Chapter 479


    Chapter 479


    “Dad agreed?” I was even more surprised that my dad didn’t get in touch, nor did he tell me anything


    about Russel.


    Mom looked like she was past arguing with me. She replied coldly, “Your dad and I have said and done


    all we could. You’re so adamant about not being with Russel, so what else can we do?”


    I couldn’t quite tell if I was happy or sad. If my parents stopped meddling in my affairs with Russel, it


    would lighten the load on my mind. But when I thought of their profound disappointment in me, I


    couldn’t help but feel upset.


    After saying her piece, Mom went to her room for the night without another word. I didn’t stop her. I


    simply took a shower and went to bed with my children.


    I thought Mom would leave after a while, but to my surprise, Norah informed me the next morning that


    she had already left.


    “She left early this morning,” Norah said as she brought in breakfast. “She asked me to take good care


    of the children.”


    Mom left without so much as a word. I felt a pang of sadness.


    My phone was on the table. I wanted to call her to ask what was going on, but I decided not to. She


    was probably upset with me; perhaps some time apart would be a good thing. At that moment, my


    phone rang. It was a call from Faith.


    I collected my thoughts and picked up.


    “Irene, I’m really sorry aboutst night. Hiram suddenly started fussing at home, so I had to go back.


    Did Neil take you home?” Faith sounded apologetic.


    “He took me home, Faith,” I replied.


    “That’s good. I asked himst night, but he didn’t say anything. He even gave the driver a raise for


    some reason, probably because he was drunk and wasn’t thinking straight. He didn’t say anything to


    upset you, did he?” Faith seemed concerned.


    I was puzzled. Neil gave the driver a raisest night?


    Why?


    Was it because he was good at hitting the brakes?


    I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it, but I assured Faith, “No, he was probably a bit tipsy, but he


    didn’t say anything inappropriate. Don’t worry.”


    Faith seemed relieved. “That’s good. I’ve asked him to send your car over.”


    “What?” I was taken aback. “Is Neil bringing my car over?”


    “Yes, no worries. You’re friends even after divorce, right? If he bothers you, just let me know, and I’ll


    handle it,” Faith chuckled.


    Being friends after divorce might work if both parties split amicably and there were no deep-seated


    grudges during the marriage. But that wasn’t the case with Neil and me.


    Our divorce was messy, and our problems were numerous. Not to mention my past life, where I met a


    tragic end. Neil was the root cause of my misfortune.


    Before I could respond, Faith hastily added, “I have another calling in, Irene, I’ll have to take it


    now.”


    With that, she hung up.


    I stared at the ended call on my screen, speechless.


    Speak of the devil, it wasn’t two minutester when I heard a car honking outside. I reluctantly went out


    to see, and there was Neil, just getting out of the car. He was dressed casually today, probably not


    going to work. He wore a simple gray t-shirt and jeans, along with a pair of sunsses, looking rxed


    and refreshed.


    Seeing me open the door, he handed me the car keys. “Here’s your car.”


    I took the keys and forced a smile. “Thanks.”


    “You’re thanking me for a favor you did for my mother. Have you lost your mind?” Neil removed his


    sunsses, a hint of amusement in his eyes.


    Belonging to N?velDrama.Org.


    “You went out of your way to bring it here,” I weakly justified. Seeing him again reminded me of his


    wordsst night, and my heart began to race.


    Contrarily, Neil seemed to be in a good mood. His usual brooding demeanor was reced with a more


    rxed one. He even had a hint of a smile on his lips, and his voice was lighter than usual.


    Suddenly, cries of Serena and Brandon echoed from the living room, and Norah rushed out, “Ms.


    Finch, Serena and Brandon are crying!”


    Hearing the desperate cries of my two little ones, I left everything else behind and hurried in to check


    on them.


    I didn’t notice Neil following me in. He quietly watched as I tried tofort the kids.


    Just a few months old, Serena and Brandon were already quite the handful. It’s as if they could sense


    Neil’s presence.


    Whenever Neil was around, they loved to cry and fuss, making it impossible for me to handle alone. I


    had no choice but to ask for help.


    And that help could onlye from Neil.


    “Let me handle it.” As I was trying to soothe Serena, Brandon’s little face was red with crying in his


    stroller. Norah’s attempts to calm him down were futile, and Neil offered his help.


    Before I could respond, he had already gently lifted Brandon from his stroller. Although his gaze wasn’t


    as affectionate as when he looked at Hiram, it was still gentle. After all, Brandon looked a lot like him.


    I must admit, the father and son looked as if they were cut from the same cloth. Looking at their simr


    faces, I was momentarily stunned.


    Norah was quietly observing them too, her expressionplicated.


    No wonder people suspected Serena and Brandon to be Neil’s children. I only suspected Hiram to be


    Neil’s because he looked so much like him.


    Gics is a fascinating thing; it allows you to recognize kinship at a nce.


    If it hadn’t been for the paternity test Russel provided, which dispelled Neil’s doubts, he would probably


    have taken both children away by now.


    In Neil’s arms, Brandon was very well-behaved and even smiled at him. His innocent little face melted


    my heart.


    For a moment, the scene with me and Neil looked a lot like the life I had once imagined: us each


    holding one of our two children, living a simple and happy life.


    But the timing was all wrong. Despite the pang in my heart, I hade to ept it.


    “Dr. Russel, you… you’re back.”


    Suddenly, Norah, looking in the direction of the living room entrance, said awkwardly.


    When I turned to look, Russel was standing there, his face seemingly shrouded in a shadow, even in


    the bright sunlight. I had a hard time making out his expression.


    His eyes were as cold as ice, silently watching me and Neil, his lips seemingly frozen into a tight line.


    “I’m going to run to the grocery store,” Norah sensed the tension and quickly found an excuse to leave.


    Left behind in the house were just Neil, Russel, and me, along with two innocent kids who were


    blissfully unaware of the tension.


    Neil was also looking at Russel. Unlike Russel’s gloomy demeanor, there was a clear hint of rebellious


    amusement in Neil’s gaze.