Alexander turned to Liam, who stood quietly beside him, and murmured, "Liam, wait here for me."

Liam nodded obediently, understanding that Alexander needed to attend to Victoria first.

As Alexander walked away, Liam caught snippets of a hushed conversation from the nearby table.

"Christopher, look at that boy," a woman whispered. "He's younger than you, yet he's already defending his mother and sending that woman away."

"If you ever see that horrible woman again, remember to be brave like him, okay?"

Liam turned to see who was speaking. A woman in her thirties sat with a young boy, no older than eight.

The boy, Christopher, nodded eagerly at his mother's words. Noticing Liam's gaze, he slid off his chair and approached him.

"Hey, how did you do that?" Christopher asked, eyes wide with admiration. "Can you teach me how to make the other woman leave?"

Liam blinked in surprise. "The other woman?"

Christopher assumed he didn’t understand and explained earnestly, "The other woman is someone who tries to come between Mom and Dad. She makes them fight and causes all kinds of trouble. She’s the worst!" His face twisted in anger. "There’s this one woman who won’t leave my dad alone. But..."

His expression faltered, a hint of sadness creeping in. "I don’t know how to make her go away to protect my mom."

He looked up at Liam with hopeful eyes. "You were amazing! You said something, and the other woman left, and your dad came back to your mom. How did you do it?"

Liam hesitated. "My dad came back to my mom?"

But hadn’t his mother been the one who walked away?

Christopher tilted his head, confused. "Didn’t you just make that woman leave? And then your dad carried your mom out, right?"

Mom? Christopher must have mistaken Victoria for his mother.

Just then, Christopher’s mother approached. She ruffled Liam’s hair with a warm smile. "You’re such a good boy, standing by your mother like that. Not like Christopher here, swayed by a single candy bar to like that awful woman."

Christopher squirmed, cheeks flushing. "Mom never lets me have candy! I couldn’t help it!"

His mother chuckled. "Because I’m saving your teeth, sweetheart. You can have all the candy you want when you’re older—just not now."

Christopher clung to her arm, pleading. "I get it now, Mom. You’re just looking out for me. Please don’t be mad."

"Almost got tricked by her, didn’t you?" she teased, though her eyes softened with affection.

Christopher grinned sheepishly. "Better late than never?"

Despite her exasperated sigh, the love in her gaze was unmistakable.

About half an hour later, Alexander and Victoria returned.

Victoria sighed. "Alex, I’m fine. It’s just low blood sugar. No need for the hospital."

Alexander’s expression remained stern. "You’ve been fainting more often lately. You should get checked."

Victoria’s smile wavered slightly. She had been calling Alexander more frequently—partly to provoke Amy.

"I’m fine," she insisted. "It’s getting late, and Liam hasn’t eaten yet. Let’s have dinner first. I’ll go to the hospital tomorrow."