Stella was in a mess. She wanted to forgive her father and wanted him to go to Isobel. But who could
sort out the confusion in her psyche for her?
"I'm trying to, but there are some things I just can't figure out. Dad said Mom's death had nothing to do
with him, and I just want to know why Mom killed herself. She couldn't have gone looking for death for
no reason, she couldn't have committed suicide without being stimulated."
"I'll forgive Dad immediately if I get things straightened out, and I can help Dad get to Isobel. The
problem is that no one can explain the matter clearly to me now."
More than anyone else, Stella's heart ached for her father, and more than anyone else, she wanted him
to be well and happy. But things were right there, and she couldn't talk herself out of it.
"Don't get some things if you can't figure them out, and you can't make Dad suffer the consequences
because of your lack of clarity. That wouldn't be fair to Dad, he shouldn't waste his limited life on how
you and Brian feel."
"I'm not sure about your family's previous affairs, and I probably can't relate to what you and Brian feel.
But I look up to Dad's character and respect the truthfulness of his words, I believe Dad unconditionally,
and I support him in finding Isobel."
This was what Joshua had been thinking all along, and he believed that the truth of the matter was not
what Stella and Brian had seen. There were too many hints in his father-in-law's words, it was just that
Stella and Brian's hearts were so paranoid that they didn't even bother to look at the deeper meaning.
"Stella, can't you hear the implication in Dad's words? Can't you feel his desire to say something else?
Don't you ever think about what it all means?"
These words were not intended to be said by Joshua, but he still didn't hold back.
"Yes, and I know there was something in Dad's words. But the more he did, the more I wanted to know
the truth. After all, Brian and I have the right to know the truth."
Stella was more observant than anyone, so how could she not see her father's hints? It was just that
she wanted to know who the victim really was in this whole thing.
"You're only looking for truth, but have you ever thought that since Dad did not tell you, there is
something you can't know?"
"Stella, we are about to become parents. Think under what circumstances we can't let our kids know
the truth."
Joshua didn't know the exact things, but he could appreciate Rufus's hopeless heart.
He was now persuading Stella, just to get her to unconditionally forgive everything in the past and not
to let this matter affect any more people.
"Parents start out for the good of their kids, afraid that they'll be sad and that they won't be able to
accept the truth. It's probably these things that are kept hidden from the kids."
Stella thought for a moment before giving this answer, and after the answer, she seemed to have
figured something out.
"Honey, you mean the truth would break me and Brian's heart, that's why Dad didn't tell us?"
"Yeah, that's what I mean. Otherwise, your dad would have made it clear a long time ago."
Joshua felt relieved that Stella could see this point. This made things much better, after all, his father-
in-law's starting point was good.
Stella was silent once again, if that was really what she thought, her father was looking out for them in
every way, but they had never thought for him for so many years.
Yet what was Father hiding? And what was it that she and Brian could not accept?
Brian was also in a bad mood after he hung up the phone, thinking about his brother-in-law's words,
thinking about his father being sick, and thinking about Winnie's dedication to this matter, he was
ashamed.
This event was important to him and had affected him for over twenty years. But now the same thing
was also causing trouble for others and affecting their mood. Winnie and Joshua were all having a hard
time.
What to do? What should he do to make everyone's heart comfortable?
The next morning.
It was Friday, and it depended on today whether Winnie returned or not. Brian was looking forward to it,
hoping that Winnie would come back.
At the breakfast table.
Everyone was eating their breakfast, and only Rufus coughed occasionally, and it was an audible
cough that he had deliberately held back.
"Let Sis walk you to the hospital for a checkup."
Brian spoke up to break the silence at the table.
"It's fine, I'm in pretty good shape."
Rufus replied in a low voice, not noticing anything unusual about his body except for the occasional
cough.
"Get it checked out, coughing isn't good for your health."
Brian was still persuading, only his persuasion was stiff for he wasn't used to show such concern.
"Some time, I guess, I'll go to the hospital."
Rufus didn't want Brian to continue and gave such perfunctory remarks.
After breakfast, Brian took the two kids to school and the house was quiet again.
Seeing that Rufus was sitting alone in the living room again, Paul walked over and sat next to Rufus.
"Did you and Brian have a quarrel last night?"
Paul asked.
"Yes."
Thinking about what happened last night, Rufus' heart was as heavy and suffocating as if it was
blocked by a stone.
"I heard you. You have your thoughts, and the kids have theirs. If you can't tell them what you really
think, don't blame the kid for thinking otherwise."
"Anyway, it's already progress for Brian to talk to you, and you should not be angry with him."
Paul persuaded Rufus, fearing that he wouldn't be able to get through mentally.
"I'm not angry with him, I'm wondering how long it will take for this matter to be resolved. It's been so
long, knowing where Isobel is and knowing that Vanessa is my child, but I can't do anything about it.
Seriously, I felt more indebted to Isobel and Vanessa."
Not angry but anxious, he wanted to have a happy family reunion.
"If you want to solve everything, you have to let them know the truth, you can never solve their hatred
for Isobel by hiding it like this. Things are already complicated, and now Winwin and Vanessa are
involved. The situation is just getting more and more complicated now, so there's no solution except to
tell the truth."
This was Paul's take on the matter, It was so complicated that it was a mess.
"How should I tell them the truth? Their mother had been death, and I feel disrespectful to her for
saying that. And most importantly, it hurts Brian and Stella too much."
Rufus had thought about telling the truth, but he did not. He had carried it alone for over twenty years,
and although the kids hated him, he felt it was worth it, knowing that they had an attachment to their
mother and a miniMom of respect for her.
Once the truth was told, however, that attachment of the two kids turned to pain.
"You did it for Brian and Stella, and for your wife. But Isobel took it all on for you, didn't you ever think
about how hard it was for her?"
"Now it's not just Isobel, if the truth is not told, Winwin and Vanessa will both be affected by it. Rufus,
while worrying about your own kids, shouldn't you also think about the kids of other families?"
Paul stood from a different perspective and probably saw things differently. He said that because he felt
that Rufus also had his own selfishness in this matter.
He was afraid that his kids would be hurt, but he did not take into account Winnie and Vanessa who
were also hurt.
In a sense, the most innocent people in this matter were Winnie and Vanessa. From Winnie and
Vanessa's point of view, they lost their parents and their home because of these events and became
orphans for no apparent reason.
Who had ever felt their pain, who had ever cared about them, and who had ever put themselves in their
shoes?
"I'm selfish? I only cared about whether my own kids could be able to accept it, but ignored Winwin and
Vanessa's feelings?"
How could Rufus not hear the meaning in Paul's words? It was because he felt indebted to everyone
that he wanted to find the best of both worlds to get this matter resolved.
"Well, you could say that. Rufus, the kids are old enough to accept it, and they should accept it"
Although Rufus had his own ideas, Paul still wanted to say something. It was the only way to reduce
the damage to everyone.
"Paul, accompany me to the cemetery."
Rufus said, surprising Paul.
"To the cemetery?"
"Yes, I have something to say to Brian’s mother."
Rufus looked indignant.
Without asking why, Paul got up and went straight out to get the car.
Rufus lived on the suburbs and was close to the cemetery, but for so many years he had not been to
the cemetery once to visit his wife’s tomb.
Why, because all the hate Brian had for Rufus was transferred to his wife by Rufus. He hated her for
just leaving without saying anything, otherwise it wouldn't have caused such a bad situation now.
He went straight to his wife’s tomb.
Paul stood at a distance, watching Rufus.
Rufus saw the picture of his wife and couldn't tell what it was like. Always he hated her, blamed her, but
he had never wanted to come over to see her.
Because she didn't need his guardianship, didn't need him as a husband.
"You died with him, don't you think you were selfish? It is ok that you died and I had not stopped you,
but shouldn't you have done your duty as a mother to make things clear before you died? You just died
with him, but what you left behind was the pain of the kids and me."
Rufus blamed his wife, releasing the pain he had suppressed for so many years.
"You're selfish, you know that? I don't blame you for all the things you've done over the years, but what
do you give me in return? You could care less about my feelings, but what about the kids? They are
your kids, can you bear to watch them suffer, can you bear to watch me suffer?"
Rufus said the words he had kept inside for more than twenty years, and his own heart ached as he
said them. But the wife in the photo was still smiling, as if everything had nothing to do with her.
"You only have him in your eyes, you don't even care about the kids’s feelings. You died without a
word, have you ever thought about how the kids came through? Do you have any idea what kind of
damage you're doing to Brian by dying right in front of his eyes?"
Rufus nearly collapsed, he really wanted to let the twenty years of pain all out, but his wife's smiling
face made him angry.
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