Chapter 4 : We All Owe Sherrie
Ronan’s face turned red with embarrassment. He quickly said, “My sister put that there as a joke. Don’t overthink it, okay?”
He expected Allison to question him about it like she always did, to bombard him with endless doubts. Just thinking about it irritated him. Allison had always been jealous, and if she found out Sherrie was the one who put that sticker there, she would definitely cause trouble.
Ronan had already prepared himself. No matter what Allison asked, he would just lash out at her and accuse her of being paranoid. That trick had always worked before. He would get away with it, and Allison would end up coaxing him instead.
But to his surprise, before he could even say anything, Allison just said, “Okay.”
Then nothing else. Ronan was momentarily stunned. He waited for her reaction, but Allison really didn’t plan to ask any questions.
He frowned and started the car. The deafening silence filled the car, and neither of them said a word.
Ronan glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Allison staring out the window with a cold, distant look, as if she didn’t even notice him.
He had planned to tell her he wanted to end their engagement, but he was worried she might not be willing to let go.
Yet now, seeing her cold expression, he felt a sudden irritation. He couldn’t explain it, but the more she ignored him, the more it got under his skin. So he slammed on the gas to speed up.
Allison had always been timid. Whenever he drove fast, she used to get scared and beg him to slow down. But now, even as the speedometer climbed near its limit, she simply buckled her seatbelt and remained silent. The car barely missed a huge truck, and Ronan broke out in a cold sweat. Startled, he quickly slowed down on his own.
She didn’t even ask him to stop. Feeling awkward, he muttered, “You’re braver than before.”
Ronan was young and reckless. He used to love showing off by driving fast, taking pleasure in how Allison would panic and beg him to slow down. But Allison had never been scared of the speed itself. Back then, she was only afraid he might get hurt. Now that Ronan was no longer someone she loved, she simply didn’t care anymore.
At the Rogers family estate, Ruth Cox and Sherrie stood by the gate, waiting patiently for their arrival.
When Nigel came out holding a shawl, Sherrie thought it was meant for her. She slowly moved closer, waiting for him to drape it over her shoulders.
But Nigel didn’t even glance at her. His eyes were fixed on the road, waiting for Ronan’s car. The shawl in his hands was for Allison.
Sherrie’s face darkened as resentment brewed inside her chest. Even now, Nigel still couldn’t let go of that lunatic.
Just then, Ronan’s car pulled up, and Sherrie quickly changed her expression, putting on an admiring smile. “Ronan always knows how to handle things. Allison only listens to him…”
Then, realizing what she had just said, she gasped and covered her mouth. With a trembling voice, she added, “Nigel, I didn’t mean to say you’re incapable. I just grew up in the mountains and don’t know how to speak cautiously.”
But Nigel was already lost in thought. She was right. He had gone to pick Allison up himself, had talked to her patiently, yet she only gave him attitude and refused to come with him. And now Ronan, of all people, had managed to bring her back so easily?
Nigel’s mood soured. He had been cheerful just moments ago, but his expression quickly darkened. She didn’t care whether he tried to coax her or not? Fine, he wouldn’t care either.
So when Allison stepped out of the car, Nigel deliberately placed the shawl over Sherrie’s shoulders instead.
As for Allison… she could freeze for all he cared. The autumn air was already cold, and the moment she got out of the car, a sharp wind cut through her thin T-shirt, making her shiver.
She glanced at the shawl wrapped around Sherrie, then turned her attention to Ruth, who was hurrying toward her.
Ruth’s eyes turned red as she cried, “My child, you’ve suffered so much…”
Sherrie swiftly approached them, too, tears glistening in her eyes. “It’s all my fault for wanting to live with the Rogers family. That’s why Allison got so angry that she fell ill. I should never have dreamed of having a family…Allison, if you agree to come home, I’ll give up everything. You’ll never have to worry about me taking your family away again.”
Hearing that, Ruth broke down and pulled Sherrie into her arms.
Nigel frowned deeply. “You’re Mom’s child too. What’s this talk about yours and mine? The Rogers family is your home. No one has the right to kick you out! Don’t ever say that again!”
Ronan walked up to them, putting himself between Allison and Sherrie. “She stabbed you, and now you have to take medication for life. This is her punishment. She owes you. The Rogers family owes you. We all need to make it up to you.”
Nigel’s expression darkened at Ronan’s words. Yet he silently thought, Yes. This is Allison’s and the Rogers family's debt. We all owe Sherrie.
When Allison looked up, she saw the people who had once been close to her now standing with Sherrie. She was the only one left alone in the cold wind, completely out of place. Her eyes drifted to the flowerbed by the iron gate of the Rogers family estate.
When she was a child, her father once told her that her mother loved red roses. So, she decided to love them too. Her father had planted an entire row of rose trees along the courtyard wall outside the gate himself.
During the blooming season, the roses would sway in the wind, and her tall father would hold her small hand as they stood beneath them, waiting for something with excitement.
After her father passed away, Sherrie moved into the Rogers family. Since Sherrie was allergic to pollen, Toby decided to have all the rose trees cut down and replace them with bamboo, Sherrie’s favorite.
Sherrie said bamboo was noble and unyielding, and she wanted to learn from it.
Allison refused to let the roses be removed. She kept begging Ruth, saying the roses were a symbol of her father’s love for her. She begged her to keep them for his sake. But the moment Sherrie gasped for air a few times, Ruth panicked and urged Toby to cut down those “damn roses” instantly.