Chapter 379: Wife, I'm Sorry

Chapter 379: Wife, I'm Sorry

Caspian's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly turned the car around.

"What's wrong?" Harriet asked.

"Nothing, I forgot to grab something. Need to go home first."

Caspian got out and went back to the master bedroom, taking out his phone to call Tristan.

"You're at home?"

"Yes."

"Harriet wants to visit Mom. I saw your car parked outside, so I turned back. You leave first, then we'll come over."

"Okay."

Caspian hung up. As he turned around, he saw Harriet standing in the doorway, staring at him.

Caspian felt inexplicably guilty. "Harriet, why did you follow me up?"

Harriet smiled slightly. "I also forgot to grab something."

"Did you get it?"

"Yes."

"Then let's go."

When they arrived at the Lancaster family villa again, Tristan's car was already gone.

Caspian brought Harriet inside. The teacup in Haven's hand fell to the floor with a crash. She looked at Harriet, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face.

Caspian made the introduction. "Harriet, this is Mrs. Haven Lancaster. You used to call her Grandma."

"Grandma."

"Harriet, you're finally home."

"Grandma, we came to see Mom."

"Your mom is in Della's room. With you and Della both gone, all she does every day is organize Della's clothes."

Harriet went upstairs and found Sloane in Della's room.

She sat on the bed, quietly folding Della's clothes.

Harriet walked over and knelt down in front of her.

When their eyes met, Sloane froze for a moment, then quickly raised her hand to gently touch Harriet's face.

"Baby, you're back."

"Yes, I'm back." Harriet hugged her, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry I came so late."

"Don't cry!" Sloane hurried to comfort her. "Baby, don't cry. Mommy will protect you."

"Okay."

Caspian stood in the doorway, his eyes reddening.

Sloane's mental breakdown was because Harriet had been lost.

Though he wasn't a woman, he understood what Harriet meant—for most mothers, their children are their life.

So what exactly did Qiana mean to Coralie?

Caspian took out his phone and looked at the WhatsApp conversation that still had no reply, his expression instantly darkening.

He made a phone call.

"Send more people. Find Coralie for me!"

Lunch was at the Lancaster family villa.

Haven couldn't bear to part with Harriet. During the meal, she couldn't help but say, "Harriet, why don't you and Della move back here? It would be more convenient to take care of Qiana and your mom."

She had expected Harriet to refuse, but surprisingly, she agreed right away.

"Okay."

"Really?" Haven was pleasantly surprised. "Even though you haven't been home, the master bedroom is cleaned every day. You can move in right away."

"Thank you, Grandma."

Caspian looked at Harriet, his brow slightly furrowed.

He didn't know why, but he felt Harriet had been a bit off these past two days.

He couldn't pinpoint what was wrong, just that she seemed different somehow.

But Caspian didn't object. With Harriet living at Cloud Bay, it would be more convenient and safer.

After lunch, Caspian went to work. On the way, Tristan called. "How's Harriet?"

"Your grandmother asked her to move back home, and she didn't refuse."

"How could that be?"

"I also find it strange. Given her personality, she should want to distance herself completely from you. After all, just a few days ago she kept asking when you could divorce her. Why would she move back into your marital home?"

Tristan fell into thought.

"Tristan, don't worry. Harriet seems to be doing well. With so many people at home, they'll take good care of her and Della."

"I know." Tristan collected himself. "Thank you all for your trouble."

Everything was ready at home, so Harriet didn't need to go back to Caspian's villa to pack. But in the afternoon, after Della's nap, she still went out.

The bodyguard following her soon discovered she wasn't going to Caspian's villa, but to Timeless Medicine Clinic.

"Harriet?" Ian was very surprised to see her. "What brings you here? Please, sit."

Harriet closed the door and sat down on the sofa.

"Have some water." Seeing her pale face, Ian asked, "Why did you come alone? Didn't Caspian come with you?"

"Why?" Harriet slowly looked up at him, her eyes full of pain. "Why did you help Griffin hurt Tristan and me?"

Ian was stunned. "Harriet, what are you talking about? How could I possibly hurt you?"

Harriet smiled bitterly. "I threw away the memory-restoring medicine that my godmother gave me, but later I regretted it and retrieved it from the trash. I was thinking that perhaps there are many things I could only understand if I recovered my memory."

Ian was shocked. "So you've recovered your memory."

"Yes." Harriet held back her tears. "I thought that after recovering my memory, I would be devastated by Tristan's betrayal. But I never expected that the person who truly betrayed me wasn't Tristan, but you—someone I've always seen as a father."

"Harriet, why are you so certain I betrayed you?" Ian was puzzled. "What did I do to make you suspect me like this?"

"The curse on me was placed by Griffin, but what about the one on Tristan?" Harriet's voice trembled as she spoke. "Tristan has always been very guarded. He only lets his guard down around people close to him. I've suspected everyone around us, and you're more suspicious than anyone else."

"Moreover, the memory-loss drug that my godmother developed is only available at your place. Whether it's Timeless Medicine Clinic or your home, they're not places where outsiders can just walk in and steal things. How could Griffin have easily gotten that pill? The only explanation is that you gave it to him willingly."

"Combining these two points, and recalling the past, the way you first looked at Griffin seemed a bit different, as if with a trace of heartache. But at the time I didn't pay attention, thinking you felt sorry for his tragic experiences in Vesperia."

"But thinking about it now, everything seems wrong. You didn't meet Griffin through me—you already knew him, didn't you?"

Ian calmly sipped his tea without speaking.

Harriet looked at him sadly. "Mr. Jones, you don't need to keep hiding it, because I don't want to hand you over to Tristan. With his methods, your body couldn't withstand it."

"Harriet, you see me as a father, and haven't I also seen you as my own daughter?" Ian laughed bitterly. "Please believe me, I never wanted to hurt you."

"Really?" Harriet could no longer control herself, tears streaming down her face as she demanded, "If you didn't want to hurt me, then where did all my suffering come from!"

Ian's tears streamed down his aged face. "Griffin... he loves you too much. He just wanted to have you. I couldn't refuse his request."

"He doesn't love me—he loves himself!" Harriet broke down crying. "Mr. Jones, at your age, what haven't you seen? How can you not see through his lies?"

"I'm sorry." Ian covered his face with both hands, sobbing uncontrollably. "Seeing you in so much pain, I felt terrible too. This matter has been weighing on me so heavily I can't breathe. I haven't had a single good night's sleep."

Harriet finally managed to calm herself down. She wiped the tears from her face and said, "What connection do you have with Griffin that you would help him do such terrible things?"

Ian shook his head. "Harriet, can you please not ask?"

"Why shouldn't I ask?" Harriet laughed coldly. "Tristan and I have been hurt so badly by you people. Why shouldn't I ask!"

"Don't be angry." Ian spoke painfully. "I'll tell you. In my life, I never married or had children, because when I was young, I met someone too remarkable."

Harriet frowned, quickly making a connection. "The person you're talking about... is Amara, right?"

"Yes." Ian recalled the past, a smile appearing on his face. "It was not long after I finished my medical training. I was traveling with my master as an itinerant doctor to hone my skills. That's when I met Amara."

"Unfortunately, I had feelings for her, but she had none for me. This dealt me a huge blow. After that, I never saw her again."

"When I first met Griffin, from his face that resembled Amara's somewhat, I guessed his identity. But I never imagined he was actually the son of Amara and Owen."

"Griffin is very clever. He saw something in my eyes. I didn't hide it from him, and from him I learned what happened to his mother."

"I never imagined Amara had gone through so much suffering, and that Griffin was also a child with a tragic fate. I thought about avenging Amara, but Griffin stopped me. He said I had no obligation to do these things for his mother. Moreover, you were my student, and if I hurt the Lancaster family, you would be caught in the middle."

"At the time, I thought he was as considerate and kind as Amara. I secretly vowed to love him as my own child. But later, everything spiraled out of control."

Harriet smiled bitterly. "Later, Griffin's true nature was exposed. Because of Amara, you didn't refuse his requests and chose to stand on his side against Tristan and me, right?"

Ian didn't deny it, only emphasized, "He promised me that no matter what happened, he wouldn't hurt you."

"Mr. Jones, you already know his character and schemes. How could you believe such words?" Harriet was indescribably sad. "In the end, my place in your heart still can't compare to the son of the woman you loved but couldn't have."

If she had been harmed by outsiders, she would have nothing to say.

But the one who betrayed her was someone she saw as a father, someone she had always considered family. That's why she found it so hard to accept.

"Harriet, I know you won't believe my words anymore, but I'm not lying to you. In my heart, I've always seen you both as my own children." Ian looked at her sadly. "I wished so much that Griffin could let go of his hatred and get along with you like siblings, but he's too obsessive."

"You know he's obsessive, you know he's gone down the wrong path, yet you still helped him go further down that road?"

"Griffin told me his mother's heart held hatred, that Amara died with unresolved grievances. I..." Ian sobbed. "I really couldn't ignore the suffering of mother and son."

"Owen is dead, Gemma is dead too. Ms. Wallace should be at peace. But after the two people who harmed her died, Griffin still won't let Tristan go!" Harriet demanded. "The grudges of the previous generation—why take revenge on Tristan? Tristan is innocent, and so am I! But Griffin just won't let Tristan and me go, and you, even though you can clearly tell right from wrong, still helped him do evil!"

"I'm sorry, Harriet, truly sorry..." Ian sobbed uncontrollably. "Before Amara died, she left me a letter, begging me to protect her only son. I couldn't refuse the only request she ever made of me in her lifetime."

Harriet froze, then laughed mockingly. "From what I know of Ms. Wallace, she didn't seek your help even in her most difficult times. She would never have entrusted Griffin to your care on her deathbed. Handwriting can be forged, letters can be artificially aged. With Griffin's intelligence and methods, this so-called letter from Amara to you was most likely fake."

Ian was stunned. "How is that possible?"

"Mr. Jones, you deeply loved Ms. Wallace and never married. Griffin used this very point to manipulate your feelings, because he knew you would do anything for Amara."

Ian couldn't believe it. "Griffin... did he really deceive me?"

Harriet didn't answer, only asked in return, "Mr. Jones, if Amara truly hoped you would help Griffin do evil, would she still be worth loving for your entire lifetime?"

Ian's face turned white, inch by inch.

Harriet stood up and spoke word by word. "I told you, I've always seen you as a father. But I cannot allow anyone to hurt Tristan, not even a father. I won't take action against you, but until everything is over, you should stay at Timeless Medicine Clinic and treat patients."

After speaking, Harriet turned to leave.

"Harriet!" Ian called out to her. "I'm sorry."

Harriet didn't look back. "Not all apologies can be forgiven."

"Mr. Jones, take care of yourself."

Harriet walked out of Timeless Medicine Clinic. The sky was overcast, the dark clouds hanging so low they seemed within reach.

A storm was about to arrive.

"Ms. Getty." The bodyguard stepped forward. "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing." Harriet forced a smile. "I'm just tired, physically and mentally exhausted."

"It's about to rain. Let's go home."

Just as Harriet was about to get in the car, something caught her peripheral vision. She stopped.

She looked up to the right and saw a tall, slender figure standing in the distance.

It was too far to see the emotion in Tristan's eyes clearly, but Harriet could still sense something.

She could no longer control herself and started walking toward him.

But the next second, Tristan stepped back.

He gently shook his head.

Harriet's feet felt like lead—she couldn't take another step.

Her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Harriet immediately answered.

"Wife." Tristan's low, hoarse voice came through the phone. "I'm sorry."

Harriet shook her head forcefully. "I don't blame you."

"I never touched Tamsin."

"I know." Harriet's tears fell like broken pearls. "You were just protecting me, trying to make me give up on you."