Chapter 196: Morning at the Gallagher House
The sound of running water echoed through the bathroom.
Outside, William casually reached into his storage space and took out that "unnamable" item—clearly in the mood to make things a little more intense.
With it in hand, he pushed open the shower door.
What followed… was far too much to put into words.
After the passion subsided—
William and Fiona lay side by side on the bed.
Fiona stared blankly at the ceiling, her eyes unfocused.
Her mind replayed the chaos of the Gallagher household.
For the first time in her life, she felt the urge to leave that home behind.
But just as quickly as the thought came—
She suppressed it.
Elsewhere—
After Fiona left, Frank and Monica showed not a trace of guilt.
Instead, they were back at it again, messing around in the kitchen like nothing had happened.
Upstairs, the younger kids, seeing there was no more drama to watch, quietly returned to their rooms and went to sleep.
Just like William and Fiona—
After their own round of indulgence, Frank and Monica lay sprawled out on the kitchen floor, catching their breath.
"Monica… I need to tell you something."
Frank suddenly sounded serious.
"What? Don't tell me you've been hiding something good from me?" Monica perked up, thinking he had some secret stash.
"Not that." Frank gestured for her to calm down.
"Then what is it?" she asked, confused.
"Peggy… she's back."
The words snapped Monica out of her daze instantly.
She sat up straight, eyes wide in disbelief.
"You mean your mom? Peggy Gallagher?"
Frank nodded.
"Oh my God! That crazy bitch got out? Where is she now?!"
Monica's face turned pale.
Clearly, Peggy still had a strong hold over both of them.
"I… don't know…"
Frank had barely finished speaking—
When the kitchen's back door creaked open.
The person who walked in was none other than Peggy—the very one they had just been talking about.
"Holy crap, what bad luck. Open the door and the first thing I see is you, you bitch."
It seemed Peggy could never get along with any woman Frank got involved with.
"Frank! You useless sack of shit! Get over here and help me upstairs!
And—where's Fiona? Is she home?"
Peggy's voice made Frank's legs tremble. He scrambled to his feet and hurried over to support her.
"Fiona just went out," he said, sounding obedient to the point of submission.
Monica stood off to the side, not daring to say a word.
No matter how much she disliked Peggy, Peggy was still Peggy.
Not someone she dared provoke.
As Peggy passed by, she shot Monica a look of pure disdain.
Monica said nothing.
About half an hour later, Frank finally made his way back downstairs.
Monica was still there.
Summer was almost over—if she left now, she might freeze to death out there.
This time, she had come back with the intention of staying.
"She's really just going to stay here and not leave?"
The moment she saw Frank, Monica hurried over, her voice anxious.
Frank immediately raised a finger to his lips, signaling her to be quiet.
He glanced back toward the stairs, making sure Peggy wasn't nearby, then let out a breath of relief.
"We need to find a way to get rid of her."
He lowered his voice.
Monica nodded quickly. She agreed completely.
"So what do we do?"
Frank leaned in and whispered something into her ear.
Monica's face turned uneasy. "Isn't that… a bit much?"
"Oh my God, as long as she's here, we'll never have a single peaceful day!"
Frank said firmly. "Monica, do you understand that?!"
Time passed quickly.
Before long, it was the next morning.
After a night of thinking, Fiona still got up and went to work at the South Side diner.
As for everything happening at 2119—
She didn't even want to deal with it anymore.
Whatever happens, happens.
Back at 2119—
Lip had returned to working at the diner.
Ian was still troubled over his relationship with Mickey.
Debbie was in Fiona's room, secretly using her makeup.
With school about to start, the daycare had basically wrapped up.
Since Fiona hadn't come home that morning, Monica decided to score some points—
She took it upon herself to make breakfast for everyone.
"So… you're moving back in again?"
Lip had just come downstairs when he saw Monica making pancakes.
"Yeah, Lip. I'm back to take care of you guys. What do you think? Happy?"
Monica spoke as if she were a good mother, completely carefree—
Not a trace of guilt for abandoning them.
Lip stared at her for a long moment, said nothing, and simply sat down at the table.
Soon, the whole family gathered downstairs.
Then—
The doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!"
Carl rushed over eagerly—ever since making plans with William, he'd been looking forward to it nonstop.
Sure enough, William was standing outside.
Seeing Carl, he leaned in slightly and glanced around the house.
Aside from Frank and Peggy, everyone else was there.
A full house.
He gave a small, satisfied nod.
"Ready?" William asked, looking back at Carl.
"Always ready!" Carl replied, eyes shining with excitement—clearly eager for anything involving guns.
Seeing that expression, it was no surprise he'd later become a gun dealer at South Side High.
The kid genuinely loved firearms.
"Go eat breakfast first. I'll take you out later."
William ruffled his hair, then stepped inside.
"Hey, you're Fiona's boyfriend, right? I remember you."
Monica greeted him warmly.
"Fiona's not home. What are you doing here?" Lip asked immediately, his tone sharp.
The tension was obvious.
"I just came to check on her siblings. That a problem?"
William sat down beside Lip with a casual smile.
When dealing with someone shameless—
You had to be just as shameless.
Sure enough, Lip was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Want some pancakes, handsome?" Monica asked.
William nodded.
He had come for a free breakfast anyway—
And to watch the Gallagher chaos unfold.
At that moment, Peggy, supported by Frank, slowly made her way into the kitchen.
The instant Monica saw her—
Her smile vanished.
"Holy crap, this is what you're feeding everyone in the morning? Useless trash."
Peggy didn't hold back at all.
"Fiona cooks a hundred times better than you. This—this is like a pile of crap."
She picked up a pancake and tore into it with relentless criticism.
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