Chapter 476

The butler took one glance at me before leaving in a hurry.

I kept my head down and said nothing. It would be a lie to claim that I did not feel anything at all. Nomatter what, they were my parents. I supposed they had come to look for me because of Steven.

After the meal, I went straight back to my room. Because of what had happened earlier on, I felt awful.However, I was pretty sure that I would not help them this time around and hoped that they would notforce me to do so.

It had been a while since I returned. I did not take the initiative to contact them because when theywanted me to be the scapegoat for Steven back then, it had already broken my heart. From then on, Iwas utterly disappointed with them.

I knew very well that I meant nothing to my parents. Other than Steven, my well-being was of norelevance to them.

I was playing with Amaury in the bedroom when Michael walked in. He sat down beside me and lookedat me with anguish.

“They're still here. I know you're very upset, but please don't forget how they have treated you in thepast.”

Michael spoke gently to me, but I could tell that he was trying to remind me not to give in to them again.My softheartedness toward my family had always been an issue of contempt for Michael.

In the past, he had advised me umpteen times, but I had always refused to listen. Now that things had

blown out of proportion, I had to put my foot down. If I did not, Michael and even I would despisemyself.

If I gave in again, I would be asking for it. I always ended up driving myself into a corner for people whodid not care about me.

“I understand. I told you very clearly the last time that I won't give in no matter what they say this timearound. That was the last.”

Avoiding Michael's eyes, I pretended to be unaffected.

“Whatever happens, I'll always be by your side,” said Michael gently, and he pulled me into his arms.

I gave him a faint smile and a nonchalant look, but deep down, I felt terrible knowing that my own fleshand blood were standing outside the door.The butler took one glance at me before leaving in a hurry.

Time trickled away. As Michael needed to attend to some work at the company, he left. I came to thewindow and saw my parents still standing out there. They kept looking into the house.

In reality, the Shaw family could have invited them in for a proper discussion, but they did not. The thingthat happened a year ago had caused a barrier between them. The fact that my parents made me takethe blame on Steven's behalf had made things even worse. The Shaw family was certainly not happywith my parents.

They had made a clear stand when they refused to let my parents into the house. It might appear rudeon their part, but I knew they were trying to protect me. For that, I was very touched.

The sky gradually darkened. Yet, my parents still refused to leave. They had been standing out theresince noon, and six hours had passed. Knowing that Steven was the apple of their eye, I doubted theywould leave if they did not get to see me.

I kept stopping myself from going out to see them. Initially, I thought they would leave if they did not seeme. It turned out that I had underestimated the importance of Steven in their hearts. For my brother,they were willing to do anything.

Michael was not back by dinnertime. He had to work overtime because the workload had beenaccumulating.

Michael was a workaholic, so it was not a surprise to me. In the past, he used to work overtime toowhen we were together.

I could not concentrate on my dinner knowing that my parents were still out there.

Just then, I heard thunder. Nowadays, the weather changed in an instant without any warning. I lookedout of the window and saw that it was about to rain.

I walked toward the window and wanted to see if my parents were still out there after so many hours.They should have left by now. After all, most people would not be able to take it after missing twomeals in a row.

Under the faint light, I saw that they were still standing outside the door. When I returned to the country,

I had my phone number change and did not contact them. Therefore, there was no way they couldlocate me unless I showed myself in front of them.

I wished they would leave soon because I really did not wish to see them.

The rumbling of the thunder went on, and soon, it started to pour. Looking at the wild storm going onoutside, I became more worried. On the other hand, the Shaw family did not seem to be affected at all.

Just then, Josephine took one look at me and said, “Anna, come and eat your dinner. The food isgetting cold.”

I knew she was trying to distract me, and I was also aware that I had to be firm this time around. If Igave in, my parents would definitely demand unreasonable things.

“All right.”

As I made my way to the dining table, I took another glance at my parents. That was when I knew theyhad no intention of leaving.

They were my parents after all. Knowing that my dad was unwell and they were standing in the raindespite their age, I was unable to have my dinner in peace. I admitted that I could not hold myselftogether. My heart softened.

I rushed to the door, picked up an umbrella, and ran out.

“Anna!”

I heard Josephine calling my name. I knew she wanted to stop me, but nobody would be able to sitaround and do nothing if they saw their parents getting drenched. I knew I was an indecisive person,and I hated myself for it. However, there was no way I could be heartless toward my parents. Perhaps,I would always be so soft-hearted for the rest of my life.

I opened up the umbrella and hurried toward my parents.

When I got to them, they were thrilled to see me.

“Anna, I knew you are in there. You have finally come out.”

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you replace any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report