Chapter 167
Chapter 167 Jerk
“Why? Isn’t the ce the same as always?” Elm asked, peeling an apple and preparing a fruit te for
Ruth. He cut the apple into small pieces, ced them on the te, and handed her a few toothpicks.
He then ate the remaining apple core himself.
“Regardless, Jasper is still your half-brother from the same father. It’s the New Year, you should go
home and visit,” Ruth suggested.
“He has already returned to the Smith residence,” Elm responded.
Ruth’s expression became somewhat tense upon hearing that. However, she chose not to say anything
further.
After divorcing his previous wife, John married Ruth just a monthter. However, Ruth was nothing
more than amon farmer’s daughter, a performer from a makeshift burlesque organization. She
used to be the leading burlesque performer and met John, an educated youth teaching in the
countryside, when she was just sixteen.
At that time. John was twenty-three, and it was almost love at first sight with Ruth.
It wasn’t until the second year of their rtionship that John returned to Hulbury.
She had waited for three years. During this time, John had returned once, and they had be
involved. He promised that he would definitely return to marry her in three months.
However, it turned out that John had already married another woman.
He had been married to thedy from the Friedman family for three years, and they had a child
together.
That child was Jasper.
The Smith family discovered Ruth’s love affair with John, but she was of low status and ordinary. In the
chaotic times they lived in, they couldn’t possibly approve of her.
In order to keep it a secret from the Friedman family, the Smith family gave Ruth a substantial amount
of money, persuading her topletely abandon the idea of marrying John.
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Ruth didn’t take the money and left in disappointment, all by herself.
And she, too, kept a secret. That secret was the fact that she had a child with John.
Their child was three to four years older than Jasper.
Ruth was pregnant before marriage, a situation that led to her being scorned by everyone in the vige.
Despite her beauty, she was seen as a worn-out shoe that had been yed with, and naturally, no one
held her in high regard.
Her parents had also driven her out of the house, so Ruth left her old vige alone, taking Ehn with her.
They moved to a fishing vige in a remote part of Hulbury. There, she worked orid jobs every day to
support the four or five-year-old child.
They were barely getting by each day.
Before he turned twelve, Elm had never read a book. He could only write his own name. This name
was given by John, who also painstakingly taught Ruth how to write.
During his childhood, Elm was not rebellious at all. In fact, he was the most sensible. among
his
peers.
Later on,
on, after John divorced from the Friedman family, Ruth was taken into the Smith. family. Elm also
started to have money for education and began attending school.
John told her that when he married thedy from the Friedman family years ago, he had no other
choice. In fact, during the years when Ruth was away, John had visited Ruth’s home.
once.
The Sanders family informed him that Ruth had remarried and moved to another ce.
John returned to the Smith residence in utter despair and sadness. However, throughout the years of
Ruth’s absence, John never gave up his relentless pursuit to find Ruth.
Ten yearster, on that day, John saw Ruth being bullied while selling fish on the street. He learned
about everything she had been through, took her home, and this led to a dispute with the Smith family.
In the end, Jacqueline found out about John’s past with Ruth. Only then did Jacqueline divorce John,
and Jasper was awarded to the Smith family.
In truth, Ruth was already very fortunate. Even without the approval of the Smith family. even when she
married John and faced opposition from everyone, at the very least, her husband always stood by her
side, never leaving or forsaking her.
And this child, always dutiful and sensible, had never given her a moment’s worry.
At first, Ruth thought that Elm wouldn’t acknowledge John as his father, but to her surprise. when she
married into the Smith family, Elm acknowledged this man as his father.
From then on, they no longer had to brave the elements, suffering from hunger and cold.
Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.
Aside from the status of being an illegitimate child, Ruth didn’t owe this child anything else.
Despite the hardships she had endured for twelve years, Ruth felt content knowing that she could
provide him with aplete home.
“Did hee to see you?” Elm asked.
Ruth gently nodded with a soft smile. “These days, he has been tirelessly looking after everything, day
and night. He’s getting on in years and his health might not hold up, so I asked him to go back first.”
“The doctor said they woulde backter for a re-examination. If there’s nothing serious,
can be discharged from the hospital. If he dares to treat you badly, I won’t let him off the hook.”
you
“Alright. You should go lie down for a bit! I’m going to take a stroll downstairs. Tonight, I’ll cook your
favorite dishes for our family dinner.”
“Have the caregiver follow along.”
“Got it.”
Elm couldn’t sleep all night. After several hours on a ne, he finally made it back. Hey down on
Ruth’s bed for a while and quickly fell asleep.
Ruth followed the caregiver downstairs and couldn’t help
but cough. Holding a clean ke handkerchief, she tasted a metallic taste in her mouth. Removing the
handkerchief, Ruth saw the smear of blood in the middle.
“Mrs. Smith…”
Ruth appeared rather calm, her face expressing indifference as she said, “It’s just an old ailment. Let’s
not tell Mr. Smith and Elm about it, so as not to worry them.”
“Alright, Mrs. Smith!”
Ruth tossed the handkerchief, stained with coughed-up blood, into a nearby trash can.
Eileen slept until noon. When she woke up, she felt as if her soul had left her body, her mind
completely empty.
After a while, when Eileen thought about what happened the night before, she felt a wave of nausea
rising in her chest. That damn bastard!
The bedsheets and covers from the night before were all dirty. They were changed in the middle of the
night because he had mysophobia. Seeing those reced sheets and covers, Eileen immediately
rolled them up and stuffed them into the trash bin. However, if someone were to find out, there would
surely be suspicion.
With that in mind, she took them out once again, washed away the dirty spots with water until no traces
remained, and then disposed of them.
Mary entered at that moment. “Ms. Eileen, I’vee to collect theundry.”
“Go ahead! By the way, where is Father and Eric?”
Why is this child still fixated on that man? He’s no good. Mary refrained from voicing her thoughts.
Instead, she replied, “Mr. Swan is ying chess with Mr. Snow.”
Eileen nodded pensively. “Did my father get angry because I woke up sote?”
Mary uttered, “During breakfast this morning, Mr. Swan didn’t say much. However, something peculiar
urred.”
“What happened?” Eileen inquired.
“Mr. Snow spoke up in your defense!” Mary answered.
Upon hearing those two words, Eileen immediately felt a headacheing on. “Forget about it. No
need to say more. Call me when my father needs something. Carry on with your work!”
“Very well, Ms. Eileen.”
Eileen had no desire to descend the stairs. She kept a kettle in her room to avoid having to do so when
she became thirsty in the middle of the night.
She then sat outside on the balcony of her room. It had snowed the previous night, so the morning
weather was quite pleasant. The sun illuminated the clear sky, and its warmth permeated her body.