Chapter 493
Chapter 493
I wasn’t sure what Faith had said to Neil, but I could guess.
Knowing Faith, she would definitely demand that Neil kick Karina out of the Whitmore house. After all,
the Whitmore family had no room for a woman as scheming as her.
“Are you going to throw me out?” Karina guessed, forcing a smile. “Neil, do you feel the same way? Are
you going to abandon me like you did all those years ago?”
Neil hadn’t been firm enough back then, but Karina hadn’t exactly been a saint either. Her actions left
much to be desired.
In my previous life, Neil had adored Bonnie, likely because she reminded him of Karina. Given this, it
was easy to imagine the place Karina held in his heart, especially now with their son, Hiram, in the
picture.
Just as Neil was about to respond, Hiram burst out of his room, tears streaming down his face. He
clung to Karina’s leg and pleaded, “I don’t want to be separated from mommy!
Grandma, don’t make her leave! If she goes, I’ll go with her!”
Dad
“Hiram, if I have to leave, you have to listen to your grandparents and your father, okay?” Karina didn’t
plead alongside Hiram. Instead, she crouched down, looking at Hiram with a pained expression.
She shot me a glance, then continued speaking to Hiram, “And you have to listen to your new mommy.”
Was she trying to drag me into this?
I frowned, “Hiram, you won’t have a new mommy. Don’t worry.”
My words seemed to ease Karina, but Neil and Faith looked anything but pleased.
At the end of the day, this was their family drama. I had no business sticking around, especially given
Neil’s indecisiveness. His feelings for Karina were unclear, and I was growing impatient with his inability
to make a decision.
“Faith, Serena and Brandon are still sleeping. I’ll head to my room.” I said to Faith and left.
She seemed to want to call out to me, but she didn’t.
When I got back to my room; my phone started ringing.
Neil was calling, but I didn’t feel like dealing with him. To be honest, I was growing tired of his
indecisiveness. I missed the Neil from my previous life, who would move mountains for the woman he
loved and didn’t think twice about it.
Now, he didn’t seem to truly love anyone. Everything was vague and unclear, a stark contrast to the
man I once knew.
After ignoring Neil’s calls, he showed up at my doorstep.
I didn’t open the door, instead I called out to him, “Shouldn’t you be dealing with Karina’s situation?
Neil, will you ever learn to love someone wholeheartedly?”
“I’ve said it before, I don’t love Karina. Whatever happened between us was years ago. How many
times do I have to explain this?” Neil sounded exasperated, “Open the door, let’s talk face-to-face.”
“I came to Heavenly Mountain to accompany your mother, not to meddle in your business with Karina!”
I was growing frustrated.
Neil didn’t respond. Instead, his phone rang. He answered, and his tone grew serious, likely due to a
work-related issue.
After hanging up, he left without a word.
A few minutes later, I received a text.
[I have to head back to Rosemont for work. We’ll discuss Karina’s situation next time we meet.]
didn’t reply. I simply let out a sigh of relief. With Neil away, I could finally relax.
The next morning, I rose early to travel to Heavenly Mountain. The journey was quite the ordeal,
especially with two kids in tow. We couldn’t hike, so we had to take a cable car or bus, a journey that
would take at least two hours.
When I met up with Faith and Karina, neither of them looked particularly well.
It wasn’t until Faith saw Serena and Brandon that she managed to crack a smile. Suddenly, I noticed
something different about Hiram. He was wearing a pair of gold bracelets, adorned with a unicorn
pattern, identical to the ones Serena and Brandon had.
Caught off guard by my gaze, Hiram looked at his own bracelet, then turned to Faith, “Grandma, did
you give them these bracelets?”
Faith seemed flustered, unsure of how to respond to her beloved grandson.
Karina quickly intervened, “Hiram, it’s rude to ask such questions. It’s okay for Grandma to like other
kids, you know?”
She had changed her tune significantly from the day before.
“I understand. I like my brother and sister too. Our bracelets are so pretty.” Hiram seemed to have
matured overnight. He even reached out to gently touch Serena and Brandon’s faces.
Watching Hiram act so mature, Faith’s expression softened, “That’s right, your brother and sister are
very adorable, just like you.”
Hiram nodded, looking exceptionally well-behaved.
Yet, he would often glance at Karina for approval. It broke my heart to think that he was only acting this
way to please his mother.
I didn’t particularly like Hiram. However, when I thought that he was often incited by Karina, I couldn’t
help but feel sorry for him.
With the tension somewhat diffused, we set off for Heavenly Mountain.
Faith seemed to be in a bad mood on our way there. Ryan tried to cheer her up over a quick call, but
they hung up after exchanging a few words.
“Faith, has something gone wrong at the office?” Karina suddenly asked.
“I don’t know,” Faith replied coldly.
Could there actually be trouble back at Whitmore Co.? I was taken aback. The memory of Neil
receiving a late-night call yesterday made me worried. I remembered how stressful it had been when
my family’s business had run into a snag. But Neil was different from me; he should be able to handle
it.
Besides, it wasn’t my place to worry.
“Neil wouldn’t rush back to Rosemont in the middle of the night unless something was up.” Karina
continued, and I gave her an annoyed glance.
Faith already suffered from depression. We needed to keep her spirits up, not deliberately poke at her
sensitivities.
But Karina seemed indifferent to my warning glance, casually looking away.
“Neil can handle whatever is happening at the company. It’s not our place to worry,” Faith said, clearly
not interested in discussing the matter further. She cut Karina off with an air of impatience.
