Chapter 402
Chapter 402
When Ryan and Faith saw me, their expressions shifted from surprise to delight..
Upon spotting Russel behind me, their smiles took on aplex nuance.
“Irene, you….” Faith moved forward, grasping my hand with her usual tender affection, “you’re here
too?”
“Yeah, I’ve settled down here.” I was surprised that Neil hadn’t told Ryan and Faith that we then lived in
the same city.
“He mentioned you and Russel were together, and you had two kids. But he didn’t say you were here.
That’s wonderful. It’s been too long since we’ve seen you.” Faith’s joy was genuine, and her eyes
radiated warmth.
That warmth was my motivation to intervene. Knowing that I was with Russel and had kids, and she
was still happy for me, I couldn’t just stand by.
I had never denied that Ryan and Faith had always been good to me. They were truly wonderful in-
laws.
“I moved here with my parents, and Russel found work here,” I answered briefly before ncing at the
man on the ground. “Faith, you can’tpensate him. He wasn’t injured. You didn’t hit him.””
“What are you talking about?” The man became agitated. “I was nearly run over. Don’t interfere with
something that’s none of your business!”
I pulled out my phone and showed a video I had taken for Serena and Brandon. It had captured the
ident from a corner. The car hadn’t even touched the man. He had simply fallen to the ground on his
own.
After I showed him the slowed-down footage, he fell silent. He sprang up from the ground, shot us a
re, and walked away.
Content (C) N?v/elDra/ma.Org.
Ryan and Faith exhaled in relief and thanked me. “Irene, we really owe you one. We don’t have the
energy to deal with con men like him. We’d have had to fork over money.”
“Don’t mention it. Weren’t you on your way somewhere? You should get going!” I replied, my smile
neither warm nor cold.
“We were going to…” Faith began but hesitated. She saw the stroller Russel was pushing and moved
closer, peering at the two little ones inside. She froze.
I knew she must have been shocked by Brandon’s resemnce to Neil.
My heart clenched as Russel spoke up. “They’re twins. Our daughter is Serena, and our son is
Brandon.””
“Oh… is that so?” Faith seemed a bit slow to react. Ryan also came over and was simrly taken
aback.
“This little guy looks…” Ryan couldn’t stop himself from pointing at Brandon.
“Looks like Neil, right?” Russel was calm. Heughed and bent down to y with Brandon. “I was
surprised myself. Even doubted it. We got a paternity test just to
be sure.”
The words “paternity test” caused Ryan and Faith’s expressions to change.
Their shock and suspicion turned into disappointment and resignation.
Faith reached into her bag and pulled out a thick wad of cash, cing it in the stroller. “Irene, we’ve
always thought of you as a daughter. So we are your children’s grandparents. This is a little something
for their first meeting. You can bring them to Springvale, to our ce, anytime. Stay as long as you
like.”
Her words left a bitter taste in my mouth. The love and tenderness in Faith’s eyes when looking at
Serena and Brandon were as genuine as my mother’s. She was Serena and Brandon’s biological
grandmother. She would have been overjoyed if she knew the children were part of the Whitmore
family.
But I couldn’t tell her. There was no possibility left for me and Neil. I couldn’t fight with them over the
children.
“Thank you,” I managed a smile. “Serena, Brandon, say thank you to your grandparents.”
Serena and Brandon seemed to sense Ryan and Faith’s emotions, breaking into an adorable smile.
What a coincidence.
Faith was delighted. She handed her bag to Ryan. “I want to hold them. They’re too cute. How can they
be this cute?”
She picked up Serena, looking at her from every angle, unable to take her eyes off her. Her love and
affection were obvious.
Then she picked up Brandon. His resemnce to Neil added a touch of regret to her gaze. Finally, she
kissed Brandon’s cheek and put him back in the stroller.
“Do you want to hold them?” Faith asked Ryan.
Ryan had been watching the twins all that time. His eyes were warm and loving..
But men tend to restrain themselves more.
He shook his head and said, “No need. Let’s not dy Irene any longer.”
“All right. Irene, we might be staying here for a while. Could Ie to visit you and the kids? Or maybe
we could have lunch, and do some shopping together?” Faith asked.
“Sure, that’s fine.” I didn’t have the heart to refuse Faith. Her affection for me went beyond typical
mother-inw and daughter-inw rtions.
Seeing my agreement, Faith looked thrilled. “Great, what’s your number? Let me have it.”
I had changed my number and didn’t tell Faith, so we hadn’t been in contact for a while. Since she then
asked, I gave it to her.
After exchanging numbers, Ryan and Faith left. Russel and I continued our walk with the kids, nning
to head home.
I sensed Russel’s mood had dropped somewhat. ncing at him, I saw him pushing the stroller, his
head slightly bowed, his face expressionless, lost in thought.
“Is everything all right? Were you taken aback by seeing them?” I asked.
“Hmm, they’re good to you, and they’re great with the kids too.” Russel nced at me, a slight smile on
his lips. “If Neil had messed up that badly in the past, would you give him another shot for the sake of
his parents?”
I knew Russel was worried. He was worried that with the arrival of Ryan and Faith, I might have gotten
entangled with Neil again.
His concern wasn’t unwarranted, but I knew my own heart. I wouldn’t have given anyone another
chance to hurt me.
Because in this world, there are no what-ifs.
Russel paused, then nodded, dispelling the hint of worry on his face. “All right, we won’t bring up the
past. We’ll only focus on what’s ahead.”
I responded with a simple “Hmm,” and took the stroller from his hands. “Let me push for a while. It’s
almost time to get dinner on the table.”
“Let’s not dredge up the past,” I simply replied.