Chapter 4: My Mom’s Dead!
Andy had sharper ears than the butler; he’d heard the commotion outside, including the “Andy.”
His anger flared.
Who gave her permission to call his name?
Before she could embrace her son,
Lily, her emotions rushed into the room.
“Get out! Stay away from me!”
a thunderous roar stopped her in her tracks.
Seeing her son, so much older, Lily was momentarily stunned.
Her gaze fell upon returned.
the necklace around his neck–the one she’d made–and a sense of calm.
No matter how old he was, he was still her precious boy.
Taking a deep breath, she said soothingly, “Andy, this is incredible, but…” He ignored her, turning to confront his father who was just entering the room. At twenty, Andy was almost his father’s height.
“Why did you do this?! My mom isn’t replaceable! Is she worthy of replacing her? Are you crazy?!”
Andy sneered, “Yeah, you’ve been crazy for a long time.”
The scene between father and son was more like that of bitter enemies. The hatred in Andy’s eyes startled Lily.
John remained composed.
He went to Lily, taking her hand and pulling her close.
“Let’s talk in the study,” he said calmly to Andy.
It turned out that incredibly bizarre things are hard to believe.
In the study, Andy remained furious, even after hearing the explanation, “To get her in the house, you concocted this ridiculous story?”
Andy didn’t understand why his father would try to fool him like that. Lily had a sudden thought, seeing her son’s reaction: Had John actually believed her? “She’s your mother,” John said, his fingers interlacing with hers, his voice firm. “My mom’s dead!”
Andy had never fully accepted his mother’s death, but seeing his father’s behavior, he finally shouted the words.
Looking at this young woman, not much older than himself, Andy shook his head. Crazy. They were all crazy.
“Andy, remember our little secret? We carved a necklace for Dad’s birthday, and you said we’d engrave our names on the back…”
Chapter 4 My Mom’s Dead
Andy looked dubious.
It was indeed a promise he’d made with his mother, but…
“The housekeeper heard us, too. It’s easily verifiable.”
Andy refused to believe it, unwilling to dwell on the absurdity.
He turned to John, each word sharp and decisive:“I don’t care who you’re with, but don’t involve my mother. This house belongs to her. You and this woman move out, and don’t touch anything that belonged to her!”
When he mentioned his mother, Andy’s eyes flickered with vulnerability, quickly replaced by a hard glint.
He would do anything if pushed too far!
His youthful face radiated menace, like a cornered wolf cub.
John remained impassive.
Lily, however, started to cry.
Andy frowned.
Such dramatic acting!
“How did you raise him?! His words show you failed to give him a sense of security. My Andy is the sweetest boy. He should be raised in luxury, not in this misery!”
Lily’s voice was choked with sadness, her Son must have suffered 50 Andy was stunned.
much.
Because he saw Lily crying, yet pinching his father’s ear with such force that it was deformed! No one dared to touch John’s ear like that!
And John’s reaction?
He let her do it without a protest, even soothing her, telling her not to be angry..
angry? I’m furious!
I’m furious! Skip dinner. Tell
Skip dinner. Tell me everything about the children!”
“Not angry?
Lily regretted not questioning him earlier.
She shouldn’t have felt sorry for this jerk!
She was ruthless with John, but turned soft as spring towards Andy.
“Andy, I know this is hard to accept, but it’s true.
I am your mother. I wasn’t there for you, and you suffered. Baby, I’m so sorry. Andy told himself it was a charade, that this woman was using any means to climb into the Janson family..
But when their eyes met, and he heard that familiar term of endearment, his nose tingled. A wave of sudden hurt left him speechless.
Lily dabbed her nose, placing a few strands of hair on the desk.
“Baby, it’s good to be cautious. This is my hair. Take it to a reliable lab for a DNA test. The results
will be the truth.
Think about our memories, the
secrets only mother and son would know.
Once the test is done, come to me for confirmation, okay? Mom will be waitin
Lily coaxed softly. Andy was no different from when he was a child, and his eye movements could still see the shadow of his childhood..
Lily saw the faint curve of Andy’s little finger a nervous habit from his childhood.
Lily knew she was getting through to Andy.
He tried to reconcile the impossible truth.
He took a step back, then another.
Finally, he seemed to make a decision, strode over, picked up the hair, and left without a word. After Andy left, Lily “interrogated” John.
She only cared about their children’s upbringing.
After the crash, bodies were recovered near the black box location.
Dozens
of passenge
passengers
Lily was one of them.
remained missing,
presumed
dead OF lost
sea.
John had clung to hope, believing Lily was still alive.
He led the search party himself, tirelessly searching for a year.
Andy was initially with him but couldn’t handle life on the boat, so he was sent back to the
mansion.
Amy and Ben were in boarding school.
ohn’s life was divided between work and the search.
The energy was limited. He neglected his children, leading to growing estrangement. “Andy went to boarding school, Amy and Ben too. I hired ten private housekeepers to take care of their daily needs…”
“Lily, I know I messed up. I didn’t take good care of them. Please don’t be angry. We’ll be a family again, never apart.”
John tugged at her sleeve, his eyes pleading.
“I need some time alone.”
Lily was shocked at how badly John had done after she disappeared.
Her children had lost their mother and, in a sense, their father.
She banished John from the study, sitting on the floor, examining photos, report cards, and housekeeper’s logs of her children’s lives.
She desperately tried to recover every detail of their lives.
John sat on the floor outside the study, unwilling to leave her side.
That night, the Janson mansion was ablaze with lights.
