Chapter 124: You Chose Us
Tears spilled from William’s eyes, his expression more sincere than the words he had just thrown at Evelyn. Though it was dark, she could see the moisture in his rare brown eyes, his eyelashes fluttering ever so slightly as he tried to control his outburst.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Evelyn asked in confusion, her voice barely above a whisper. She was terrified of where this conversation might lead. Was her worst fear coming true, or was there something even more devastating that could crush her heart further? Being swapped at birth was endurable, but being brought in to replace a dead child, to save a family’s status—that thought was unbearable.
William closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This truth should have been buried with him, which should have never seen the light of day. But Gracia was right, the truth is like hot coal stuffed in one’s mouth. You can’t hold it in, no matter how hard you try. His silence only made Evelyn more anxious, her mind racing with a whirlwind of thoughts.
"It’s true, but there’s more to it," William finally said, his eyes meeting Evelyn’s terrified gaze. His words froze her in place, a single tear slipping slowly from her eye. "I don’t know what kind of story you heard, but you were never brought in to replace her."
"Then why did you adopt me and give me her name?" Evelyn burst out, her tears flowing freely. If they had never adopted her, never brought her into their home, wouldn’t her life have been more peaceful? These two decades of suffering, William’s indifference, Sophia’s constant bullying, the hatred in his eyes for supposedly taking Gracia away—none of it would have happened.
"I didn’t deserve any of this, nor your love or your hatred," she added slowly, her every word piercing right through William’s heart.
It was true. He had misunderstood her all these years. After Gracia’s death, Evelyn had grown rebellious, her arrogance and constant fights with Sophia making him regret ever bringing her into their family. Those vile thoughts had only plagued him, especially after Charlotte left when Evelyn was barely twelve. He believed Evelyn had no care for her dead mother or their family, distancing himself from her until they became strangers.
But tonight had cleared all his misunderstandings. He realized what a jerk he had been all these years. The fact that Evelyn had started a company in Gracia’s honor, to fulfill her dreams, showed how much she cherished and still loved her Mama. It shattered all his negative assumptions about her. He thought they might have a chance to get better if he apologized and made things right. But it seemed they were going in circles again.
William sighed, feeling overwhelmed by his thoughts. He had never been good with words; Gracia had always handled that. But tonight, he had to open up his heart. Evelyn deserved to know everything, and he was determined not to lose his daughter—his little bunny—even if she wished to cut ties after hearing the truth.
"We weren’t the ones who chose you as our daughter, Evelyn," William started, confusing her even more. When her eyes met him, he continued, "It was you who chose us. You wanted us to be your parents, and you wanted Gracia to be your Mama."
Evelyn’s tears trickled down her cheeks, her emotions barely in check. His words filled her heart with pain but also sparked a glimmer of hope that maybe something good could come out of this mess.