.
Jeffery stopped Marina with a sulky expression. Heâd be scolding Dolores by now if it werenât for the fact that there were so many people here. He let out a cold snort, âWhy does she have to be here, Joleneâs her birth mother, why does she have to cry for this woman?â
Samuel blinked and looked at that mean guy who used to be nice. He instinctively stepped in front of Dolores.
Kevin couldnât keep his composure and walked over. Dolores stopped him and said quietly, âLetâs forget all the bickering for now and let him leave in peace.â
Kevin clenched his fists. A surge of anger burned inside his heart, angry that Matthew wasnât here.
Today would be the last day he would see Victoria. Being her son, how could he not be here!
In the drizzling rain, under the priestâs prayer, Victoriaâs ashes were buried. All those present did not utter a sound, creating a melancholic atmosphere at the scene.
Dolores stopped crying. She just stood and watched in silence. However, the two children next to her were choking and sobbing.
They watched as Dolores placed the black and white photo of their grandmother in front of the headstone. At that moment, they knew that their grandmother had left them forever and that they would never see her again.
Dolores rubbed the heads of the two children and said, âBow to Grandma.â
They all silently bowed three times at Victoriaâs headstone and left accordingly. Before Dolores could walk away, Jeffery approached her, âMatthew is not here, why are you here, are you trying to prove how filial you are? You should know your place by now.â
Dolores stared at him with cold, sharp eyes, âI donât need you to tell me what I should or shouldnât do. And I sincerely hope you had nothing to do with my motherâs death.â
Jeffery narrowed his eyes. He hadnât expected Dolores to speak to him like that and his face became uncontrollably grim.
Jeffery had a mean, stubborn temper. Fearing that the two of them might argue, Marina rushed over and pushed him away.
Dolores didnât bother to argue with him either. She took her two sonsâ hands and left.
The funeral session ended at noon. After Dolores said goodbye to all the guests, she said to Armand, âSend the two children home first.â
âOkay, call me if you need me.â Armand took Simona in his arms, took Samuel by the hand and left the cemetery.
Dolores watched as Armand took the two children away. Then she turned around and looked at the gravestone behind her.
It was somber and lonely.
As time passed, at that moment, Victoriaâs existence was erased without a trace.
Victoria would no longer exist in this world.
Boyce came to her side and said, âJayden is sick, so Kevin has taken him back.â Dolores only answered him with a soft âumâ.
Her clothes were wet from the drizzle.
Boyce took off his jacket and draped it over his shoulders.
He stood beside her, accompanying her.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind. âMay I pay my respects?â
Dolores turned around and saw Charles behind her, sitting in a wheelchair, a bouquet of white chrysanthemums in his arms. Tom was behind his wheelchair, holding a black umbrella, standing at the foot of the green brick steps.
Dolores made way for him.
Charles was in a wheelchair, so it was uncomfortable for him to climb the steps, so it was Tom who helped him put the bouquet of white chrysanthemums in front of the headstone. He was very worried about the companyâs problems, so he looked very fatigued. By the time he heard the news, the funeral was over when he rushed over.
âI have no other motives. Iâm here on behalf of my adoptive father, Nathan. I hope he rests in peace.â
Charles sat up straight and bowed deeply three times before the headstone, looking solemn and respectful. He looked at the black and white photo of the woman in front of the tombstone. Although time had passed, the woman still looked elegant and gracious: âAllow me to introduce myself to you once again. I am Charles White, Nathanâs adopted son. My adoptive father was in love with only one person all his life, and he never married. If you see him around, give him a chance, so he wonât feel too lonely.â After she finished her words, she stood in place and silently lamented.
Then, he looked at Tom, âCome on.â
From the beginning to the end, he never looked at Dolores.
He said he wouldnât bother her, so he did as he said. This time, he came to B-town once again, just because this sick woman was someone his foster father had once loved.
If it wasnât for this matter, he would never have set foot in B City.
âAccording to the plan, although there were many passersby that day, however, apart from the two people who had died in the car accident, we could find no traces of other people,â Boyce said indifferently.
Dolores curved her lips, âIsnât it strange that Jeffery would let me off so easily? For such a stubborn person like him, Jolene is like a taboo to him, so how could he let it go easily?â Boyce knew what she meant. But right now he had no proof at hand.
âThere will be a mistake as long as he tries to do something. Thereâs no hurry.â Dolores believed it was only a matter of time before Jeffery got the punishment he deserved.
Besides, she and Matthew were much younger than Jeffery. They would have all the time they needed to find the evidence of Jefferyâs crime.
âLetâs go back.â The little drizzle looked like it was going to turn into a heavy rain.
Dolores responded with a âhmm,â turned and looked at Victoriaâs headstone one more time, then left along with Boyce.
It was not yet night, but due to the gloomy weather, the sky had already darkened, looking very gloomy, as if a heavy rain was going to fall at any moment.
Armand and Boyce stayed in the villa. There were enough rooms for them, and they were also worried about Matthew. Besides, Dolores was pregnant and the two children were here too.
At least, if they were there, they could add some liveliness to the gloomy atmosphere, and they could take care of Matthew, Dolores and the two children.
The night regained its peace again. In this season when spring was turning to summer, the rain had become very frequent, mingling with the wind, and blowing the white curtains.
Only a faint yellow light was illuminated inside the studio. Matthew sat alone, as if he were the only person in the whole world.
Victoriaâs kind, calm face constantly flashed through Matthewâs mind. He didnât have many memories of Victoria. After she moved into the Nelson Family home, he had avoided her. When she grew up, she went to boarding school. And after she graduated, she stayed away and didnât come back at all.
He wouldnât come home even when it was New Yearâs Day.
During these years, he had rarely been home. If it werenât for Dolores, he wouldnât even have had the opportunity to spend this brief period of time with Victoria.
In her hands was a photo that Jayden had given her. It was a picture of Victoria when she was young.
At that moment, the door to the study opened softly. Dolores walked in and saw Matthew sitting in the dim yellow light, silently and intently looking at the photo.
Her footsteps stopped, she stood in front of the study table, she didnât know how to placate him.
Silence would probably be the best treatment right now.
She lowered her gaze. The dim light was cast on his face, intertwining light and shadow on his features. Dolores couldnât see his expression but she could hear his hoarse voice, which sounded like a piece of paper torn by the wind, like remnants of strands. It sounded as if she was trying to forcefully suppress herself, but she couldnât stop herself, âI already knew her identity. I hated her for keeping it from me, and I resented her for allowing me to hate her for so long. I refused to face it, and I didnât want to forgive herâ¦.. But why didnât she give me a little more time so I could forgive her and go away like thatâ¦â Dolores walked over to him and hugged him tightly.
She hadnât expected her heart to ache so much knowing that Victoria had passed away.
âShe just needed a little more time. She let me hate her for over twenty years, I just needed a few more daysâ¦â
âWhy was she so cruel, why did she have to turn me into an unfilial child?â
âWhy didnât she wait for me to forgive her and address her as my mother? How could she go off like that, leaving me behind again?â
He had lived the first half of his life in resentment, And now he had to spend the rest of his life in self-recrimination and regret?
Why was she treating him this way?
.
.
.