Chapter 16. Can You Be My Dad?

Soon after, the little boy returned and sat on the small chair beside the hospital bed, swinging his legs and sighing.

"Do you have a dad?" the sudden question startled him, and he did not know how to answer.

But the little boy didn't wait for an answer and continued speaking: "It must feel good to have a dad, right? If I had one, he would protect my mom and me and not let anyone bully us. But I don't have a dad..."

Was this boy trying to confide in him?

Matthew sat down in front of the boy, their eyes meeting.

He hesitated a bit but asked, "Where is your dad? Why did he abandon you and your mom?"

"I don't know," the boy shook his head.

"Since I was born, I have never known who he is, and my mom has never told me. My grandma said he was dead, but my mom...every time my sister and I asked about him, she would cry, so I stopped asking. Can you tell me why my dad doesn't need us?"

Since he was young, the boy had been very understanding and carin