“Hasn’t Joanna always treated you well? With me as your mother, haven’t you be perfectly happy all this time?”
Celia’s face, which had been full of righteous indignation a second ago, suddenly
wilted.
Ever since Mom’s accident, Joanna barely paid any attention to her anymore. Celia had even gone out of her way to confess to Mrs. Sinclair that she was the reason her mother got hurt–hoping for some comfort–but Mrs. Sinclair’s response was lukewarm at best.
And in the days she’d been living with Mrs. Sinclair, it was obvious she wasn’t cut out for taking care of kids. She kept forgetting about Celia’s food allergies and always got the wrong clothes ready when the weather changed, so Celia was constantly coming down with little colds.
If she was being honest, Mrs. Sinclair was nothing like her mom when it came to taking care of her.
But the last thing Celia wanted was to see her mother look smug about it.
She stuck out her lower lip. “Mrs. Sinclair is a real career woman–she barely has time for me and Raymond since she’s always so busy. I don’t want to bother her. You’re not like that, Mom.”
Celestine looked at her daughter in silence, listening to her try so hard to defend
Joanna.
No matter how little that woman did for her, Celia could always come up with some excuse. But when it came to her own mother, no matter how much Celestine did, it was just taken for granted. The moment she made a mistake, it was as if she’d broken some sacred law.
Celestine just smiled faintly, saying nothing.
“Mom, can’t you just stay?” Celia snuck a glance at her mother’s face. “Don’t get divorced from Dad, okay? When I have free time, I’ll spend it with you. I won’t go to Mrs. Sinclair’s anymore. But you shouldn’t be petty–sometimes she misses me and Raymond, so maybe we’ll visit her for a few days. Ow, Raymond, why are you pulling on me?”
Raymond was furiously giving Celia meaningful looks.
Wasn’t it obvious their mom wanted a divorce because of Mrs. Sinclair? Yet here
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was his little sister, going on and on about her
He tried to warn her, but she just didn’t get it.
“Mom, don’t listen to her nonsense! I promise, from now on, I’ll only stay with you
“Oh?” Celestine folded her arms and eyed him carefully. “And what about your Mrs Sinclair?”
Raymond hesitated, a flicker of guilt on his face.
Sure, he’d liked Mrs. Sinclair before. But the truth was, if he had to choose, he’d much rather live with his attentive, thoughtful mom. Mrs. Sinclair was nice, but she just didn’t know how to handle everyday life.
“She’s just a friend of Dad’s, Mom. We only liked her because she was new and interesting. Please, don’t overthink it.”
Crash-
A sudden thud echoed through the room.
Raymond spun around, startled.
He saw Joanna hurriedly gathering up a fruit basket she’d dropped, her face gone pale as paper.
She’d obviously overheard what he’d just said.
Raymond stood frozen for a second. “Mrs. Sinclair…”
“Raymond, you big dummy! You made Mrs. Sinclair sad!” Celia ran over to help Joanna pick up the scattered fruit.
Raymond pressed his lips into a thin line, glancing first at his mother’s unreadable face, then at Joanna–who looked devastated.
After a moment’s inner struggle, he muttered, “Mom, I’m going to help Mrs. Sinclair pick up the fruit.”
Celestine watched her son with a touch of irony. One minute he’d promised to stay by her side forever–so much for that. In the end, she thought, you can’t rely on anyone but yourself.
Raymond awkwardly helped Joanna gather the spilled fruit. “I’m Sinclair.”
sorry, Mrs.
Joanna managed a gentle smile. “Raymond, I know you’re a good boy. It’s fine. Even if you choose your mom, as long as she agrees, we can still see each other from
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Chapter 215
time to time.”
Raymond was stunned at her generosity, eager now to go and ask Celestine for permission.
But when he turned around, his mother was nowhere to be seen.
“Mom…? When did Mom leave?!”
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