Chapter 100 Take Her Back to Marry
Nancy rushed upstairs to change out of her slip nightgown. Just as she reached the top of the stairs, the doorbell rang from outside.
She hurried over and looked at the person on the wall-mounted security monitor. All the blood in her body seemed to turn into ice-cold seawater, freezing her limbs stiff.
Yet the fire in her heart was burning through her insides.
Scorching hot and painful.
The conflicting sensations in her body made her tremble uncontrollably.
It really was Winifred.
Had Winifred come here because she already knew?
She stood there stunned for a long while. As the doorbell outside grew more urgent, she forced herself to gather her thoughts, steady her nerves, and opened the door with clenched fists.
Last Chinese New Year, Steven had taken her on a trip for a few days, so they hadn't gone back to Thornfield. It had been almost two years since she'd last seen Winifred.
"Mom."
As the door opened, she forced out a smile, trying to look relaxed and natural, trying not to look so pathetic. But there was no way to hide the injuries on her face or how pale she looked.
Winifred looked at the marks on her face, and her initially cold expression froze for a moment.
She frowned and asked with some concern, "What happened? What's wrong with your face?"
Nancy had been mentally prepared, but instead of the questioning she expected from Winifred, she got this care and concern. Her nose tingled, and as she blinked, tears rolled down uncontrollably.
It was as if in this desperate situation, she had grabbed onto a lifeline and found someone to lean on.
"Mom, you came."
She choked up and hugged Winifred, feeling wronged.
Nancy cried for a long time.
As if she wanted to cry out all the anger and grievances she'd been suppressing these past days, along with all her fear and anxiety.
Winifred listened to her crying, feeling uncomfortable herself. After hesitating for a few seconds, she patted her back.
Finally, exhausted from crying, Nancy sniffled and said coquettishly, "Mom, I want to eat your spaghetti. I haven't had it in so long."
Just like that, she avoided Winifred's question.
A trace of disappointment flashed through Winifred's eyes.
Her daughter—of course she wanted to believe her.
But when she saw this villa complex, that last bit of trust was instantly shattered.
Everyone knew how expensive housing was in Dawnlight City, let alone such a luxurious villa.
But she still agreed to Nancy's request. They hadn't seen each other in two years—making Nancy a plate of spaghetti was reasonable. Otherwise, once they had the conversation that needed to happen, Nancy might never want to eat it again in her life.
Pushing down her thoughts, she asked, "Where's the kitchen?"
"Mom, come with me."
Nancy took her hand and led her to the kitchen, secretly studying her expression from time to time.
The calmer Winifred seemed, the stronger Nancy's sense of foreboding grew.
Winifred didn't ask about the villa or anything else.
Winifred skillfully made Nancy a bowl of meat sauce spaghetti, then pulled out a chair and sat across from Nancy.
After Nancy had taken a few bites, she finally spoke. "When you're done eating, go pack your things. Come back to Thornfield with me. We're leaving today."
Her tone didn't change at all.
Nancy's whole body stiffened. Her heartbeat became irregular, and her fingertips holding the utensils lost their color.
Go back to Thornfield?
Perhaps because she'd grown up under Winifred's authority, a wave of nervousness and panic suddenly surged in her chest.
She vaguely remembered Winifred's way of disciplining her in the past.
Winifred had never yelled at her or hit her, but the pressure she created was all psychological.
Compared to her father Roman Gonzalez, she was more afraid of Winifred.
Now that invisible pressure was coming at her again.
She moved her lips and asked tentatively, "Go back for what? Did something happen at home?"
"Your father had a heart attack yesterday. He's in the hospital."
"What? Dad had a heart attack? Then why didn't you call me? I could have just gone back myself. Why did you have to come all the way here? Is it serious? What did the doctor say? Who's taking care of him at the hospital now?"
Nancy anxiously put down her utensils and interrupted with a string of questions.
Winifred stared straight at her, feeling that her concern didn't seem fake. "I hired a caregiver. He's out of danger now. Do you know what caused his heart attack?"
Nancy's breathing stopped. She stared at Winifred blankly, her throat seeming blocked.
She couldn't say anything.
But the answer was already obvious.
Was it because of her?
Because she was the other woman?
But how did Roman and Winifred find out?
And how did they know the address at Scenic Bay Estates?
"Mom."
Winifred stood up and walked to the living room. From her bag, she took out a stack of photos and an envelope. Inside were statements about keeping a mistress for her husband, along with a gift list.
The items on the gift list included this villa, the BMW Nancy drove, and various expensive jewelry and bags.
The moment Nancy saw those photos, all the color drained from her face.
She looked up at Winifred in shock. "Mom, where did these photos come from? Why would—"
"Tell me, are these photos real? Did you, did you really become the other woman who destroyed someone's marriage?"
Winifred found it hard to say the words, asking with the last bit of hope in her heart.
This was the child she'd carried for ten months, her first child. She couldn't believe Nancy would become so shameless.
Nancy stood up and asked back, hurt and sad, "I didn't. Those people have bad intentions and want to ruin me. I'm your own daughter, Mom. How can you believe outsiders instead of me?"
"Then tell me, where did this villa come from?"
"My boyfriend gave it to me."
"Boyfriend?" Winifred's expression was serious. "Fine, what's his name? What does he do? Where's his family? I'll go check him out thoroughly for you, in case you're being tricked."
The tears welling up in Nancy's eyes suddenly froze. Her throat choked up again.
Even her breathing became rapid.
Could she say?
She couldn't.
Watching her expression, Winifred's last bit of hope finally turned to ash.
This was the child she'd raised and educated for twenty-some years.
And she was a teacher herself.
She couldn't even raise her own daughter right. What a failure!
She didn't want to say anything more. Pushing down the tears in her eyes, she pulled Nancy toward the stairs and ordered, "Go upstairs right now and pack your things. We're going back to Thornfield!"
Nancy struggled free. "Mom, I'm not going back! If I go back now, what about this house and car and everything else? I've worked hard in Dawnlight City for so many years—wasn't it all to make a life for myself here? Why should I give up everything I've worked for just because you tell me to come back?"
"Because I'm your mother! Because I gave birth to you and raised you all these years—not so you could become someone's mistress!"
Winifred raised her voice, mercilessly exposing her vanity. "What do you call your hard work? Flattering men? Sleeping with men? You're not just degrading yourself now—you're degrading the word 'work'! Don't you feel even a little guilty saying these things?"
Nancy stared at her blankly, tears streaming down. "Mom, I'm your daughter, your own daughter! How can you talk to me like this?"
"If you weren't my own daughter, would I even bother? When this whole thing becomes public knowledge, will you be proud then? Today you're going back whether you want to or not—you have no choice!"
Winifred's attitude was firm and final. "A good teacher joined our school this year. He's 27, decent-looking, tall, and I've checked out his character. His whole family are teachers. You'll go back and meet him, pick a date, and get married."