Ashton Marshall admitted that when this child asked him in such broken words whether she was truly so awful that everyone ended up not loving her, his heart felt as if it was cut by something sharp.
It wasn't very painful, just like his skin had been split open, with a sharp sensation hitting him over and over again.
"Bella Woods," he suddenly called her by name, "When a person is desperately searching for someone to love her in this world, it's a very pitiful thing."
"Am I pitiful?" Bella Woods asked in a daze.
"Yes, like an abandoned puppy."
She felt even less than an abandoned puppy.
Bella Woods lowered her eyes in disappointment, slowly letting go of her grip on Ashton Marshall's collar.
The man suddenly sat up, pulling Bella Woods into his arms tightly, leaving her momentarily stunned.
His embrace was very tight.
So tight that Bella Woods felt as if he wanted to merge her into his body.
