Chapter 477 Put Her Foot Down
My mom smiled when she saw it was me. At that moment, my parents were utterly drenched from head to toe. I started to tear up. I put the umbrella over them and said, “It’s raining so heavily. Why didn’t you find a shelter?”
I looked at them begrudgingly. Although I knew why they were there, I could not help but feel sorry when I saw them in that disheveled state.
“Anna, your dad and I have come to look for you today because of Steven. Do you know that he has been arrested?”
My mom ignored what I said. Instead, she grabbed hold of me like she was clinging to a lifesaver. I could hear the urgency in her words.
My heart sank. Although I knew they were there because of Steven, I kept quiet after hearing that. I had no wish in getting involved with that matter.
With my head down, I spoke calmly, “I know. Steven might go to jail this time around.”
The moment Josephine regained consciousness and told everyone what Steven had done, I already knew.
“Anna, you must help Steven. He mustn’t go to jail. If he does, what’s going to happen to your dad and me? The both of us count on Steven to take care of us.”
When my mom saw my calm demeanor, she became even more agitated. Her grip around my hands tightened, and she looked at me pleadingly.
Seeing my mom like that, I was heartbroken. Steven had always been their favorite. If he was found guilty and imprisoned, my parents would not be able to accept it. However, that matter was out of my hands.
Caught in a tight spot, I looked at my mom in silence for a long time before saying, “Mom, I’m sorry. I can’t do anything about this matter anymore. Steven has to be punished for what he has done.”
“Anna, what do you mean by that? Steven is your brother after all. He’s about to go to jail, and you aren’t going to do anything about it? How can you be so cruel? Your dad and I have been standing in the rain and waiting for you for so long. How can you be so heartless?”
My mom became angry after hearing my response. She glared at me, and I could hear the reproach in her tone.
At that moment, my dad finally opened his mouth. “Anna, Steven is the only son in our family. If he goes to prison, our family is gone. No one will look after us in our later years. Is that what you want?”
There was a frown on his forehead, and he looked at me with seriousness.
“Mom, things have gone to this extent. How do you expect me to help him? Steven has broken the law. What can I possibly do?”
If there was a way out of it, I would have done something. However, there was really nothing I could do about it. Their pleas only made things more difficult for me.
My mom held on to my hands and said when she saw the hesitation on my face, “Anna, try to talk to the Shaw family and get them to drop the charges, will you? After all, we’re related. Perhaps, they will consider letting the matter go because of you. Can you please talk to them?”
I already knew their intention for coming that day. When my mom said it out loud, I became more flustered. Back when Lincoln had thought I was the one who hurt Josephine, he had been so ruthless toward me. There was no way they would let it go now that they knew it was Steven who did it.
My parents were deluded. If someone has hurt the person they love the most, will they have forgiven the perpetrator so easily? The same logic applied in this case. I was upset to know that Steven would be going to prison, but I also understood how the Shaw family felt. Besides, I felt it was time for Steven to receive some punishment. Otherwise, he would never learn his lesson.
“Dad, Mom. Please stop. This matter has gone too far. But, don’t worry. Steven will only be in prison for a few years at the most. It won’t be too long.”
Although Steven would be persecuted by the law for injuring someone accidentally, I reckoned the imprisonment would not be more than three years.
My reason for not helping Steven was so that he could use the jail time to become more sensible and turn over a new leaf. Perhaps, this might be a blessing in disguise. In the future, he would think twice before doing anything.
“Looks like you’re very determined not to help your brother this time around, aren’t you? Anna, he’s your brother! He’s about to go to prison. How can you make it sound so trivial! Are you even his sister?”
My dad became angry when he heard what I said. He shuddered slightly, and his face looked pale. Perhaps, it was because he had been in the rain.
Faced with his rebuke, I was equally enraged. Then again, I understood that they must be worried, so I suppressed my anger and said to them, “Mom, Dad, it’s not that I don’t want to help. This matter is out of my hands. Stop forcing me, will you? A year ago, I took the fall for him. Do you know how I have been suffering for the past year?”
All they could think about right now was Steven. My feelings were not of their concern, and that made me feel terrible.
After being away for a year, they had yet to show any concern for me after seeing me. Other than Steven, I did not seem to exist in their hearts. Perhaps, they would not have come and looked for me if Steven had not been arrested.
For a brief moment, my mom seemed to have recalled something, and guilt flashed across her face. However, that look disappeared as soon as it appeared.
“Anna, I know you must have suffered a lot during the past year. We’re truly sorry about that.”
My eyes teared up upon hearing that. However, because of the rain, they could not see my tears flowing down.
“A year ago, we had no choice but to ask you to take the blame for Steven. We cannot watch Steven go to jail. After all, you’re part of the Shaw family. No matter how angry they are, they won’t let you go to prison, will they?”
When my mom expressed her guilt over what had happened a year ago, I was quite moved. However, when she made it clear that they had made the right decision back then, I could not help but smile wryly. At the end of the day, all they ever cared about was Steven.
“Let me get someone to send you home. Both of you have been in the rain for so long. Go back and take a hot shower. Don’t catch a cold.”
