Chapter 046 Why did she pretend to be someone else?
"Hang on a sec, let me figure out the best way to explain this," Timothy said, switching gears to make it easier for Alexander to understand.
"Amelia used to be super quiet and obedient. She was always lost in her own world, barely reacting to anything or anyone around her. But now, she's all over the place. She gets distracted easily. I chatted with her for over an hour, and although she didn't put up much of a fight, she kept glancing around. It was as if she was trying hard to conceal something."
"So, you're saying she's just faking being good now?" Alexander asked.
"Yeah, she's definitely trying to put on a show, but what's really going on with her is still a mystery. We need more time to figure it out."
"What do you think the problem could be?"
"Well, for her to act like this, she might either be recovering or she could have a personality disorder."
"You mean, like, multiple personalities?"
Timothy nodded.
"No way! That's impossible!" Alexander's face darkened, struggling to accept the idea. "Amelia's so young, how could she have multiple personality disorder?"
"Age doesn't matter when it comes to this, but it's just a guess. Don't stress about it," Timothy reassured him, knowing how much Alexander cared for his daughter. "I'm back now, and I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay and keep an eye on things."
Alexander nodded. "That's all we can do for now."
Neither of them noticed the small figure at the door, which quickly vanished.
Sophia dashed back to William's room, shut the door, and let out a sigh of relief. "That was close."
William glanced at her. "You were eavesdropping again, weren't you?"
He knew Sophia too well.
Sophia rushed over to him. "William, this Timothy is sharp. He's already onto me. What should I do?"
"What did they say?"
Sophia was about to spill the beans when the door suddenly swung open.
It was Alexander.
He hadn't knocked, so he saw Sophia leaning over William's desk, looking like she was about to say something.
To cover her tracks, Sophia grabbed a small toy from the desk and plopped down on the bed, pretending to play with it.
Alexander frowned. Did he just imagine that?
William grumbled, "Dad, why didn't you knock before coming in?"
Alexander was caught off guard. He usually knocked to give the kids their space.
Today, Alexander decided to open the door suddenly, hoping to catch them off guard and maybe learn something new.
But now that his son had called him out, he couldn't say much. "I need to go to the office. You two are coming with me," he said.
"Why?" William asked.
"Why so many questions? I'm busy today, and I feel better with you two around."
"Okay," William nodded.
"You've got ten minutes to get ready."
Alexander left the room, but not before giving Sophia a quick glance. She was sitting on the bed, looking all innocent and unaffected by his presence.
As he closed the door, he frowned deeply. It seemed like Timothy was right. Amelia was back to her old self. If she wasn't pretending, could it really be multiple personalities like Timothy suggested? But if it wasn't that, why would she pretend to be someone else? Alexander felt lost.
Timothy patted his shoulder and said softly, "Don't overthink it. It's just a guess. Let's take it slow and see what happens."
"I know," Alexander sighed.
In less than ten minutes, William and Sophia had packed their things and were ready to go, each carrying a small backpack.
Alexander took them to his office. It was a big space, and he had set up a small playroom for them since he occasionally brought them along.
William and Sophia entered the playroom, sat on the mat, and took off their backpacks.
The room had glass walls, so Alexander could keep an eye on them. They had to play with Daniel's and Amelia's toys, which was fine for William, but not for Sophia. Amelia's personality was too quiet, while Sophia was always restless. Pretending to be Amelia was exhausting.
Sophia gave William pleading looks, but he signaled for her to stay calm and not let Alexander catch on. To make things easier for her, William played with clay with her.
But these games were too boring. Sophia couldn't help but glance at Alexander. Seeing that he was engrossed in his paperwork, she relaxed a bit.
William gave her a silent look, signaling her to be more restrained and not to give herself away by looking around.
Sophia made a funny face at him.
Neither of them realized that Alexander was actually keeping a close eye on their every move.