The next morning, John showed up bearing gifts.
Most of them were for Summer.
My face was unnaturally pale, so he ignored Anthony and suggested, “Why don’t you move to the Stanhope residence?”
The Stanhope residence was located in the city center and guarded heavily by the military. If the reporters barged in, they would be punished severely.
I shook my head. Summer didn’t go to school today. She was pleased with his gifts and kept fondling the toys adoringly.
Recalling Hannah’s situation, I furrowed my brows. “Have you visited Hannah?”
Stunned, he responded, “Mm.”
I knew he was brushing me off. Feeling an incoming headache, I demanded, “John, if you don’t love her, you could’ve broken up with her ages ago. Why did you force her to stay by your side and ignore her? Have you ever considered your child’s future?”
Frowning, he massaged his temples and exhaled in frustration. “Sienna, stay out of this, will you? Hannah gave birth to my child, so I won’t mistreat her.”
I fell silent. After a long pause, I inquired, “Did you fall for Yvonne Wilde?”
His frown deepened. “It’s nothing. Don’t overthink things.”
“Mommy, I saw Granny when Uncle John picked me up. She said she’ll visit you soon,” announced Summer suddenly.
I was astounded. Looking at John, I repeated dully, “Granny?”
He nodded. “Yes, it’s Cameron. She’s involved in charity work now. I ran into her in Summer’s school and chatted with her briefly.”
I pursed my lips and fell silent.
If Summer hadn’t mentioned her, I would’ve forgotten about our relationship.
As I said nothing, John hesitated before adding, “I know you despise her, but she gave birth to you and searched for you all her life. She had no other choice. Sienna, perhaps she’s suffering more than you can imagine.”
I held on tight to the warm glass in my hand. “John, when I first met her in Pear Garden, Mr. Clinton said I resembled her a lot. I went back home and stared at my reflection for a long time. Back then, I thought that I’d look like my mother a lot if she hadn’t abandoned me when I was a child.”
“When I was young, Grandma told me I was a dandelion. My mother took great care of me, but the wind blew me away and brought me to Grandma’s arms. In fact, I’ve never blamed her. Grandma might’ve brought me up, but she never told me I was abandoned. I was just a kid who was blown away by the wind.”
Summer crawled into my lap and consoled me. “Mommy, it’s fine. You have me!”
My lips curled up into a smile as the bitterness in my heart faded away.
Staring at John, I continued, “I’ve never blamed her for abandoning me. When I found out Rylee was her long-lost daughter, I felt envious. She then showered her love on Rylee. I envy her for having such a loving mother. Unfortunately, she chose to harm me in order to protect her.”
I let out a laugh at the absurd way things had turned out.
A flash of sympathy appeared in John’s gaze. He took a deep breath and answered, “Sienna, we can’t live in the past, right?”
I knew that very well, but there was no use denying what had happened.
“I dare not hate or despise her as we’re related by blood, after all. I buried the pain deep down and licked my wounds alone.” Wincing in pain, I added, “John, I’m not that generous. Do you know why I couldn’t bear seeing Hannah’s predicament? That was because I used to be like her. I used to be inferior in love.”
“Because of my background, I felt blessed to marry Anthony. I knew he treated Rylee differently. Whenever there was thunder, he’d wake up and spend hours driving over to her house to be with her. I was terribly jealous of her back then. I was afraid of the thunder too. However, I couldn’t call Anthony as he had to take care of someone else. I had no choice but to bury myself under the covers and bit my lip through the whole ordeal.”
The memories were etched in my brain forever. If I didn’t recall them, they’d still be there somewhere. But my heart would still ache the moment they were brought up.
I guess that was what memories were meant for.
John parted his lips to comfort me, but the words choked in his throat at the sight of someone behind me.
I immediately knew who it was. Turning at my shoulder, indeed, I saw Anthony with a gloomy expression on his face.
John rose to his feet and bade goodbye to us.
Summer ran out to the yard to play with Snowfluff. Anthony and I were left alone in the living room.
After letting out a soft sigh, I looked down at my phone as I had no idea how much he had overheard earlier.
Suddenly, his coat fell on my shoulders. “It’s wintertime. Remember to put on more clothes.”
His drawl was attractive and sexy.
Nodding, I pulled the coat around my body. All of a sudden, he took out a cigarette and lit it up.
Knitting my brows together, I watched as he puffed on it elegantly. I hadn’t seen him smoke in a while.
It seemed like Featherstone Corporation was in huge trouble.
“Will it snow tomorrow?” I broke the silence.
He took a long puff and held the cigarette between his slender fingers.
“Let’s watch the snow tonight,” he suggested out of nowhere. Strangely, I was delighted with his suggestion.
I was born in the south. I might be familiar with snow, but I’ve never seen a snow landscape. That must be stunningly beautiful.
Standing up, I went to him. With a smile, I replied, “Sure. I’ve never stayed up to watch the snow. It sounds exciting.”
He looked at me as his familiar fragrance permeated my senses blended with a slight hint of tobacco.
Moving the cigarette out of my sight, he said, “Sienna, you can choose not to see her.”
I looked up and met his gaze.
Spotting the flickering cigarette, something came over me. I grabbed the cigarette from him and took a puff.
Immediately, the smoke caught in my throat. It wasn’t as pleasant as it seemed. Luckily, it didn’t choke me badly.
“What are you doing?” Anthony snatched the cigarette from me and stubbed it out quickly before throwing it into the trash can.
His gaze landed on me. “If you feel unhappy, you can vent it out on me.”
I flashed a smile and shook my head wearily. “Anthony, I’m tired.” Indeed, I was exhausted from all the recent events.
He took me into his arms. As he tightened his arms around me, I felt my heart throbbing dully.
“I was happy to make her acquaintance. Back then, I thought she was blessed to age gracefully.” I paused briefly before continuing. “When she locked me in the warehouse and killed my baby slowly, no one could imagine the hatred I had for her. I swore if I could survive the horrible ordeal, I’d make sure she suffers ten times the pain my child went through.”
At the mention of my child, the pain in my heart intensified.
I took a deep breath to calm myself down. “Never in my wildest dream did I expect I’d pay the price. I wish I never knew her, never married you, and never came to J City in the first place. Perhaps it might be a blessing if we had not known each other.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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