Henry, an elderly man who had been through a lot, looked at Anna calmly and composedly.
He said, âSince Wayne is deeply in love with you, heâll definitely marry you. He and Peter, you see, have been feuding for a long time. Youâre a wise woman, so you can persuade them to reconcile. That way, Peter would welcome you.â
âActually, | think youâre overestimating me,â Anna said, frowning, âWhat makes you so certain that | can persuade them to reconcile with each other?â
â| know Wayne is a cold person, but he would never do such a thing. They are at odds because they rarely communicate with one another. Everything will be fine if you let Wayne agree to explain what happened before to Peter clearly.â
Henry was correct: Anna was the only person who could persuade Wayne. However, he had no idea that Anna had already investigated what had happened three years ago and was as suspicious of Wayne as Peter was.
Meanwhile, Anna was convinced that people changed. As for Wayne, he was like a different person from the one she had first met six months ago. Also, Anna was sure that Wayne wouldnât do what he used to do anymore.
Three years ago, Wayne was still a man who would do anything to get what he wanted. But now, to Anna, he had become a gentle person who cared about his loved ones.
âHenry, are you really sure it had nothing to do with him?â
âOf course. Iâve taken care of Wayne since he was a baby, so Iâve spent a lot of time with him. You know the fact that he kicked out his mother when he was 13, correct? But, do you know the truth behind this?â
Anna froze, then looked at Henry, perplexed.
âWhen Jennie was kicked out of the house, she was five months pregnant.â
Jennie and Wayneâs father rarely saw each other, and sheâd return to the Wrightsâ house to attend his funeral. So, there was a chance the baby she was carrying wasnât Wayneâs fatherâs.
Seeing Anna not quite understand what he meant, he explained, âJennie was Peterâs favorite adopted daughter. If Jennie stayed in the family, Peter would realize that her child was not one of the Wrights. He would let that child disappear for the sake of the familyâs reputation and his son.â
âSo Wayne kicked his mother out of the house just to protect her child?â Anna froze, asking.
âActually, Wayne isnât as cold as everyone thinks he is,â Henry sighed. People may have misunderstood him because he struggles to express himself. If you can help them, he and Peter can reconcile. And things will be easier.â
Anna had very mixed feelings. After hearing about it, she had a different impression of Wayne, but she couldnât let go of the fact about that incident three years ago.
So, what actually happened back then? Anna thought to herself.
Anna refused Henryâs request, telling him she would consider it later.
ee When Anna got home, it was completely dark.
Ryan had been looking after the children like a professional nanny since he had stayed at her house. At the time, all three of them were sleeping on the sofa, Tammy and Matthew on either side of him.
Anna placed the dessert she had brought from the cafe on the table and stood there for a long time before deciding to wake Ryan up.
Ryan yawned, rubbed his eyes, and turned to Anna, saying, âYouâre back!â
âYeah, and thank you for taking care of them. You can go to bed now if you want, Ryan.â
Ryan blinked as he smelled the dessert, and exclaimed, âNo, Iâm good. What is it that smells so good?â
âOh, | brought some cake and a fruit salad. Have you eaten yet?â
Ryan immediately nodded and said, âNo, | havenât. Every time it was time to eat, the two kids would start playing. And |
had no choice but to watch cartoons with them for a while after | fed them. | remember you telling me not to let them watch too much TV, so | persuaded them to go to bed. But, then they started arguing with me.â
âIâm sorry about that. Could you carry them to their bedroom with me? Iâll make you something for dinner later.â
âSure, thank you.â
Anna prepared a plate of spaghetti with bacon and tomato sauce for Ryan.
The entire room was filled with the tantalizing aroma of food after she finished cooking. Then, Ryan wolfed down the pasta and got tomato sauce over his face.
He asked, âWhy isnât Wayne back with you? He would have grabbed this plate from me if he had seen it.â
Anna exclaimed when she heard his words, âNo way! How could he ever do that?â
Ryan put his plate down, wiped his mouth, and started eating the fruit salad.
He replied, âDonât you think so? In my opinion, Wayne is a childish but over-confident person whoâs not very good at expressing himself. Whenever he tries to do something nice, he starts by saying something very mean. Well, | donât think itâs difficult to get along with him.â
âIs that your impression of him?â Anna asked, frowning.
Anna had always thought Wayne sucked at getting alone with people because he only had one friend, Karl. Even if someone tried to make friends with him, Wayne would scare them away. Ryan nodded and said, âYeah! Whatâs wrong? | feel like you have something on your mind.â
âIâm wondering if we missed any details before,â Anna said after a brief silence. âYou know, Iâm referring to Matthewâs accident.â
Ryan paused before asking, âOh? Like what?â
âLike why Mary was so certain that it was Wayne who told her to do it. Well, | donât think we should just listen to her.â
âSheâs already seriously ill, so | doubt sheâd lie.â Ryan appeared confident in the clue he discovered and annoyed that Anna questioned him.
Anna then asked, âIs that so?â
In fact, she was pretty sure of the outcome of Ryanâs investigation. However, following her conversation with Henry, she had grown suspicious. She didnât think they had any evidence of Wayne doing it, so she couldnât draw any conclusions.
Ryan wiped his mouth and said, âWell, if you donât believe me, you can go to Leeds and ask them yourself. | can get Mary and Kim to talk about what happened back then and record it. Iâm very professional about it, so | can tell if theyâre telling the truth.â
âProfessional?â Anna inquired, her gaze fixed on Ryan.
âFrom the viewpoint of a junior at the Military Academy majoring in reconnaissance.ââ Ryan looked at Anna and told her the secret heâd been keeping for a long time. Anna froze for a moment, unsure about what he was saying, and then asked, âRyan, what are you talking about?â
âMy full name is Ryan Tyler, and Iâm a junior reconnaissance major at Military Academy. Iâve wanted to tell you about this for a long time, but Iâve never found the right time. So Iâm just telling you right now. Youâre questioning my conclusions, so itâs the best time for me to tell you who | really am. | can assure you that | am not mistaken.â
The two of them immediately became very serious.