Chapter 472
Chapter 472
Neil and Karina should be by Hiram’s side at this important moment. Where else could they possibly be?
I felt a twinge of confusion, but I didn’t dwell on it. Mitch brought me a plate of cupcakes. “Have something to eat.”
“Thank you, I replied, taking one of the cupcakes and nibbling on it absentmindedly. After a few bites, I left it aside and went upstairs to check on the kids.
Serena usually napped a lot, sometimes for an hour or two. But today was a bit noisy. I feared she might wake up when I didn’t know.
Treading lightly, I made my way to the second floor. Serena’s guest room was at the very end of the hallway, and I had to pass by one room to get there. I didn’t pay much attention to it at first, but then I heard Neil’s voice, sounding extremely indifferent, coming from that room. “You should know it’s not possible, Karina. I don’t want to complicate things between us.”
I paused and realized that the door was slightly ajar, allowing their conversation to drift out into the hallway.
Karina was there too?
Eavesdropping was impolite; but at that moment, I couldn’t help but listen in.
“Why? Don’t you want to give Hiram a complete family?” Karina’s voice wasn’t as composed as usual. It’trembled slightly.
“Isn’t this a complete family now? Just because we’re not married doesn’t mean I’m not his father. All that matters is that he feels loved.” Neil’s words were firm and left little room for argument.
I was stunned. I thought him considering Karina as Hiram’s mother was just an excuse, but it turned out he really didn’t have feelings for her anymore.
I felt a pang of sympathy for Karina. All the public affection was just a facade. Even if the Whitmore family accepted Hiram immediately after her return, it didn’t mean they accepted her.
Once I was in the same position, seemingly successful but hollow inside.
“I want a recognition, for Hiram’s sake. I want a formal title.” Karina replied, “I don’t need a wedding. Just a marriage license would do. I’ll save Daniel right after I get a legal title.”
Was Karina threatening Neil with this?
Didn’t she know Neil hated being threatened? Especially when the threat was something he didn’t care about.
If Neil really cared about Daniel’s well-being, he would have agreed to Kitty’s demands long ago instead of waited for Kitty to repeatedly seek out Karina’s help.
Neil was cold-hearted in this regard.
“If you don’t want to save Daniel, then don’t. It does nothing for me.” Neil’s voice grew colder, “You’re making a big mistake using this to threaten me.”
Karina didn’t reply, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the hall. I quickly retreated to the end of the hallway and entered the room. Serena was sound asleep and undisturbed by the noise, but my own mind was in turmoil.
Neil’s conversation with Karina both surprised and shocked me.
If Neil wasn’t willing to marry Karina, it would undoubtedly trouble me. Knowing Karina’s narrow-minded nature, she’d likely blame me for this. My thoughts were a whirlwind as I paced the room.
Serena woke up after a while, cooing and making noises to signal her awakening. I picked her up and headed downstairs.
To my surprise, Karina was standing near the staircase. I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. She stared blankly at the floor below. Hef silhouette seemed lonely.
She faked her death, moved abroad, secretly gave birth to Hiram, and raised him on her own. She endured so much just to return to Neil and marry into the Whitmore family, and yet she failed.
If I were in her shoes, I wouldn’t be able to accept it either.
As I walked past Karina with Serena in my arms, she looked surprised to see me. “Ms. Finch, what were you doing upstairs?”
“Just putting my daughter to bed.” I replied casually.
“The second floor is a private area. Please refrain from going up there without permission,” Karina responded sharply, her usual composure replaced by a bitter edge.
‘I’m not interested in your private affairs, don’t worry.” I said, meeting her teary gaze. She must have been crying.
I spent quite a while upstairs, so a few guests had already left by the time I reached the ground floor. Ryan was playing with Hiram, and Faith was nowhere to be seen.
As he saw me, Ryan immediately said, “Irene, are you hungry? I saved some food for you.”
I was surprised that Ryan had actually saved some food for me. He glanced around, making sure no one else was within earshot before saying, “Faith thought you’d be uncomfortable eating with us, so we didn’t call you so that you could rest upstairs.”
Faith’s considerate nature always took me by surprise. Women tend to be more thoughtful, and she knew how awkward it would be for me to dine with them.
Thank you, Ryan, but I’m not really hungry. Where is Faith?” I wanted to talk to her before I left.
“She’s escorting a friend home. They’re old friends and will probably spend the rest of the day catching up.” Ryan told me.
It seemed I wouldn’t be able to talk to Faith today. With that, I decided not to linger anymore and bid Ryan goodbye. “Alright, I’m going now. I’ll catch up with her next time.”
Ryan understood why I had come. Faith must have explained the situation to him. He stopped me as I was leaving. “Irene, I’m glad you came. I know you still care about Faith and me. Faith is a sensitive person and often overthinks things. Please, talk to her for me.”
“I will.” I promised. Faith had shown me kindness, and I would return the favor by helping her overcome her worries.
Depression could lead to self-harm or even suicide if it got worse. I didn’t want anything bad to happen to Faith.
As we spoke, I felt someone watching me. I looked around and saw Karina staring at me from a distance. When our eyes met, she quickly looked away and crouched down to play with Hiram.
Karina gave off the aura of a chilling specter. Her gaze always made me feel incredibly unnerved.
Especially since Neil just turned down her marriage proposal, I suspected her resentment towards me was off the charts right now.
“Hey, please let me hold Serena once more.” Ryan suddenly extended his hand, indicating he wanted me to pass Serena to him.
It was apparent that he genuinely adored Serena. I didn’t refuse and was about to hand her over when Hiram dashed over again. This time, he gave me a hard shove. “Grandpa, I won’t allow you to hold other people’s kids! You don’t like me anymore!”
