Chapter 496 Hypothetical Question
I thought Mrs. Shaw would move on from the topic, but she started speaking again. Looking at her devastated gaze, I did not know how to console her. It must be hard to accept the fact that her daughter was not doing well.
“Anna, what do you think I should do? Should I tell her the truth? Perhaps I should tell her everything?” Mrs. Campbell’s gaze once again fixated on me and she seemed anxious and distressed.
Stunned by her sudden questioning, I did not know how to respond. After all, I did not want to be involved in their family matter.
I was not sure what exactly happened, so I should not offer my opinion recklessly.
But seeing Mrs. Campbell’s expectant eyes, I couldn’t help but sympathize with her. Although she was overly enthusiastic at the beginning, she continued to treat me very well throughout dinner. In fact, her loving care made me feel the warmth and I did not want her to be sad.
“Mrs. Campbell, this is your own family matter. I’m an outsider and it is not appropriate for me to be involved.”
After serious consideration, I decided not to be involved or give my opinion on the matter.
“For example, if you are my daughter, will you forgive me because of my current condition? Will you reunite with me?”
Mrs. Campbell hurled another tough question at me. Such a hypothetical question was really impossible to answer.
Because I had never experienced it before, I could not understand what her daughter felt. Besides, I would not know how to react if I were in her daughter’s position to find out that she had a mother out of the blue.
My brows furrowed. Indeed, no matter what the reason was, it would be hard for a daughter to accept the fact that her mother had abandoned her. At least that was how I would feel.
However, I could not resist the urge to console her. At the end of the day, what I felt did not necessarily reflect what her daughter would feel. There may be a chance that her daughter might want to reunite with her.
“Of course! A daughter will surely forgive her mother no matter what.”
I smiled and answered brightly, though deep down I was diffident.
“Is that true? You will forgive me if it were you?”
After listening to my answer, Mrs. Campbell got excited immediately. She held my hand gently and I could feel her trembling hand caused by her rippling emotions.
“Of course. After all, it’s one’s mother we’re talking about. Even though she might not be able to accept it at the moment, I am sure she will be able to forgive you eventually if you give her some time.”
Once again, I smiled awkwardly and uttered something that I was not sure of.
Mrs. Campbell appeared to be satisfied with my answer. Her eyes had reddened and tears started to well up. However, she still managed to put up a smile.
Michael looked at me with mixed feelings in his eyes, but he did not say anything.
“Mrs. Campbell, let’s change the topic. How about we start eating? You have prepared so many dishes! It will be a waste if we don’t get to enjoy it.”
I looked at the dishes on the table and changed the topic immediately, refusing to continue the same conversation.
“Okay. Let’s eat! We can talk about it later.”
Perhaps Mrs. Campbell could tell that I didn’t want to continue the conversation, she stopped talking about it as well.
The meal with Mrs. Campbell was heart-warming and awkward at the same time. I guessed it was because of those hypothetical questions that she just posed to me.
After the meal, Mrs. Campbell stayed back and chatted with me. Almost all of the questions were about my childhood, but I didn’t give it much thought and treated it as a normal conversation.
The interaction with her this time made me realize that she did not have any bad intentions. Hence, I answered her questions truthfully as she asked.
As the time was about to hit ten, Michael came by my side and whispered in my eyes, “It’s late. We should head back.”
In fact, I was getting rather tired but did not have the heart to interrupt Mrs. Campbell; hence, I was quite happy that Michael took the initiative to break the conversation and remind me of the time.
“It’s late already. Sorry for bothering you for such a long time, Mrs. Campbell. I think we should go. Talk to you next time?”
Glancing at my watch, I realized that it was getting really late at night. I stood up and bid goodbye to Mrs. Campbell.
“No, no, don’t mention it. I’m very happy that you can accompany me for dinner. Next time when you’re coming, let me know in advance and I will prepare something nice for you!”
Mrs. Campbell seemed to be displeased that I was about to leave, and she ignored me after that.
“All right. If I have the time, I will surely pay you a visit again.”
I smiled and accepted her offer without hesitation. However, I was merely being courteous.
When I got into Michael’s car, I was able to finally heave a sigh of relief. I was rather awkward earlier and I could not be myself. After all, I did not know her very well.
“Michael, I did not expect that a rich person like Mrs. Campbell will have such a devastating life.
Mrs. Campbellhad mentioned last time that her daughter was separated from her. I was very disheartened to hear that.
When I was having the conversation with Mrs. Campbell, Michael kept quiet all the while. Hence, I couldn’t help but bring up the topic again.
“Do you sympathize with Mrs. Campbell? Remember the question that she asked? Will you forgive her if you are her daughter?”
Michael did not respond to my question. He turned his head around and stared at me. His gaze was difficult to read.
“I’m not her daughter. How will I know? I was merely being courteous while consoling her. Do you not know that?”
I was taken aback by Michael’s response. He should know that I was just trying to console Mrs. Campbell. She was all devastated so I had to say something to elevate her mood.
“You may think so, but Mrs. Campbell might think differently. Your answer gave her hope, and it will be pernicious if things did not pan out the way she expected.”
Michael looked at me without any facial expression, and he uttered the sentence in a complex tone.
“What do you mean? Are you trying to tell me that I shouldn’t say what I said? I should not give her hope?”
Michael had been saying depressing things to me. Besides, the way he looked at me made me feel that something was bound to happen. However, I was not sure if I was imagining it.
