedly flipping through the personal adoption ads again, and he stopped pouring a glass of whiskey with the hand holding the cigar and let out a hollow laugh.

There's no way you'd find a child in a place like this.

Leon knew nothing about the child except the approximate date of birth. He did not know the hair color, the color of the iris, the gender, or any other minor characteristics. So whether he looked at this advertisement or searched orphanages across the country, he had no way of recognizing his child.

And yet, he kept flipping through the newspapers. It made him feel like he was a lunatic suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder.

Leon's hand, which was turning the pages of the newspaper, stopped on the social section. The moment he saw the article about the discovery of the body of an infant in a ditch in a rural area, a voice full of evil shouted in his head.

"Because I'll kill you in front of your eyes before your child can call me mommy."

If that's the case, at least do it in front of me like you promised. You want to see me go crazy. You want to see me dying of thirst for you. Then come see me.

Leon rested his forehead on the hand holding the cigar and let out a tired sigh.

Have you really abandoned me and all your resentment and concern?

Amid the clanking noise of the train, the woman asked the same question again and again.

"Are you unhappy?"

Yeah. So are you happy?

No, are you alive?

But instead of answering, the woman just repeated the same thing.

Are you unhappy?

º º º

"Haam... ."

The child burst out laughing, perhaps because he found the yawning sound funny.

"It's not play time. Eat quickly."

"Heh... ugh... ."

He woke up at this hour of the morning, saying he was hungry, but instead of eating, he was just playing. Grace forced the baby to bite the tip of her breast as he started to babble.

As the baby began to suckle quietly, I busily resumed the unfinished calculations in my head. I was starting to run out of cash.

'Should I sell gold again?'

Grace looked into the closet. The safe inside contained all her wealth. The diamonds were still there, but the gold bars were three fewer.

'I wonder if I should ask the broker if he wants to buy again.'

Two of the gold bars were sold to the bank, but the last one was sold to the real estate agent who introduced me to this apartment. It was actually a rather unique transaction rather than a sale.

"Oh, is there a place around here that gives good prices on gold? A bank, a jeweler, or a pawn shop."

Before signing the contract, I was getting recommendations from a broker about nearby shopping areas and good restaurants, and then I suddenly remembered something and asked.

"Are you talking about gold?"

"Yes, I need to exchange a 1 troy ounce gold bar for cash...."

I already had cash in my bag to pay the rent, but it seemed the broker had misunderstood.

"One troy ounce... Then, at the current market price, you can pay the rent for about five and a half months. It must be heavy, so why not pay in kind instead of going far away?"

The broker said he would receive six months' rent, including furniture, in one gold bar. When I told him that it was five and a half months' rent at the current market price, he just laughed.

It seemed like he was going to pay the landlord the rent in advance with his own money and keep the gold bars. It was obvious on his face that he was thinking of making a profit if the price of gold went up further, following the recent trend. Grace also paid the rent with gold bars because she had nothing to lose.

Thanks to that, I had a lot of cash left over, so I thought it would be enough for me until I left. But then I found out that babies grow up on money, not milk.

Even if you save money by rarely drinking formula milk, breast milk is not free.

And it wasn't just food that was costing me money. Laundry piled up so quickly. It was hard to handle it all by myself, so I had to hire a maid to clean and do the laundry. She only came for a short time every afternoon, but my weekly salary was going up like a sack.

It would seem logical to sell the ring that bastard gave me and use it as child support since it costs money to raise a child, but that wouldn't be possible. They would have put out warrants for him at the jeweler and pawn shop.

So, the maid must have put some effort into putting it on her hand on the last day. It was obvious that she had ordered it with a unique design for such an occasion.

'Anyway, I have to send him away quickly.'

The baby, who knew nothing of such agony, placed her tiny, white hands on her chest and sucked her milk, never taking her innocent eyes off her. Her deep blue eyes were filled with a sense of wonder, as if she were looking at the most amazing and wonderful being in the world.

"Don't look at me like that."

Grace let out a heavy sigh and opened the newspaper on the nightstand.

The lease on this apartment expires at the end of September. Grace had decided to send her child to a good home before then and leave for Columbia right away. If she missed that time, the transoceanic line would be cut off in the winter. She would be stranded here until next spring, being chased by that man.

Grace picked up the newspaper and flipped straight to the lifestyle ads section. As she scanned the pages for an ad looking for a child to adopt, she suddenly frowned.

[Daisy, your nieces and nephews want to see you. Your brother.]

That guy was still putting out these damn ads.

"You're just throwing money into the air."

Grace didn't bat an eye, even though Winston was holding Joe and his family hostage. Joe wasn't a softie like Jimmy. He'd figure it out.

Besides, he knows that if he harms Joe's family, he'll be done with Grace forever.

"You've got a penthouse to spare, so treat my nephews well, you idiot!"

As she was watching the commercial with her head down, something suddenly flew out and hit Grace in the nose. The fist that had caught her off guard returned to her chest as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, it really hurts."

Grace groaned, rubbing her nose. She had been kicking and punching like that in her stomach too.

"Why is an 8-week-old baby so strong?"

I laughed because it was so absurd, and the baby opened his mouth wide, which was biting the nipple, and laughed along with me.

"Anyway, it's pretty."

Grace's smile faded in an instant.

Soon, the baby started to sleep because she was full, so I held her up and burped her. All the while, the baby wrapped her little arms around Grace's body and clung to her. At times like this, my heart felt heavy because I knew she was thinking of leaving me.

"It's okay. There are better people in the world than me...."

The word 'mother' was on the tip of my tongue.

"... There are a lot of people. This is a better way for you."

The baby clung to her arms even after she was trimmed and wouldn't let go. Every time she tried to pull him away, he would whine, so she held him until he fell into a deep sleep. By then, day was already breaking outside the window. Grace's eyes were fixed on the red sea between the buildings in the distance.

As soon as I arrived at the station, I boarded the night train back to Winsford. On the platform opposite, there was a night train heading south. The inside of the train, visible through the open doors and windows, was already filled with a party atmosphere. However, the train heading west, which is generally far from a summer vacation destination, was extremely quiet.

Leon, who had boarded the train, opened the door to the first-class sleeper compartment and motioned for Campbell to go over.

"Let's take a rest now."

"Yes, you too, Major... ."

After the woman disappeared, Campbell hesitated every time he greeted someone. He didn't know what to say. There was no such thing as good night or peaceful night for him anymore.

"... Get some rest and think about tomorrow."

Leon nodded and entered the room, leaning against the closed door and pressing his throbbing forehead with his hand.

Thinking about tomorrow.

He laughed. It was a laugh that sounded like a sob.

Always hope that tomorrow will bring something, even though you know it will lead to today's frustration.

Renting a sleeper cabin was a waste of time. I ended up going to the lounge without even lying down on the bed.

Late at night, the lounge was empty. Leon sat alone, drinking whiskey, smoking cigars until his case was empty, and leafing through newspapers.

[Your nephews want to see you.]

The moment the familiar advertisement caught his eye, he exhaled the smoke from his cigarette. Where on earth is it? Wakefield searched the surrounding area thoroughly, but could not even get a glimpse of Grace.

The due date was mid-May, but it was already mid-July, the height of summer. Logically, Grace should have already given birth and recovered by then. So the fact that she hadn't returned as a body yet means that there was a low chance that something went wrong during the birth.

But Leon couldn't be sure of anything until he saw with his own eyes that the woman was safe.

He was absentmindedly flipping through the personal adoption ads again, and he stopped pouring a glass of whiskey with the hand holding the cigar and let out a hollow laugh.

There's no way you'd find a child in a place like this.

Leon knew nothing about the child except the approximate date of birth. He did not know the hair color, the color of the iris, the gender, or any other minor characteristics. So whether he looked at this advertisement or searched orphanages across the country, he had no way of recognizing his child.

And yet, he kept flipping through the newspapers. It made him feel like he was a lunatic suffering from obsessive compulsive disorder.

Leon's hand, which was turning the pages of the newspaper, stopped on the social section. The moment he saw the article about the discovery of the body of an infant in a ditch in a rural area, a voice full of evil shouted in his head.

"Because I'll kill you in front of your eyes before your child can call me mommy."

If that's the case, at least do it in front of me like you promised. You want to see me go crazy. You want to see me dying of thirst for you. Then come see me.

Leon rested his forehead on the hand holding the cigar and let out a tired sigh.

Have you really abandoned me and all your resentment and concern?

Amid the clanking noise of the train, the woman asked the same question again and again.

"Are you unhappy?"

Yeah. So are you happy?

No, are you alive?

But instead of answering, the woman just repeated the same thing.

Are you unhappy?

º º º

"Haam... ."

The child burst out laughing, perhaps because he found the yawning sound funny.

"It's not play time. Eat quickly."

"Heh... ugh... ."

He woke up at this hour of the morning, saying he was hungry, but instead of eating, he was just playing. Grace forced the baby to bite the tip of her breast as he started to babble.

As the baby began to suckle quietly, I busily resumed the unfinished calculations in my head. I was starting to run out of cash.

'Should I sell gold again?'

Grace looked into the closet. The safe inside contained all her wealth. The diamonds were still there, but the gold bars were three fewer.

'I wonder if I should ask the broker if he wants to buy again.'

Two of the gold bars were sold to the bank, but the last one was sold to the real estate agent who introduced me to this apartment. It was actually a rather unique transaction rather than a sale.

"Oh, is there a place around here that gives good prices on gold? A bank, a jeweler, or a pawn shop."

Before signing the contract, I was getting recommendations from a broker about nearby shopping areas and good restaurants, and then I suddenly remembered something and asked.

"Are you talking about gold?"

"Yes, I need to exchange a 1 troy ounce gold bar for cash...."

I already had cash in my bag to pay the rent, but it seemed the broker had misunderstood.

"One troy ounce... Then, at the current market price, you can pay the rent for about five and a half months. It must be heavy, so why not pay in kind instead of going far away?"

The broker said he would receive six months' rent, including furniture, in one gold bar. When I told him that it was five and a half months' rent at the current market price, he just laughed.

It seemed like he was going to pay the landlord the rent in advance with his own money and keep the gold bars. It was obvious on his face that he was thinking of making a profit if the price of gold went up further, following the recent trend. Grace also paid the rent with gold bars because she had nothing to lose.

Thanks to that, I had a lot of cash left over, so I thought it would be enough for me until I left. But then I found out that babies grow up on money, not milk.

Even if you save money by rarely drinking formula milk, breast milk is not free.

And it wasn't just food that was costing me money. Laundry piled up so quickly. It was hard to handle it all by myself, so I had to hire a maid to clean and do the laundry. She only came for a short time every afternoon, but my weekly salary was going up like a sack.

It would seem logical to sell the ring that bastard gave me and use it as child support since it costs money to raise a child, but that wouldn't be possible. They would have put out warrants for him at the jeweler and pawn shop.

So, the maid must have put some effort into putting it on her hand on the last day. It was obvious that she had ordered it with a unique design for such an occasion.

'Anyway, I have to send him away quickly.'

The baby, who knew nothing of such agony, placed her tiny, white hands on her chest and sucked her milk, never taking her innocent eyes off her. Her deep blue eyes were filled with a sense of wonder, as if she were looking at the most amazing and wonderful being in the world.

"Don't look at me like that."

Grace let out a heavy sigh and opened the newspaper on the nightstand.

The lease on this apartment expires at the end of September. Grace had decided to send her child to a good home before then and leave for Columbia right away. If she missed that time, the transoceanic line would be cut off in the winter. She would be stranded here until next spring, being chased by that man.

Grace picked up the newspaper and flipped straight to the lifestyle ads section. As she scanned the pages for an ad looking for a child to adopt, she suddenly frowned.

[Daisy, your nieces and nephews want to see you. Your brother.]

That guy was still putting out these damn ads.

"You're just throwing money into the air."

Grace didn't bat an eye, even though Winston was holding Joe and his family hostage. Joe wasn't a softie like Jimmy. He'd figure it out.

Besides, he knows that if he harms Joe's family, he'll be done with Grace forever.

"You've got a penthouse to spare, so treat my nephews well, you idiot!"

As she was watching the commercial with her head down, something suddenly flew out and hit Grace in the nose. The fist that had caught her off guard returned to her chest as if nothing had happened.

"Oh, it really hurts."

Grace groaned, rubbing her nose. She had been kicking and punching like that in her stomach too.

"Why is an 8-week-old baby so strong?"

I laughed because it was so absurd, and the baby opened his mouth wide, which was biting the nipple, and laughed along with me.

"Anyway, it's pretty."

Grace's smile faded in an instant.

Soon, the baby started to sleep because she was full, so I held her up and burped her. All the while, the baby wrapped her little arms around Grace's body and clung to her. At times like this, my heart felt heavy because I knew she was thinking of leaving me.

"It's okay. There are better people in the world than me...."

The word 'mother' was on the tip of my tongue.

"... There are a lot of people. This is a better way for you."

The baby clung to her arms even after she was trimmed and wouldn't let go. Every time she tried to pull him away, he would whine, so she held him until he fell into a deep sleep. By then, day was already breaking outside the window. Grace's eyes were fixed on the red sea between the buildings in the distance.