Ashton knew me better than I do.
We embraced each other silently as time ticked by.
Gradually, I drifted to sleep. Halfway through the night, I sensed him taking my hand and muttering, “Scarlett, I’m sorry!”
His voice was low and blurry, and I soon dozed off.
The next morning, John showed up bearing gifts.
Most of them were for Summer.
My face was unnaturally pale, so he ignored Ashton and suggested, “Why don’t you move to the Stovall residence?”
The Stovall 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. “Scarlett, 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. Scarlett, 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 Rebecca was her long-lost daughter, I felt envious. She then showered her love on Rebecca. 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, “Scarlett, 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 Ashton. I knew he treated Rebecca 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 Ashton 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.
