Chapter 438
Chapter 438
“I had a hunch it was him. Mitch wouldn’t admit it to me, but given their relationship, it was no surprise,” I replied in a somber tone. “Now the issue is what to do next. Mitch will definitely come looking for me again.”
Russel mulled over it for a moment before suggesting, “Tell Stella. It’s her child, after all. She should be the one to decide.”
I shared the same sentiment, but I was afraid that telling her would only stress her out and potentially hinder her proceedings in Rosemont.
While I was caught in this indecision, a call from Neil came in. Seeing the caller ID, my mood instantly dropped. I was incredibly annoyed.
Why was he calling? To see if Mitch had successfully taken the child away?
I immediately hung up on Neil, but he quickly sent a text message. As expected, it was about Mitch.
[Has Mitch been to your place?]
I didn’t respond, but Russel noticed the subtle change in my expression and accurately guessed who had called. “Was that Neil?”
“Yeah, he was asking about Mitch,” I didn’t deny.
“Why didn’t you pick up?” Russel asked.
“No point. I’ve already guessed the likely result. Confronting him won’t do any good,” I shook my head. Neil and I had nothing to do with each other now. I had no right to question his actions.
But he insisted on calling. Seeing the screen light up again, I was speechless.
Russel took the phone from my hand, and before I could react, he had answered the call.
“What do you want?” Russel coldly questioned as soon as he picked up.
He didn’t use speakerphone, so I couldn’t hear what Neil had to say. I could only hear Russel’s side of the conversation.
“She’s not going to trust you again. Goodbye.”
With that, the call ended.
Russel handed me back the phone. “Some things don’t need to be dragged out. Since you know it was him, tell him you know.”
I did suspect Neil, but I had no concrete evidence since Mitch hadn’t explicitly admitted to anything.
Russel’s words now, however, were undoubtedly telling Neil that we had already determined he was the one who had spilled the beans.
“But I don’t have any concrete evidence,” I reminded Russel.
“Even if it wasn’t him, don’t you want to take this chance to cut ties with him once and for all?” Russel looked at me intensely, making me feel pressured.
I was taken aback. “Cut ties? Haven’t I already done that?”
Russel’s gaze turned colder, and there seemed to be a chill at the corner of his lips. “When I say ‘cut ties’, I mean completely severing all contact and connection. You seem to have been frequently in contact with him recently, haven’t you?”
His words made me realize something wasn’t right. For various reasons, my interactions with Neil had increased recently.
And every time, Neil had helped me out, putting me in his debt.
I had paid him back a little, but not entirely.
“Alright, I really shouldn’t be questioning you about this. I just wanted to remind you not to get fooled by him again,” Russel softened his tone, sensing my discomfort.
He did have a right to question me because to my parents and everyone around us, he was my husband. No one would know our real relationship unless I made an effort to clarify it.
“Yes, I understand,” I nodded, feeling incredibly confused. Somehow, I had gotten entangled with Neil again. It felt as if an invisible thread was tying us together, one that couldn’t be untied.
Just as I was lost in thought, Yara’s cry snapped me back to reality. I quickly went to pick her up, “Alright, I’ll take her home now.”
This time, Russel didn’t accompany me. He simply replied, “Okay, I have to work late tonight. Be careful and call me right away if anything happens:”
Russel had been quite busy recently. When he was occupied, I felt more at ease. Otherwise, being with him for extended periods made me unsure of how to behave around him.
I intentionally left through Russel’s backyard. When I got home, Norah had already returned. She looked shocked, “Ms. Finch, did we have a break-in?”
“No, Mitch came looking for the baby and kicked the door in. But it’s okay, he compensated me for it. I’ll have someone replace the door in the next few days,” I put Yara in the crib and went to check on Serena and Brandon.
“I can’t believe Mitch. How could he kick in a door?” Norah muttered, clearly unhappy with Mitch.
“Okay Norah, why don’t you give Yara a bath?” I suggested.
While Norah bathed Yara, I stayed in the living room reading stories and playing music for Serena and Brandon. Even though they couldn’t understand yet, it subconsciously exposed them to language and music.
As I was spending time with Serena and Brandon, I heard footsteps approaching from the yard had made sure to lock the door.
My heart raced.
Could it really be Mitch?
At the same time, my phone rang. It was Neil again.
“Hello?” I was worried it might be Mitch, so I answered Neil’s call. If something really happened, I would need his help.
To my surprise, as Neil’s voice rang out from the phone, I also heard his voice from outside the door, “It’s me. Open the door.”
Why was he here again? My heart sank as numerous guesses flashed through my mind. The most terrifying one was that Mitch hadn’t found Yara at my place, so he had Neil come and investigate again.
If that was the case, I definitely couldn’t open the door.
A hung up and walked to the door, asking without opening it, “What are you doing here?”
“Did Russel speak on your behalf?” Neil’s voice sounded again, filled with displeasure.
So he came to interrogate me about that. I was already upset about this issue, so I replied under my breath, “Yes, what’s wrong?”
“I never told Mitch anything. You didn’t even bother to ask me and just assumed I was the one who told him. Irene, are you messing with me?” Neil was growing increasingly angry. “And you had Russel tell me. Was that intentional?”
There was nothing calculated about it. It was just Russel who spontaneously grabbed my phone and answered the call. Considering our relationship, which appeared to be marital to the outside world, it was completely normal for him to answer a call for me.
I retorted, “And how can you prove it wasn’t you? It was you who drove me and Yara to the hospital that day. After you saw her at my place, Mitch got wind of it.”
“So you believe that’s the kind of person I am?” Neil’s tone started to bristle with annoyance.
Chapter 438
“I had a hunch it was him. Mitch wouldn’t admit it to me, but given their relationship, it was no surprise,” I replied in a somber tone. “Now the issue is what to do next. Mitch will definitely come looking for me again.”
Russel mulled over it for a moment before suggesting, “Tell Stella. It’s her child, after all. She should be the one to decide.”
I shared the same sentiment, but I was afraid that telling her would only stress her out and potentially hinder her proceedings in Rosemont.
While I was caught in this indecision, a call from Neil came in. Seeing the caller ID, my mood instantly dropped. I was incredibly annoyed.
Why was he calling? To see if Mitch had successfully taken the child away?
I immediately hung up on Neil, but he quickly sent a text message. As expected, it was about Mitch.
[Has Mitch been to your place?]
I didn’t respond, but Russel noticed the subtle change in my expression and accurately guessed who had called. “Was that Neil?”
“Yeah, he was asking about Mitch,” I didn’t deny.
“Why didn’t you pick up?” Russel asked.
“No point. I’ve already guessed the likely result. Confronting him won’t do any good,” I shook my head. Neil and I had nothing to do with each other now. I had no right to question his actions.
But he insisted on calling. Seeing the screen light up again, I was speechless.
Russel took the phone from my hand, and before I could react, he had answered the call.
“What do you want?” Russel coldly questioned as soon as he picked up.
He didn’t use speakerphone, so I couldn’t hear what Neil had to say. I could only hear Russel’s side of the conversation.
“She’s not going to trust you again. Goodbye.”
With that, the call ended.
Russel handed me back the phone. “Some things don’t need to be dragged out. Since you know it was him, tell him you know.”
I did suspect Neil, but I had no concrete evidence since Mitch hadn’t explicitly admitted to anything.
Russel’s words now, however, were undoubtedly telling Neil that we had already determined he was the one who had spilled the beans.
“But I don’t have any concrete evidence,” I reminded Russel.
“Even if it wasn’t him, don’t you want to take this chance to cut ties with him once and for all?” Russel looked at me intensely, making me feel pressured.
I was taken aback. “Cut ties? Haven’t I already done that?”
Russel’s gaze turned colder, and there seemed to be a chill at the corner of his lips. “When I say ‘cut ties’, I mean completely severing all contact and connection. You seem to have been frequently in contact with him recently, haven’t you?”
His words made me realize something wasn’t right. For various reasons, my interactions with Neil had increased recently.
And every time, Neil had helped me out, putting me in his debt.
I had paid him back a little, but not entirely.
“Alright, I really shouldn’t be questioning you about this. I just wanted to remind you not to get fooled by him again,” Russel softened his tone, sensing my discomfort.
He did have a right to question me because to my parents and everyone around us, he was my husband. No one would know our real relationship unless I made an effort to clarify it.
“Yes, I understand,” I nodded, feeling incredibly confused. Somehow, I had gotten entangled with Neil again. It felt as if an invisible thread was tying us together, one that couldn’t be untied.
Just as I was lost in thought, Yara’s cry snapped me back to reality. I quickly went to pick her up, “Alright, I’ll take her home now.”
This time, Russel didn’t accompany me. He simply replied, “Okay, I have to work late tonight. Be careful and call me right away if anything happens:”
Russel had been quite busy recently. When he was occupied, I felt more at ease. Otherwise, being with him for extended periods made me unsure of how to behave around him.
I intentionally left through Russel’s backyard. When I got home, Norah had already returned. She looked shocked, “Ms. Finch, did we have a break-in?”
“No, Mitch came looking for the baby and kicked the door in. But it’s okay, he compensated me for it. I’ll have someone replace the door in the next few days,” I put Yara in the crib and went to check on Serena and Brandon.
“I can’t believe Mitch. How could he kick in a door?” Norah muttered, clearly unhappy with Mitch.
“Okay Norah, why don’t you give Yara a bath?” I suggested.
While Norah bathed Yara, I stayed in the living room reading stories and playing music for Serena and Brandon. Even though they couldn’t understand yet, it subconsciously exposed them to language and music.
As I was spending time with Serena and Brandon, I heard footsteps approaching from the yard had made sure to lock the door.
My heart raced.
Could it really be Mitch?
At the same time, my phone rang. It was Neil again.
and stoppi
at the living room door. Worried that Mitch might come back, I
“Hello?” I was worried it might be Mitch, so I answered Neil’s call. If something really happened, I would need his help.
To my surprise, as Neil’s voice rang out from the phone, I also heard his voice from outside the door, “It’s me. Open the door.”
Why was he here again? My heart sank as numerous guesses flashed through my mind. The most terrifying one was that Mitch hadn’t found Yara at my place, so he had Neil come and investigate again.
If that was the case, I definitely couldn’t open the door.
1/2
Chapter 438
A hung up and walked to the door, asking without opening it, “What are you doing here?”
“Did Russel speak on your behalf?” Neil’s voice sounded again, filled with displeasure.
So he came to interrogate me about that. I was already upset about this issue, so I replied under my breath, “Yes, what’s wrong?”
“I never told Mitch anything. You didn’t even bother to ask me and just assumed I was the one who told him. Irene, are you messing with me?” Neil was growing increasingly angry. “And you had Russel tell me. Was that intentional?”
There was nothing calculated about it. It was just Russel who spontaneously grabbed my phone and answered the call. Considering our relationship, which appeared to be marital to the outside world, it was completely normal for him to answer a call for me.
I retorted, “And how can you prove it wasn’t you? It was you who drove me and Yara to the hospital that day. After you saw her at my place, Mitch got wind of it.”
“So you believe that’s the kind of person I am?” Neil’s tone started to bristle with annoyance.
