Chapter 363: The Important Decision
The high tension in the air was further deepened by the cries coming from Irene. Sitting next to Leslie, the teenager sobbed her heart out as she hugged her elder sister.
"S-sorry... I didn’t know... Big Sister, I’m sorry..."
Irene’s heartwrenching cries made it hard for Leslie to smile. But, she did her best to comfort the struggling teenager. After all, everything Irene had just heard was not pleasant.
"Why are you sorry ah? You’re not... at fault at all..." Leslie gently stroked Irene’s back. She raised one hand, running her thumb under one of the teenager’s eyes, "Neither of them told you... the truth..."
Irene was indeed oblivious to the torment Charlene had to endure. Being around nine to ten years old, what else could she do when her own parents refused to tell her why her elder sister was exiled.
Rowan and Bianca simply reassured Irene that Charlene was recuperating from a sudden sickness. No matter how many times she asked, she only got the same answer.
Earlier, Leslie started by telling Irene about her short relationship with Calix around six years ago – the story both of them agreed on from the beginning[01].
"I didn’t dare to tell anyone... about our romance... Shortly before I knew I was pregnant, your brother-in-law... got into an accident..."
Leslie brought up how Calix was trapped in a coma for half a year. He also didn’t remember her at all until recently, leading him to ask Rowan for her hand in marriage.
"I was too tired to argue... with them... They wouldn’t ever believe me if I said... Calix was the father..."
From there, Leslie told Irene about the hellish days she had to endure during her exile. Only one person treated her well, Mrs. Wang as the rest viewed her as a burden.