Chapter 512
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
Ashton knew me better than I do.
We embraced each other silently as time ticked by.
Gradually, I drifted to sleep. Halfway through the night, I sensed him taking my hand and muttering,
âScarlett, Iâm sorry!â
His voice was low and blurry, and I soon dozed off.
The next morning, John showed up bearing gifts.
Most of them were for Summer.
My face was unnaturally pale, so he ignored Ashton and suggested, âWhy donât you move to the
Stovall residence?â
The Stovall residence was located in the city center and guarded heavily by the military. If the reporters
barged in, they would be punished severely.
I shook my head. Summer didnât go to school today. She was pleased with his gifts and kept fondling
the toys adoringly.
Recalling Hannahâs situation, I furrowed my brows. âHave you visited Hannah?â
Stunned, he responded, âMm.â
I knew he was brushing me off. Feeling an incoming headache, I demanded, âJohn, if you donât love
her, you couldâve broken up with her ages ago. Why did you force her to stay by your side and ignore
her? Have you ever considered your childâs future?â
Frowning, he massaged his temples and exhaled in frustration. âScarlett, stay out of this, will you?
Hannah gave birth to my child, so I wonât mistreat her.â
I fell silent. After a long pause, I inquired, âDid you fall for Yvonne Wilde?â
His frown deepened. âItâs nothing. Donât overthink things.â
âMommy, I saw Granny when Uncle John picked me up. She said sheâll visit you soon,â announced
Summer suddenly.
I was astounded. Looking at John, I repeated dully, âGranny?â
He nodded. âYes, itâs Cameron. Sheâs involved in charity work now. I ran into her in Summerâs school
and chatted with her briefly.â
I pursed my lips and fell silent.
If Summer hadnât mentioned her, I wouldâve forgotten about our relationship.
As I said nothing, John hesitated before adding, âI know you despise her, but she gave birth to you and
searched for you all her life. She had no other choice. Scarlett, perhaps sheâs suffering more than you
can imagine.â
I held on tight to the warm glass in my hand. âJohn, when I first met her in Pear Garden, Mr. Clinton
said I resembled her a lot. I went back home and stared at my reflection for a long time. Back then, I
thought that Iâd look like my mother a lot if she hadnât abandoned me when I was a child.â
âWhen I was young, Grandma told me I was a dandelion. My mother took great care of me, but the
wind blew me away and brought me to Grandmaâs arms. In fact, Iâve never blamed her. Grandma
mightâve brought me up, but she never told me I was abandoned. I was just a kid who was blown away
by the wind.â
Summer crawled into my lap and consoled me. âMommy, itâs fine. You have me!â
My lips curled up into a smile as the bitterness in my heart faded away.
Staring at John, I continued, âIâve never blamed her for abandoning me. When I found out Rebecca
was her long-lost daughter, I felt envious. She then showered her love on Rebecca. I envy her for
having such a loving mother. Unfortunately, she chose to harm me in order to protect her.â
I let out a laugh at the absurd way things had turned out.
A flash of sympathy appeared in Johnâs gaze. He took a deep breath and answered, âScarlett, we canât
live in the past, right?â
I knew that very well, but there was no use denying what had happened.
âI dare not hate or despise her as weâre related by blood, after all. I buried the pain deep down and
licked my wounds alone.â Wincing in pain, I added, âJohn, Iâm not that generous. Do you know why I
couldnât bear seeing Hannahâs predicament? That was because I used to be like her. I used to be
inferior in love.â
âBecause of my background, I felt blessed to marry Ashton. I knew he treated Rebecca differently.
Whenever there was thunder, heâd wake up and spend hours driving over to her house to be with her. I
was terribly jealous of her back then. I was afraid of the thunder too. However, I couldnât call Ashton as
he had to take care of someone else. I had no choice but to bury myself under the covers and bit my lip
through the whole ordeal.â
The memories were etched in my brain forever. If I didnât recall them, theyâd still be there somewhere.
But my heart would still ache the moment they were brought up.