Chapter 390 Leave Or Not


    No matter what her rtionships with Lydia and Gavin had been like, Rachel had always found a home


    in Joanna. It was indeed unbearable for her to watch Joanna in such a helpless state. Rachel''s eyes


    moistened seeing Joanna beg her again and again.


    "Mom, I ……" she uttered in a choking voice.


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    Joanna grabbed her hands and looked into her eyes pleading,"Rachel, please do me this favor! Just go


    away and travel around for a few days! I believe that Gavin will calm down by then.


    We are bonded by blood already. You''re Jonny and Joyce''s mother. No one can take that away from


    you. But look at Gavin now, please do me this favor and go away for a while!"


    Rachel looked at her and shook her head, saying,"Mom, I''ve promised Hiram that I''ll never leave him,


    and I can''t leave my kids!"


    How could she agree to Joanna? Where would she go?


    It was her home here. She got such adorable kids and a loving and doting husband who even risked


    his life by taking the bullet for her. How could she leave them?


    "Rachel, please consider what I''ve said to you. I''ve never intended to force you to do what you don''t


    want to do, but I am helpless since this involves Gavin. You know, he''s getting old. I have no other


    option but to give him the first priority," Joanna said.


    Joanna could not look straight into Rachel''s eyes as she spoke. She had her head tilted downwards as


    she wiped the tears from her face. Later, she patted on Rachel''s shoulder and went inside.


    Rachel stood still for a long time after Joanna had walked inside. What kind of a dilemma life had


    thrown at her. What would she do now? Her mind went nk.


    She couldn''t remember how she drove herself home. When she got home, she walked inside with a


    pale and nk look on her face. Fannie saw her in that state and asked where she had gone. But


    Rachel was not in a state to speak even a word. She went upstairs without exchanging a single word


    with Fannie.


    As she approached the kids'' room, she could hear the kidsughing and chattering between


    themselves. Kids and their innocent gestures are said to be the best stress busters for elders. Rachel


    tried to heal bruised heart by filling it with the sounds that came from the kids'' room. But her mind was


    too much clouded and fatigued to even respond to it. She opened the door of her room and sat on the


    bed. Jonny and Joyce came running to her room and urged her to y with them. She forced a smile


    and tried to look normal in front of the kids.


    One word that kept harping inside her head was ''leave''. It kept piercing her heart making it bleed


    profusely. Hiram''s family hade to believe that Rachel''s leaving them all was the solution to all their


    problems. How could they? Was she not a part of their family? How could they just think of throwing


    her out like that?


    Fannie could feel that something was bothering Rachel that she was not ready to share with her. "Don''t


    pretend as if nothing happened in front of me, honey! It has been so many days now and I''ve got to


    know it from the servants," Fannie said to Rachel as she took her hand into hers.


    She took Rachel to her room after lunch while Jonny and Joyce busied themselves in the living room.


    "I''ve never thought that things would turn out like this. I admit that I never liked Lydia from the very first


    day that I met her. I still remember the hostile look in her eyes. But I never thought that she would jump


    from the second floor!


    She is really stubborn, and what about Hiram? He couldn''t do anything to her because she was his


    sister. How could she jump down?


    How about your father-inw and mother-inw now? They must be heartbroken? But do they vent


    their angers out on you?" Fannie grabbed Rachel''s hand and asked. She had so many queries piled up


    for Rachel. She was so anxious about Rachel''s well being. Though Rachel did not let her know about


    her disputes with her inws, being a mother Fannie could make out that everything was not well with


    her daughter.


    Rachel forced a faint smile and replied,"Mom, don''t worry. My mother-inw is a nice person and she''s


    always good to me. I know that Hiram''s father has a problem with me, but I can understand."


    Fannie heaved a sigh and said in a relieved voice,"I''m d to hear that. Look, it has been quite a while


    since I went back to XH Vige thest time. I want to go back tomorrow."


    "Mom, listen ……" Rachel said.


    "Honey, just rx and let me finish my words. Bad news travels fast. The vigers must have learned


    that I was arrested, and I need to show up to say that everything is okay. Please let me go back. I feel


    like starting a new life after walking out of the police station."


    Fannie interrupted Rachel and continued.


    Rachel nodded to her and held back the words she had wanted to say,"Okay, Mom! You''re free to go. I


    respect your decision."


    "That''s right! You must be exhausted. Go upstairs to take a nap!" Fannie said as she smiled at her


    daughter lovingly and patted on her hand.


    Rachel walked out of Fannie''s room and headed back to her room. No matter how she camouged


    her state of mind in front of her mother, the fact was that she had no way to run away from the


    problems in her life. Her head got a heavy feeling. She tried to put the mess in her mind aside and take


    a nap. But just then, Joyce came in with her Barbie.


    "Mommy, can I take a nap with you in your room? I can''t sleep in my room," the little girl asked pouting.


    She climbed on the bed, kicked off her slippers, andy beside Rachel.


    Rachel took Joyce in her arms, caressed her long hair tenderly and said,"Of course darling! I''m d to


    have you here."


    "Thank you, Mommy! I love you! Can I go to school after the Spring Festival?" Joyce clung to her


    mom''s arms cozily and asked happily.


    "Yes, you and Jonny will go to the kindergarten after the Spring Festival. Then, my Joyce will attend the


    primary ss! How do you feel about it?" Rachel asked and kissed her on her rosy cheek.


    "Great! I''ll study hard and take the first ce for Mommy! I also want to learn piano and dancing! I saw


    the girl next door today. She was wearing a pink dancing dress. She looked so beautiful!" Joyce said


    admiringly as she twisted and yed with her own fingers.


    Looking at her little daughter''s sparkling eyes that were full of aspirations and dreams for the future,


    Rachelughed and said,"I believe that you''ll look more beautiful in your dancing dress, but you have


    to wait for a few months because you''re underage now."


    Sheforted her little daughter.


    The mother and daughter spoke for a while before little Joyce fell asleep.


    Talking with Joyce had been the most rxing and soothing thing that happened to Rachel in the whole


    day. As she watched her daughter sleep peacefully, even she slipped into a sound sleep. But just in a


    short while, the door opened.


    Hiram stepped into the room silently. He had gone back to work earlier than the n, but he didn''t stay


    at thepany for the whole day. Usually he attended the morning meeting and discussed the urgent


    works with his co-workers before leaving for home.


    He stood beside the bed and watched Rachel sleeping peacefully with Joyce. Joyce still held her


    Barbie doll in her arm. This was perhaps the best assurance for Hiram that no matter what, his small


    and loving world was still safe and secured. Watching the two most loving girls in his life, a smile


    appeared on his face.


    He heaved a sigh of relief. He knew Rachel went to the hospital that morning and was afraid that Gavin


    would say something bad to her.


    But watching her sleep in absolute tranquility gave him some kind of an assurance. He felt that she was


    alright and it was just a false rm.


    Hiram lifted Joyce up in his arms cautiously without making any noise to her room next door.


    Rachel and he had prepared rooms for the twins before they were born, but it was inevitable that they


    would share one room from time to time because the kids needed care.


    Closing the door of Joyce''s room lightly, Hiram went back to their room and drew the curtain before he


    lifted the cover andy beside Rachel.


    Rachel reached her hands to find Joyce in her sleep. Then she opened her eyes and sprung up when


    she could not touch her little body. She felt that little Joyce might have fallen down from the bed.


    But instead she found Hiram lying next to her,ughing at her reaction.


    "When did youe back?


    And where is Joyce?" shey back and asked in a sleepy voice with her eyes closed.


    Watching at her smilingly, Hiram said in a low voice,"Don''t worry. I took her back to her room. This bed


    is too small for the three of us."


    Rachel opened her eyes and looked at their king-size bed speechlessly.


    Then she asked,"Did you have your lunch?"


    "Yes, I grabbed something to eat on my way home. Come here! I''m tired after a whole morning''s


    meeting. Let''s take a nap together!" he replied.


    He stretched his long arms and held her in them.


    Rachel was sober enough because she had taken a nap before he came back, but shey in his arms


    quietly.


    Out of habit, she pulled his shirt to see his wound, and she felt relieved when she saw it was healing


    day by day.


    "Honey, did my father say something that hurt you?" Hiram asked softly caressing her shoulders.


    Hearing what he asked, Rachel felt as if she was whipped back from her cozy slumber. She had her


    eyes wide open as she stared with a nk expression on her face, not knowing how to reply to her


    husband.