Chapter 480
Chapter 480
“You shouldn’t be here, Neil,” Russell was the first to break the silence, his tone icy, his eyes filled with barely concealed hostility.
Neil, cradling Brandon in his arms, just kept pacing, casually retorting, “Why shouldn’t I be here? She’s my ex-wife. It’s only natural for us to meet as long as she’s not married.”
At the mention of ‘not married’, my heart sank.
As expected, Russell’s face grew grim, and in the next moment, his gaze landed on me, filled with disbelief.
Did he think I was the one who told Neil?
“Neil, stop talking nonsense!” I couldn’t help but interrupt him. I didn’t want to be with Russell, but I couldn’t admit that now.
“Nonsense? If you two aren’t legally married, then you aren’t husband and wife in my eyes,” Neil’s words were obviously meant to provoke Russell. He put Brandon into his stroller, then sank into the couch, speaking in a calm and unhurried tone, completely ignoring my protest.
Neil was just as possessive as I’d thought. Even if given a hundred more years, he would still do as he pleased.
I just couldn’t understand how he’d found out about the state of my marriage with Russell. “Did you tell him?” Russell’s tone shifted, his eyes full of disappointment as he looked at
I immediately shook my head, but I had just had a big fight with him a few days ago, even stating that I’d rather be entangled with Neil than be with him. So, my denial seemed to have little effect.
I could feel the tension radiating off Russell, the hurt in his eyes apparent. As he walked towards me, I held Serena in my arms and my heart pounded with fear, worried about what he might do.
“Russell, we have two children together. Isn’t that enough to consider us married, even without a piece of paper?” I quickly explained, not only trying to calm Russell but also hoping to dispel any doubts Neil might have about the children.
As soon as I finished speaking, both men’s expressions changed.
Russell’s face softened considerably and he stopped in his tracks, while Neil’s eyes went dark and stormy as he stared at Russell and me.
“Right, I don’t care about a marriage license. A piece of paper doesn’t always guarantee that people will cherish what they have,” Russell took Serena from my arms and kissed her gently.
Serena, who was already fond of Russell, let out a cute giggle at his kiss.
Her laughter made Russell smile too, his eyes warm and tender, enough to make anyone fall for him. He was just too good to my children.
But Neil was clearly irked by this scene. He rose, his whole being radiating frustration and cold determination.
“Marriage without a license, is that so?” Neil laughed coldly, glancing at Brandon with a chilling gaze that sent shivers down my spine.
If he’d already discovered that Russell and I weren’t legally married, then it wouldn’t be too hard for him to arrange another paternity test, and then everything would be exposed.
“What’s the point of you pestering her?” Russell’s voice was back to its usual calm demeanor, probably pleased by my earlier words. His eyes narrowed slightly as he addressed Neil, “We’re a happy family of
four, and you have Karina and Hiram. Neil, don’t you know how to cherish what you have?”
Russell’s words only made Neil’s expression even colder, as if a sore spot had been poked. He hadn’t cherished me when we were together, and now he wasn’t cherishing Karina either.
What’s the point of valuing something only after losing it?
“Thank you for bringing the car back today, but I’m afraid we won’t be able to have lunch together,” I was feeling all over the place and just wanted both men out of my house as soon as possible, so I addressed Neil first.
Neil looked at me. Even if he wanted to pester me, he wouldn’t do it in front of Russell.
He didn’t even respond to me and just walked out.
As soon as one of them left, I felt a weight lifting off my chest. I let out a sigh of relief and sank into the couch, feeling drained.
Russell gently placed Serena back into her stroller and gave her a small toy to practice grasping,
The living room fell into an oppressive silence. Russell sat down in front of me, staring at me for a long time without saying a word.
Finally, I couldn’t stand the silence any longer and said, “I’m sorry about earlier. I manipulated you again.”
Russell simply hummed in response, his voice void of any discernible emotion.
“Don’t you have any questions?” I asked, wondering why he didn’t ask about how Neil knew about our marital status or why he came to return the car.
But Russell didn’t ask, and I couldn’t guess what he was thinking. His eyes were like a deep, still pool, quiet yet slightly unsettling.
Maybe I was just feeling guilty.
We sat in silence until Norah came back. She’d bought some groceries and wore an awkward smile. “Dr. Russell, would you like to have lunch here? I’ll start cooking.”
“No, thank you, I just came to pick up some documents. I’ll be heading back to the hospital soon,” Russell finally spoke but didn’t address the issue with Neil.
I watched him leave without stopping him. Wasn’t this the outcome I wanted?
Both Serena and Brandon were soundly asleep, their peaceful faces both warming and wrenching my heart. If I couldn’t provide them with a stable life and keep them entangled in this chaotic situation, I would really be letting them down.
“Ms. Finch, I’m sorry, but could I take a leave?” Norah suddenly came out of the kitchen, looking anxious.
“What happened?” I snapped back to reality.
“There’s been an incident at home. My mother fainted all of a sudden. She’s over eighty and is now in the hospital. I need to go see her” Norah replied, looking worried.
Norah was a local. Her whole family lived in Eldoria, so it was natural for her to want to check in on them. There was no way I could refuse her.
“Alright, go on now. If you need something, just let me know. I’ll help you out where I can.” I agreed to Norah’s request without a second thought. She had always been kind to me and the kids, so I added an extra word or two.
Norah nodded gratefully. Not having the time to chat, she rushed off.
She was gone for the afternoon, and by evening she gave me a call, saying she wou be able to make it back tonight.
“No problem, take care of your mother first. You can come back tomorrow.” I didn’t giv Norah a hard time.
