I did not expect that reply and was at a loss for words.
“Can we still be friends?” she asked while focusing her gaze on me.
“Since when are we not friends?” I threw the question back at her.
Camelia laughed upon hearing that and replied, “Thank you, Sienna.”
Initially, I had expected her to find trouble with me. Well, this was rather… unexpected.
After a while, I spoke, “I know that Benjamin and Sharon’s death was a huge blow to Marcus. My existence in his life was probably a surprise to him. I know I owe him too much but I’m really unable to return his feelings. As such, I chose to avoid the situation.”
When Camelia replied, she had an unfathomable gaze in her eyes. “His heart is like a bottomless abyss. I tried to pull him back up, but I failed. Four years ago, we went back to Chanaea together and stayed at J City for half a year. Initially, I didn’t know his reason for going to J City but I started seeing him getting drunk frequently at night. It seemed like he stopped taking care of himself or anyone else. After he heard Sally’s announcement of her intention to retrench some employees, someone approached Marcus, requesting his assistance. When he returned and chased Sally away, he also got to know about what happened to his parents. I thought that he would make Sally suffer for that but he didn’t. Instead, he chose to focus all his energy on fighting against Featherstone Corporation. I couldn’t understand why he did that at that time, but I finally knew that you were the one he was fighting for.”
She paused and smiled at me before continuing, “Please don’t take what I said to heart. I know I probably shouldn’t have told you all these, but other than you, I don’t have any friends in M Country.
Actually, there were times when I really wanted to tell you that Marcus really needs you. You’re like the savior of his soul. There were even times when it crossed my mind that if you were the one by his side, he wouldn’t be suffering that much, but I… “
I kept quiet as there was nothing I could say.
As if she was carrying on a monologue, Camelia continued, “Four years ago, that one month with you was enough for him to miss you for the rest of his life. It was difficult for me to understand at that time. That night, when you appeared at White Corporation, I saw a USB drive in his study. You might not be aware, but the USB drive contained everything that happened after you broke down from giving birth. He really loved you so much.”
Joseph appeared abruptly next to us, giving me a shock. He draped a coat over me and said, “Mrs. Featherstone, Mr. Featherstone said that you shouldn’t stay outside for too long. It’s not good for your body.”
Obviously, the bodyguards had informed Anthony who I was meeting.
I nodded and said to Camelia, “I guess we’ll have to meet again another day.”
She pursed her lips and fixed her gaze on Joseph. Perplexed, she asked, “Does Anthony love you by restricting your freedom?
I smiled faintly but did not reply.
I left the café with Joseph and kept silent in the car.
Joseph looked at me a few times. It seemed as if he had something to say but stopped himself. In the end, he still spoke, “Mrs. Featherstone, Mr. Featherstone is still in the hospital.”
What he meant was that I should pay that man a visit. I pursed my lips while holding onto the USB drive which Camelia had given me earlier on.
“Let’s go back. It’s cold outside.” I was not ready and had not thought of how to face the past head-on yet.
Joseph paused for a while but said nothing. He then sent me back to the villa.
Summer was already home by the time I arrived. She gently pulled my hand as she asked, “Mommy, where did you go?”
I hugged her in my arms. “I went to see a friend,” I simply answered.
Recently, I started feeling sluggish again. I was at a loss, unsure about what to do next. My mind was a complete mess.
After I settled Summer down, I headed to the study. After all, I finally watched those videos.
They were taken four years ago when Marcus took me in. My memories of those days were rather vague.
Deep down, I knew Marcus cared about me very much. However, I chose not to remember those details.
I clicked on one of the videos, which was taken in the villa in K City. As soon as it was played, the familiar faces came into sight.
I refused to watch the video after my child was taken away from me. I couldn’t bring myself to face reality.
The video recorded every bit of memories I had with Marcus. He always took care of me and tolerated me with infinite patience.
That was the worst time of my life. I was in agony and constantly broke down in tears. One night, I woke up at midnight and looked around for a knife to take my own life. Marcus was injured when he tried to snatch the knife away from me. I didn’t have a clear picture in my mind, but I knew there was a deep scar on his belly.
After that incident, I couldn’t find any sharp objects in the villa.
It was a long video to watch. I couldn’t bring myself to finish it as I was feeling increasingly guilty by the second. So, I turned it off.
Why must everything be made clear? Ignorance is bliss, isn’t it?
Grandma used to say that only ignorant women were able to live their lives happily because they wouldn’t hold on to those unpleasant things.
They knew how to let go when they had to. All they cared about was to live in the present.
In the evening, I received a call from Cameron.
“Sienna, I… I am Mom,” she stammered as she wept. I could hear the hidden bitterness in her voice.
What kind of feeling is this?
I didn’t put much thought into that. My heart ached slightly. It was neither hatred nor rage that I was feeling. I was merely nonplussed.
I lost my child because of her. I had no idea how to face her.
After a long while, I asked her, “What is it?”
I spoke in an indifferent tone, fighting hard to contain myself.
Cameron heaved a sigh. “If you refuse to see me, I won’t force you. But my dear, you have a long way to go. Don’t do something that you’ll regret. I know I’m in no position to put the blame on Anthony.”
I fell silent not because I was speechless, but because I saw him walking into the study.
It had just been half a day since I last saw him. He looked pale and sick as if he was about to collapse anytime.
Joseph mentioned that Anthony fell sick after he knelt at the Moore Residence throughout the night.
“I’m hanging up now.” I ended the call and put away my phone as I fixed my gaze on the man walking toward me.
When our eyes met, he looked at me with affection. “Joseph told me that you skipped your meals. You should take good care of yourself, Sienna.” A hint of sadness glinted in his eyes as he spoke.
“I’m not hungry,” I simply replied. I didn’t ask him about his condition, nor did I ask why he wasn’t in the hospital.
He approached me and held my hands. “Please eat something with me later. You’re too skinny.”
He took me downstairs. His footsteps were rather unsteady. It seemed that he hadn’t recovered from his fever.
I followed after him. Staring at his back, my heart ached unwittingly.
“Your admission to the hospital is all over the news and now Featherstone Corporation is under attack. How are you going to handle this?” The company was in deep water right now.
He turned around and looked me in the eyes. “Are you happy to stay by my side?”
Stunned by his question, I kept silent for a while before I replied, “I’ve never thought of leaving you.”
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.
Leave a Reply