Wendy nodded solemnly . Severe anemia , chronic malnutrition , and heart problems caused by insufficient blood supply . The police said hes been renting a small house on the outskirts of town , in at rural slum . Apparently , hes been selling live crabs and shrimp to make ends meet . How could he even … Shirley swallowed hard . How could he come up with something like that ? I dont know , Wendy replied softly . I asked Hazel to look into it . Recently , the prices of live crabs and shrimp have skyrocketed . He probably saw it as an opportunity to earn some money . Shirley remained silent , her thoughts churning . When has our family ever been so desperate for money ? Why would he resort to something like that ? Then , it hit her Maggie , their mom , only gave Joshua 70 dollars a month for living expenses . That paltry sum felt suffocating to even think about . Without another word , Shirley asked Wendy to send the rest of the messages to her phone and left the room . Back in her own room , Shirley still couldnt bring herself to open the messages . She lay stiffly on her bed , staring blankly at the ceiling . Her mind raced with fragmented thoughts , struggling to make sense of the situation . The more she dwelled on it , the more terrifying it became . What have we done to him ? Joshua had been missing for several days . The house remained unnervingly calm . The new semester began . Frankie returned to school , and only then did Maggie and David seem to remember that one of their children had been missing . In a panic , they contacted the police . When Frankie came home , neither of them dared to utter Joshuas name . The police responded , informing them that Wendy had already resolved the matter . Surprised , Maggie immediately sought Wendy out . Wendy , whats going on ? Did you find Joshua yesterday ? Maggie demanded . Wendy looked at her parents , a deep bitterness welling up inside her . She nodded . Hes not missing . I found him . Hes moved out . Moved out ? Where could he possibly have gone ? Maggies voice rose . That insolent boy ! How dare he stay away for six or seven days without coming home ? 7:19 pm Wendy met her moms anger with a weary sigh . Joshua rented a room in a slum on the outskirts of town . Hes staying there now . I dont think hes planning to come back . What ? Maggies voice was sharp with disbelief . Does he think hes an adult and can live on his own now ? Mom , have you ever gone to his school to check on him ? Do you even know that Joshua has been sick- very sick ? Wendy asked , her voice laced with exasperation . Sick ? Maggies anger gave way to confusion . These are his medical records , Wendy said , holding them up . Yesterday , he collapsed . I took him to the hospital , and the doctors ran some tests . Her voice trembled as she continued . The doctor said he has severe anemia , is chronically malnourished . underweight , and frail . His heart and blood production are compromised . He has a head injury thats infected and pneumonia on top of it . Maggie and David stared at her , stunned . They snatched the medical records and began poring over them . This … Davids face darkened as he scanned the papers .. Dad ! If theres nothing else , Ill head to the office now . I have a lot to do and need to stop by there first ! Wendy said . She suddenly found herself unsure of how to approach the subject of Joshua with her parents . It was far too difficult to discuss . Even if she did tell them , Maggie and David would likely dismiss Joshua as being melodramatic , faking an illness . After all , this wasnt the first time something like this had happened . Joshuas departure from the Frasers wasnt because of her or Shirley it was more likely due to Frankie . Maggie , and David . Especially Maggie and David . They were the root cause ! If they couldnt see it , nothing would change . Perhaps it would even be better for Joshua to live on his own . At least he would be spared some of the torment and punishment . If Joshua returned , he would probably face some form of punishment from Maggie , whether it be forced to stand in the corner or locked in his room . Wendy quickly left the house . By then , the storm had passed , and the sun had come out , the sky clear and bright . Wendy breathed in deeply , feeling the warmth of the sunlight , which provided some comfort . 7:19 pm Maggie and David watched her leave , a hint of surprise in their expressions as they exchanged a glance . and then turned their attention to the medical records in their hands .