Chapter 30 Adela's Resolve

• Dexter Norman ended up living in a tiny, run-down neighborhood on the outskirts of New York. He managed to find a small, relatively clean single-room home—a shabby place that barely offered basic shelter, but at least it was all his own. He spent days, then weeks, waiting for someone from the Norman family to come looking for him, but no one ever showed up. The absence of any search party confirmed what Dexter had always suspected: he wasn’t truly wanted back home.
• The impoverished neighborhood he lived in was tight-knit and wary of outsiders. Before long, rumors started swirling about the mysterious newcomer. Some speculated that he was a runaway from a wealthy family; others insisted he was just an aimless street kid. Dexter tried to ignore the whispers, but being only a child, it wasn’t always easy to brush off the stares and gossip. He often found himself stewing in frustration—he felt he didn’t belong in the Norman mansion, and he certainly didn’t belong here. Was there no place in the world that could be his?
• One afternoon, he was walking through the narrow alleys, every passerby throwing him strange looks. His small shoulders tensed as if he carried a weight too big for his frame. He could practically hear the unspoken questions: Who is that boy? Why is he here? The frustration built inside him, fueling a rising anger. The urge to lash out swelled in his chest, curling his fingers into a tight fist.