Chapter 30 Don't Want to Hope

"What did you say? Alice couldn't come home?!" Cesar's voice reverberated through the room. Oliver, his father, stood before him, his face etched with weariness. "The road was closed, Cesar. It was beyond our control," he explained. Cesar's eyes narrowed; his disapproving gaze fixed upon his father. "No way. She's still with that bastard, isn't she?" he spat out. "Cesar! That's enough!" Oliver's voice rose. "I've had enough of your accusations and disrespect!" Cesar's anger flared. "Why, father? That man is a real jerk. You have no idea what he's capable of... what he..." But Cesar couldn't bring himself to utter the words, the memory of what he had witnessed beneath the table during luncheon was still fresh in his mind. He swallowed his frustration, his jaw clenched, and took a deep breath to steady himself. "Dad, I need to bring my sister back home." Oliver sighed, his tired eyes meeting his son's determined gaze. "Didn't you hear me? The road is blocked," he reiterated with