Chapter 479
Chapter 479
“Dad agreed?” I was even more surprised that my dad didn’t get in touch, nor did he tell me anything about Russel.
Mom looked like she was past arguing with me. She replied coldly, “Your dad and I have said and done all we could. You’re so adamant about not being with Russel, so what else can we do?”
I couldn’t quite tell if I was happy or sad. If my parents stopped meddling in my affairs with Russel, it would lighten the load on my mind. But when I thought of their profound disappointment in me, I couldn’t help but feel upset.
After saying her piece, Mom went to her room for the night without another word. I didn’t stop her. I simply took a shower and went to bed with my children.
I thought Mom would leave after a while, but to my surprise, Norah informed me the next morning that she had already left.
“She left early this morning,” Norah said as she brought in breakfast. “She asked me to take good care of the children.”
Mom left without so much as a word. I felt a pang of sadness.
My phone was on the table. I wanted to call her to ask what was going on, but I decided not to. She was probably upset with me; perhaps some time apart would be a good thing. At that moment, my phone rang. It was a call from Faith.
I collected my thoughts and picked up.
“Irene, I’m really sorry about last night. Hiram suddenly started fussing at home, so I had to go back. Did Neil take you home?” Faith sounded apologetic.
“He took me home, Faith,” I replied.
“That’s good. I asked him last night, but he didn’t say anything. He even gave the driver a raise for some reason, probably because he was drunk and wasn’t thinking straight. He didn’t say anything to upset you, did he?” Faith seemed concerned.
I was puzzled. Neil gave the driver a raise last night?
Why?
Was it because he was good at hitting the brakes?
I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it, but I assured Faith, “No, he was probably a bit tipsy, but he didn’t say anything inappropriate. Don’t worry.”
Faith seemed relieved. “That’s good. I’ve asked him to send your car over.”
“What?” I was taken aback. “Is Neil bringing my car over?”
“Yes, no worries. You’re friends even after divorce, right? If he bothers you, just let me know, and I’ll handle it,” Faith chuckled.
Being friends after divorce might work if both parties split amicably and there were no deep-seated grudges during the marriage. But that wasn’t the case with Neil and me.
Our divorce was messy, and our problems were numerous. Not to mention my past life, where I met a tragic end. Neil was the root cause of my misfortune.
Before I could respond, Faith hastily added, “I have another call coming in, Irene, I’ll have to take it now.”
With that, she hung up.
I stared at the ended call on my screen, speechless.
Speak of the devil, it wasn’t two minutes later when I heard a car honking outside. I reluctantly went out to see, and there was Neil, just getting out of the car. He was dressed casually today, probably not going to work. He wore a simple gray t-shirt and jeans, along with a pair of sunglasses, looking relaxed and refreshed.
Seeing me open the door, he handed me the car keys. “Here’s your car.”
I took the keys and forced a smile. “Thanks.”
“You’re thanking me for a favor you did for my mother. Have you lost your mind?” Neil removed his sunglasses, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
“You went out of your way to bring it here,” I weakly justified. Seeing him again reminded me of his words last night, and my heart began to race.
Contrarily, Neil seemed to be in a good mood. His usual brooding demeanor was replaced with a more relaxed one. He even had a hint of a smile on his lips, and his voice was lighter than usual.
Suddenly, cries of Serena and Brandon echoed from the living room, and Norah rushed out, “Ms. Finch, Serena and Brandon are crying!”
Hearing the desperate cries of my two little ones, I left everything else behind and hurried in to check on them.
I didn’t notice Neil following me in. He quietly watched as I tried to comfort the kids.
Just a few months old, Serena and Brandon were already quite the handful. It’s as if they could sense Neil’s presence.
Whenever Neil was around, they loved to cry and fuss, making it impossible for me to handle alone. I had no choice but to ask for help.
And that help could only come from Neil.
“Let me handle it.” As I was trying to soothe Serena, Brandon’s little face was red with crying in his stroller. Norah’s attempts to calm him down were futile, and Neil offered his help.
Before I could respond, he had already gently lifted Brandon from his stroller. Although his gaze wasn’t as affectionate as when he looked at Hiram, it was still gentle. After all, Brandon looked a lot like him.
I must admit, the father and son looked as if they were cut from the same cloth. Looking at their similar faces, I was momentarily stunned.
Norah was quietly observing them too, her expression complicated.
No wonder people suspected Serena and Brandon to be Neil’s children. I only suspected Hiram to be Neil’s because he looked so much like him.
Genetics is a fascinating thing; it allows you to recognize kinship at a glance.
If it hadn’t been for the paternity test Russel provided, which dispelled Neil’s doubts, he would probably have taken both children away by now.
In Neil’s arms, Brandon was very well-behaved and even smiled at him. His innocent little face melted my heart.
For a moment, the scene with me and Neil looked a lot like the life I had once imagined: us each holding one of our two children, living a simple and happy life.
But the timing was all wrong. Despite the pang in my heart, I had come to accept it.
“Dr. Russel, you… you’re back.”
Suddenly, Norah, looking in the direction of the living room entrance, said awkwardly.
When I turned to look, Russel was standing there, his face seemingly shrouded in a shadow, even in the bright sunlight. I had a hard time making out his expression.
His eyes were as cold as ice, silently watching me and Neil, his lips seemingly frozen into a tight line.
“I’m going to run to the grocery store,” Norah sensed the tension and quickly found an excuse to leave.
Left behind in the house were just Neil, Russel, and me, along with two innocent kids who were blissfully unaware of the tension.
Neil was also looking at Russel. Unlike Russel’s gloomy demeanor, there was a clear hint of rebellious amusement in Neil’s gaze.
