He hugged me closer. I could feel his pain too as the pain in my chest intensified.
He was breathing heavily. Clearly, he was trying to tamp down his feelings.
I continued like a wooden puppet on strings. “Four years ago, when I first left, I was full of hatred. I wanted to stay away from you and have a clean cut with everyone else in my life. Just like how I was abandoned at birth, I wanted to leave everyone behind.”
“Yet, things didn’t go the way I hoped for. After meeting you in R Province again, I realized I no longer bore any hatred for you. It was as though venting out my feelings was a luxury. I knew if I couldn’t bring myself to hate you, I wouldn’t hate her as well. She’s my mother. No matter what happened, I have to accept that fact without any complaints.”
I had buried my hatred and anguish deep down, allowing them to grow wild without restraint over time.
Everyone wanted me to move on and start all over again, but my despair would continue to grow under the nourishment of the hatred I bore.
Anthony revealed. “When you left me four years ago, the villa felt really empty. I’d jolt awake at night after hearing a child crying and your cries of pain. It was as if someone was choking my throat, and I couldn’t breathe. Joseph told me to move out, but I refused. After all, you used to live here.”
He added, “Sienna, we’re broken souls. Fate has brought us together and our lives are intertwined, and my life is not mine alone but shared with you. We’re meant to be together.”
His gaze was soft. “Here.” He pointed at his chest. “You’re the only one who has ever been here.”
I pursed my lips and let out a long sigh. We shouldn’t get sucked into the past.
Rising to my feet, I told him, “Anthony, I wish to be left alone.”
Suddenly, I realized I couldn’t bear to hate Cameron. She was my mother, and her actions stemmed from Anthony.
If Rylee wasn’t the one who returned to the Moore family, everything wouldn’t have happened.
Rylee, Cameron, and Anthony were all innocent.
Everyone merely took action out of overbearing concern for their loved ones. It was a misfortune for everyone, so even though we were all hurt in many ways, we couldn’t bring ourselves to despise each other.
Anthony wanted to say something, but I pushed him away. We shouldn’t delve into the past or risk hating everyone involved.
I went back in the bedroom, I locked Anthony outside.
He stood outside silently.
I didn’t know where to vent my frustration. In the end, I could only blame myself for kicking up a fuss over nothing.
That very night, it snowed just like the weather forecast had predicted.
I sat on the balcony and watched the snow the whole night while my heart ached silently.
I knew I should move on, but the past would still haunt me when no one was around.
It was midnight when my phone started ringing incessantly. I had nodded off on the balcony. Picking my phone up, I realized it was Joseph.
Why is he calling me at midnight?
I answered his call. Before I could say anything, he spoke hastily, “Mrs. Featherstone, Mr. Featherstone is at the yard of Moore Residence. Can you please come and convince him to leave?”
Huh? Why is Anthony at the Moore Residence?
After a pause, I asked, “What happened?”
He hesitated, seemingly stumped. “Mr. Featherstone wants to atone for his sins and came to the Moore Residence. He’s been here for a few hours. It’s snowing heavily, so I’m afraid of his health.”
My nose started prickling uncomfortably as I didn’t know what to say. Some memories were best left untouched lest they bring harm to someone else.
“Okay, I’ll be there!” I promised.
Summer was asleep. I left the villa, but there was no cab available due to the heavy snow. I could only drive there myself.
Luckily, the roads weren’t blocked. An hour later, I arrived at Moore Residence.
The brightly lit Moore Residence stood out against the dark of the night. It was late at night, and everyone else should be asleep by now.
When I pushed the gate open, I saw Anthony almost buried by the layers of snow as expected.
He was kneeling in front of the door. Snow had piled up on his custom-made black coat. It seemed like he had been here for some time.
His back was straight and determined. Clearly, the snow didn’t bother him at all.
Cameron and Zachary stood at the entrance under the roof, seemingly torn.
My appearance broke the tension in the air. Cameron’s gaze landed on me. Sadness clouded her features.
I avoided her intense gaze, I went to Anthony and stood behind him silently.
Joseph’s face lit up at my appearance, but when he realized what I intended to do, he froze instantly.
Sensing my arrival, Anthony turned and rasped, “Go back and rest.” His lips were purple and numb from the cold by now.
I pressed my lips together, opting to ignore him.
Furrowing his brows, he looked at Joseph. “Send her back.”
Seeing this, Joseph came to me and sighed helplessly. “Mrs. Featherstone, let’s go. You’re too weak to stand the cold.”
I uttered, “I’m already here. Why would I go back now?”
At a loss for words, he blurted guiltily, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think this through.”
Quietly, he came to stand beside me.
Anthony’s face clouded over in fury.
Zachary’s gaze was full of adoration and anguish as it landed on me. The couple seemed to have aged over the past four years.
Time was indeed capable of ruining the wonderful things in life.
“Anthony, is this how you atone for your sins?” asked Zachary. There was a hint of fury in his voice. “Because of your selfishness, we ended up in this state. What are you doing now? Forcing our daughter to accompany you in this weather so we’ll have no choice but to forgive you?”
Anthony’s back stiffened as he gazed at the man silently.
We had reached a point where someone would get hurt no matter what happened next.
At the villa, Emery walked down the stairs with a wool sweater and draped it over me. With a slight frown, she said, “In order to let go of the past, one has to be willing to endure the pain that comes with it. Sienna, come in with me. The only thing you have to do is to accept everyone’s apologies graciously.”
I pursed my lips and looked at Anthony, well aware that things started to go wrong when he hid the DNA report which resulted in the switch in places between Rylee and I.
That was also the beginning of all the pain and suffering.
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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