When the woman placed the receiver back on the landline, she turned to Johnson.
She forced herself to say, "Michael was taken by Lin Qi. He wants you to talk to Lin Qi. Don't hurt him."
The first "he" referred to Little Michael, while the second referred to Michael himself.
What Little Michael had never known was that Johnson had not been the one who originally insisted on sending him away.
He had always believed it was Johnson. So, not wanting to make things difficult for his mother, after he was sent to his grandmother's, he rarely contacted his mother on his own, let alone visited her.
He was afraid Johnson would treat his mother poorly because of it. At his age, he had already experienced anger, hatred, and the like. In the end, all he wanted was for her to live well.
The person who had truly insisted on sending him away was not Johnson, but his mother.
For the woman, having the child of her "ex-husband" remain by her side would leave her perpetually awkward, remorseful, and ashamed.
She could not enjoy the privileged life brought by her "betrayal" with a clear conscience while pretending to be an excellent mother in front of her child.
She could not do that, so she might as well send him away outright.
She did not know the saying "out of sight, out of mind." She only knew that doing so made her feel much better.
At least when she moaned at night, she would not have to worry about Little Michael hearing her and suffering a change in his mental state.
As far as Johnson was concerned, it made no difference whether Little Michael existed or not. Michael was no match for him, let alone his son.
A flicker of delight