Chapter 173 An Exnation


    Ever since he had memory, Eden had always longed for his father. It didn''t ur to him that his father


    would have left him and his mother to get engaged to some other woman. In Eden''s young mind, Edric


    was already dead to him. Eadric was a big liar, and Eden hated him!


    "Don''t scold your father like that. Eden, he had no choice back then."


    "What do you mean he had no choice?" Eden asked.


    "It means he had a reason to do so." Irene exined. "There''s a reason for your father''s engagement


    with that woman."


    "Wasn''t it because he wanted to marry another woman?" The scene of Edric and Lily''s engagement


    announcement was deeply embedded in Eden''s mind.


    "No, he didn''t want to get engaged to another woman. That was just for show."


    "But I saw it all. Mom, don''t lie to me."


    "I''m not lying to you. That woman fell ill. So, he got engaged to her to take care of her."


    Irene couldn''t find a reason to absolve Edric of his own actions. She remembered that Edric once told


    her he had gotten engaged to Lily because she was infertile. So, an idea popped into her head to use it


    as a justification to tell Eden.


    "Why didn''t dad take care of me and you? Why did he take care of someone else?" Eden asked.


    "Because he felt guilty towards her and he owed her." Irene continued to exin, "And it''s not that your


    father doesn''t love you. At the time, he didn''t know you existed."


    "Why didn''t he know about my existence?"


    "Because when I was carrying you in my belly, I didn''t tell him."


    "Was it because he made you unhappy, and that''s why you didn''t tell him?"


    Irene nodded. "He had broken my heart back then so I never told him I was pregnant with you. You


    were born after your father and I separated. So, your father never knew that you were his son."


    Eden felt a little better after listening to Irene''s exnation, but he was still unhappy. "Dad is a bad guy.


    He still hurt you, so I still can''t forgive him."


    "As a matter of fact, your dad is not to me. These are just adults'' matters. You''ll understand when


    you grow up. Now, you just need to remember that your dad and I both love you."


    "No, I don''t believe that dad loves me. If dad loved me, he wouldn''t have abandoned you and gotten


    engaged with someone else." Eden was very adamant.


    Irene sighed. "He has already called that engagement off. He is now single."


    "Mom, have you forgiven dad?"


    Irene nodded. "Yes I have, so you should too. We must lead a life full of love and not full of hatred. That


    is the only way we can be happy."


    After saying this, Irene suddenly thought of herself. She had been reluctant to forgive Steven simply out


    of hatred. Clearly, it was easier said than done. She herself could not do it, so how could she expect a


    four-year-old child to do the same? She could not influence Eden to change his mind towards Edric


    immediately.


    Margaret called out to him from outside the door several times, but Edric ignored her. He was utterly


    disappointed in his mother. Any love and respect he had for her had beenpletely shattered.


    If it weren''t for the fact that he had no choice, Edric would rather not have such a mother. He remained


    in the study for a long time before getting up and opening the door.


    Seeing Edricing out of the study, Margaretined, "Edric, what were you doing in there? You


    have to eat no matter how busy you are. What time is it already?" Then, she ordered Loraine, "Get his


    meal ready now!"


    Loraine quickly ced the dishes on the table. How could Edric be in any mood to eat at all? He


    assumed John may be hungry since he had been apanying him all this while, so he called him


    over to eat.


    The two of them ate silently. Edric couldn''t taste the food at all as he chewed each bite absentmindedly.


    Finally, when he saw John put his cutlery down, he also did the same.


    Margaret sat in the wheelchair and nagged about how her son had lost weight recently. Edric looked at


    his mother with a sarcastic smile. He stood up from the dining table and went straight out of the door.


    Seeing that he immediately left after eating, Margaret shouted behind him, "Edric, where are you


    going?"


    "I''m really full so I''m going for a walk." Edric said impatiently and walked out of the door. John knew


    that he was disheartened and followed him diligently. Edric looked back at him and said, "Go home


    first, John. There''s no need for you to follow me."


    John was unwilling to listen. Edric said, "This minor issue won''t knock me down. I want to be alone in


    the garden for a while. Go home and rest. I need your help with something after you get some rest."


    John wasn''t convinced until he heard Edric''s words. When John took his leave, Edric went to the


    garden alone.


    Although he had been thinking about it in the study for a long time, he still could not control his anger.


    He was afraid that he would not be able to hold himself back and start questioning and argue with his


    mother. However, it was not something that could be fixed by squabbling. He needed to be calm and


    slowly digest it. He needed toe up with countermeasures.


    Edric''s mother was still as stubborn as ever. When he recalled how he had kneeled on the floor to beg


    her to help him and Irene, Edric felt that he had been too na?ve.


    What''s more, Lily''s shamelessness turned out to be beyond his imagination. Thinking of the way she


    had acted so pitifully in front of him so that he would believe her, Edric couldn''t help butugh coldly.


    He really had been blinded by love. How could he have been duped by such an unsophisticated ruse?


    Fortunately, he had always loved Irene and that fact had not changed since the beginning. It still was


    not toote to make amends.


    Edric lit up a cigarette. The cigarette burned brightly, but his expression was shrouded in darkness.


    After Marie left the Myers home, she immediately called Deborah to confirm the news of Irene''s


    pregnancy. Deborah was very anxious upon hearing the news. "Things just keep happening all at once.


    Now she''s pregnant as well! How troublesome. Why don''t we get rid of the child in her belly?"


    "That won''t work. The child in Irene''s belly is to save Eden''s life. If you kill it, Irene and Edric would just


    have another child. They''re willing to do anything for Eden."


    "What should we do? Should we just sit by idly while they give birth to another baby? What should we


    do with Lily? What about the baby in Lily''s belly?"


    "Currently, I don''t have any good ideas. Anyway, it''s not like the child will be born anytime soon. Let''s


    think about it carefully. There has to be another way," Marie was clueless too.


    "That''s true, but I still have a huge problem on my end. Steven has been forcing Lily to go abroad, and I


    can''t keep dying his ns." Deborah grew anxious.


    "What''s the problem? Just tell Lily to pretend to be sick so she can avoid him for now." Marie said,


    dismissing it as a no-brainer.


    "It''s easy for you to say, but Steven isn''t that gullible. Right now there''s no way he''ll believe that she''s


    sick. He would want her to get a check-up at the hospital. Then Lily''s cover will be blown. Plus, if he


    identally finds out about Lily''s pregnancy, knowing how prejudiced he is, he will surely force her to


    get rid of the baby. All our previous efforts will be wasted by then," Deborah retorted.


    Marie was silent for a moment. "If nothing else works, then you''ll have to let Steven know about Lily''s


    pregnancy."


    "No! Absolutely not!" Deborah refused that idea point-nk.


    "When the timees, tell Steven that if Lily gets rid of the baby, she will never have any children ever


    again. No matter how cruel he is, he wouldn''t wish such suffering upon his own daughter."


    "He wouldn''t believe this lie!"


    "It''s not a lie. It''s the truth."


    Marie let out a long sigh. "There''s something I haven''t told you. Lily can''t get pregnant easily, that''s why


    I suggested the IVF method. This time with her surgery, I honestly didn''t have much hope. However,


    Lady Luck was on our side and she got pregnant. However, if anything goes wrong, it''s possible that


    she will never be able to conceive again."


    Ccontent ? exclusive by N?/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.


    Deborah was also stunned. "Why didn''t you tell me this earlier?"


    "So what if I had told you earlier?" Marie smiled bitterly. "It''s not like you didn''t know of her situation


    back when she was pregnant with Edric''s child. If that child could have been saved, I would have done


    everything to let her give birth to him, instead of framing Irene."


    "Wasn''t the reason that Lily couldn''t save the child because she ate something she shouldn''t have?"


    Deborah really didn''t want to believe that there would be problems with her daughter''s health.


    "That''s only one aspect of it. In order to convince Margaret that her child was killed by Irene, we


    nned to let her provoke Irene, didn''t we? That time when Irene pushed her to the ground, she was


    injured."


    "Additionally, the doctor who had operated on her at the time was a rookie. He made some mistakes in


    the surgery procedures which caused further harm to her body."


    Marie exined, "Although I nursed her body back to health as best I could, Lily''s body couldn''t return


    to what it used to be."


    Deborah was both vengeful and angry. She had never dreamed that her daughter''s health would be


    She started swearing vehemently, "Lily''s health was damaged this badly because of Edric. So, no


    matter what, we must find a way to get Edric to marry Lily this time. We must!"


    Meanwhile, Steven had just asked someone to make arrangements for Lily''s departure. On the other


    hand, he hadn''t forgotten to visit Irene and Eden either. During the day, he bought gifts again and went


    to Jordan''s vi. Irene was apanying Eden on a walk outside. When he saw Steven appear, Eden


    pointed at him and said, "Mom, Grandpa is here again."


    "Eden,e see what nice things I''ve bought for you!" Steven waved to Eden with a big bag in his


    hand, a big smile on his face.


    Eden nced at Irene and saw that there were no signs of displeasure on her expression, so he


    walked over to Steven. When he saw that Steven had bought all the things he liked, he smiled happily,


    "Grandpa, you''re so great!"


    Steven put the things down on the ground and reached out to hold Eden in his arms. He kissed Eden


    on the cheek a few times. Eden held out his arms and pushed him away, "Your beard is so prickly."


    Irene felt a pang of emotion in her heart. This scene before her reminded her of when she was a child.


    Back then, when Steven got home after work, the first thing he would do was to pull her into his arms


    and kiss her. Simrly, she would push him away and say "Dad, your beard is so prickly." Myra, her


    mother, had stood by and smiled gently.


    How beautiful life was back then! After some consideration, Steven lifted Eden over his head and


    began to spin him around while Eden giggled happily.


    Steven felt a little breathless after a few spins. He couldn''t help sighing, "I''m old now. I had never felt


    tired at all when I was holding your mother. Now I struggle to hold you, how useless I am."


    His words made Irene look over. Seeing the white hair growing on top of his head, Irene felt a pang of


    sympathy in her heart. She walked over and picked up the gifts that Steven had bought for Eden and


    walked towards the house, "Let''s talk inside."


    Irene''s invitation made Steven feel weed. He hurriedly carried Eden into the vi with Irene.


    Thomas was not around. Irene made a cup of tea for Steven and ced it in front of him. She then told


    Eden, "Why don''t you be a good boy and y over there!"


    Eden nodded, holding the toy that Steven had just bought as he went to y at the side. Steven took a


    sip of the tea. He sighed slightly and said, "The tea you make really is delicious."


    Irene was silent. Steven was still her father after all. Was it too much for her to treat him like this?