That night, the family didn't stay up late. The atmosphere was strange, and everyone was silent. Lilia went to bed early from the exhaustion of travel, so Marlene took her, and Marcus followed to speak with her about something. Grandmother kept knitting a wool sweater late into the night, and Celine sat with her after everyone had gone to sleep.
She asked in a soft voice:"
_Grandma... why did they do that? Why did they take her?"
Grandmother answered:"
_Sometimes, people feel like they're fixing a mistake... or filling a void. Marcus, after losing his brother in an accident years ago, became quiet, hardened. No one knows what went on inside him. When he found the child, he told me, 'Maybe this is a sign... maybe this is a new life to make up for something we lost.'"
Celine asked:"
_But why do they want to get rid of her now?"
Grandmother said:"
_I don't know. Maybe the fear of being found out became stronger than their desire to keep her. And if not that, then maybe it's financial reasons... or maybe... there's something we don't know yet."
To be continued...