Winnie communicated with the children, but never initiated a word with Brian from the beginning to the
end.
Although she was nothing, although she had no relationship with Brian, Brian respected her.
"Winnie, I apologize for the other day at the studio over the money."
Just as Winnie was thinking, Brian uttered the words of apology.
"It is ok."
What Winnie was really angry about wasn't the money, but whatever he apologized for, she accepted it,
just superficially.
"I was going to talk to you about the business trip the other day, but I didn't, because I was angry. I'm
sorry, I had a problem with my manner of speaking, and I didn't consider your feelings."
"I won't be fighting with you over money in the future."
Brian knew he was being too petty by doing that, knew he shouldn't have gone away for days without a
single phone call.
Knowing that he was wrong, he apologized, he just didn't know if Winnie could truly forgive him.
"It is ok, No money problems coming up in the short term."
"I've got the money, I've made a lot in the four months of the game, it'll solve all my problems."
The reason Winnie told Brian that she would be even less likely to use his money in the future, and
there would be no need to fight.
"You made money, Mom?"
Megan asked curiously.
"Yeah. When you're older, I will give you each a house to live in. When you don't want to go home, you
can go to your own house."
This was what Winnie had planned for a long time, and these were the only ones she could give to her
children.
"I'm not going out to live alone."
Luke raised an objection.
"Right now you don’t want to live alone, but when you're older and have your own mind, you won't want
to be with Mom and Dad. At that time you are going to need a private space."
Winnie understood what it was like when the kids grew up.
"If I really need a house, I will earn my own money, Mom, don't work too hard for us."
"But I don't think I need to, I don't ever want to be separated from mom and dad, I want to live with you
guys forever."
Luke said, and Winnie was depressed when she heard it.
She knew that Luke said those words as a sign of hope given to the family.
He hadn't had a full home since he was a child, and hadn't experienced the warmth of a home instead
of being abused by Penny, so he longed for a family even more than Megan.
"Yeah, I'll see if you can still say that when you're an adolescent. When the time comes to be willful and
playful, it's the parents who hate it the most, you probably want to be out of Mom and Dad's control
more than anyone."
Winnie just pretended that she didn't hear the meaning of Luke's words and jokingly continued to
speak.
"I am not having a normal home until now, who can tolerate my temper when I am capricious by the
time I reach puberty? Neither of my parents are around, I don't have that right to hate."
Luke had a feeling and couldn't control his emotions.
His words silenced the private room, and Luke realized he had said the wrong thing.
"I'm sorry, mom, I'm sorry, dad, I shouldn't have talked like that."
After apologizing, Luke continued to eat, but it was obvious that he was in a bad mood.
For a child who was only six years old had to bear such a mental burden, Winnie couldn't mention how
heartbroken she was.
Childhood should be the happiest age, but her child had lost the right to do so from birth.
"No, it's Mom and Dad who should say sorry."
Winnie had to apologize, because she really couldn't give what the child wanted.
"Mom, no matter where you go, you can't leave me and my sister, I'm coming with you."
The reason the subject came up was because they had gotten up in the morning and didn't see their
mother, and were worried that she would never come back.
Yet the unwavering choice to leave with her mother rather than stay with her father was still because of
the fear of being abused by stepmother like Penny.
The private room was once again silent, this silence like a merciless sea swallowed Winnie's life, she
was powerless to struggle yet full of guilt.
"Brother, don't worry, mom won't leave us alone. Eat, this barbecue is so good."
Megan was not a foodie and said this purely to lighten the mood.
She could see the look of embarrassment on her mom and dad's faces, the fear that her brother wasn't
completely hiding.
She was also afraid of her mom and dad leaving, but she didn't suffer what her brother did, she didn't
panic as much.
"Mom, Dad, I am sorry."
After saying sorry once again, Luke ate dutifully, but not in the same exuberant mood as before.
Winnie was speechless, facing the child, she only had guilt.
When they came to eat, they were all happy, but Luke's words pierced everyone's heart. The
conversation started with money, she didn't expect it to affect the atmosphere of the meal.
It didn't get better until the BBQ was finished.
The two children offered to stay home with their mother, and Winnie did not refuse because of her guilt.
Brian couldn't possibly leave, so he insisted on following along back to Winnie's house.
Both children had gone to their rooms to sleep, and Brian felt the need to have a deep conversation
with Winnie once.
So he came to Winnie's room.
"Shall we talk?"
He asked for Winnie's opinion, and in doing so, he sat down at the edge of Winnie's bed at the same
time.
"I already feel guilty for the kids, I don't want to talk."
Winnie knew in her heart what Brian wanted to talk about, and she resisted the topic because it was
pointless.
"Some things have to be addressed to be comfortable, and you don't just get past them by hiding and
not talking about it."
"Winwin, you heard what the children said, in fact they are longing for a warm and solid home."
"I used to be a jerk and neglected your feeling. I know you hated me, I know you can’t forgive me."
"But can you give me one more chance for the sake of the children to give them a full home?"
Brian said a lot in one breath, just in case Winnie interrupted midway without giving him a chance to
speak. But this time was definitely an exception, Winnie actually listened to him finish his words.
"How many times do you want me to say it before you understand that it's impossible between us?
Even if we're together for the sake of the children, one day we'll be separated."
"Do you think it’d better not to give them hope, or better to make them disappointed?"
Winnie wanted to have a good talk with Brian, hoping that they would work together to give the children
the best living environment.
"Why say that? Why should we be separated? I'm doing my best to work through all the previous
things, and then there are no more barriers between us."
Brian had different ideas with Winnie, and he felt that they would get better and better instead of
heading towards a breakup.
"There will always be obstacles between us, solving one and the next, sprouting like weeds year after
year. When do you think we'll be done settling them?"
"Also, even if there wasn't any opposition between me and you, we have gap. Two people who have
gap can't adjust to each other after they get married, and one day they won't be able to hold on to end."
Winnie said one reason after another, at this point she realized that there were so many reasons.
"I don't think so, I don't think that is a reason we can't get married. As long as two people who love
each other, all difficulties can be overcome."
"And in the money aspect, you're no less or even better than me."
Brian was stating the truth, not because he wanted to be with Winnie, so he pleased her. Winnie's
excellence wasn't something he saw alone, everyone saw it clearly.
"Don't make a joke, even if there was only money, I have no confidence."
"There's more to life than just love as a relationship, you can respect me, you can appreciate me and
get along with me as a best friend. I think that's the best relationship for us to have for a long time."
Winnie didn't dare go further with Brian, and could not marry him.
She had wavered the other day to accept Brian. She thought that Brian was serious about her and
thought she could trust him.
But he still thought about Wendy and went abroad to look for that woman. Winnie then realized that he
had not changed at all, and that woman was important to him.
So she was shaken, but she was also disheartened once again.
"Winwin, you have your excuses. I don't want to be friends, I want to be with the person I love."
"You tell me all the problem, or write them down, and I will fix them one by one and never let you have
any reason to reject me again."
Brian was sure that he still couldn't convince Winnie. She was hurt too deeply, so she was holding
back.
"One reason is enough."
"I can't marry you if I don't love you."
Brian concluded.
Although he knew that Winnie was speaking in anger, Brian's expectant eyes were still hurt.
He looked at Winnie sadly, wondering how he could get her to take back what she had just said.
"Are you sure you don't love me?"
Brian asked rhetorically, looking straight at Winnie.
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