Chapter 2448
Balfour silently watched Ivy, his eyes full of understanding, a clear sign that he knew everything that had unfolded.
Ivy, with a pang of anguish, closed her eyes, her voice choked with sobs. “Please don’t look at me like that.”
Blind to the compassion in Balfour’s gaze, she felt his gentle touch on her forehead, his hands warm and reassuring as they rested there.
He was silently offering her strength.
“Do you think I’m pitiable?” she asked.
“None of this is your fault,” he replied.
“Yeah, I know it’s not my fault. But after living in that kind of environment for over twenty years, sometimes I can’t even tell who’s to blame anymore. My mom… she just wanted to get along better with her foster daughter. But she forgot about me. She always tried so hard to please Clara, forgetting that she had another daughter who needed her care. I’m her flesh and blood for heaven’s sake! Couldn’t she spare a little concern for me?”
Ivy’s eyes snapped open, tears streaming down her cheeks as she searched Balfour’s face for some kind of answer.
“Why wouldn’t she turn around and look at me, her own daughter? We share the same blood. They chose to bring me into this world. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t be here. Yet, it’s my own mother who gave up on me first!”
Balfour’s voice was hoarse with emotion. “If there were a test to take before becoming a parent, Tessa and Finn would certainly not pass.”
“Exactly. If there was such a test, maybe I wouldn’t have had to come into this world only to suffer.”
Ivy turned away, unwilling to delve further into a conversation that reopened old wounds.
Even with Balfour, she didn’t want to expose the pain she had endured. Some things were just too embarrassing to voice.
Balfour was surprised that Ivy had brought up this subject. He didn’t want to pry into her painful memories. While listening to Ivy’s past was manageable for him, he understood it was a raw, lived experience for her.
Meanwhile, Balfour felt the need to find her a therapist – someone Ivy could trust ‘implicitly, who could help her walk away from her past pain.
But the right therapist wasn’t easy to find. He didn’t want those who were too caught up in fame and fortune.
Wy was in a fragile state, and a careless word could deepen her emotional scars. Balfour needed to choose wisely.
Only after by fell back into a deep sleep did Balfour carefully withdraw his hand and take a seat in the hospital comidor
He hadn’t expected to see a message from Mara.
(Balfour, can you come by? There’s something I need to talk to you about]
Balfour frowned. Their last conversation had been far from pleasant, and he had no desire to see Mara again.
Mara’s repeated actions had hurt by and crossed Balfours boundaries.
If Mera wouldn’t change her ways, he might have to consider sending her back home.
Perhaps, as Alyssa had suggested, they didn’t need much emotional engagement. They needed to maintain a distance. He would ensure Mara was taken care of for the rest of her life, fulfilling the promise he had made to her family.
Still, Balfour agreed to Mara’s request. She was still in the hospital, not yet discharged and he couldn’t hold a grudge against a patient.
No sooner had Balfour replied to Mara’s message than she called him.
He picked up but didn’t immediately speak. Instead, it was Mare who asked uncertainly from the other end. ‘Is that you, Balfour?”
