Chapter 628

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Cheryl nodded .
When the car reached the entrance of Cheryl’s parents ‘ residential compound , Benny decided not to go in . He pulled over near the gate and cut the engine .
“ Thanks for the ride . I’ll get going now , ” Cheryl said .
“ Hey , kiddo . It’s really time you told your parents about your daughter ! ”
Cheryl’s hand on the car door handle froze mid – motion . She hadn’t figured out how to break the news about her daughter to her family . Especially at a time like this , if she told Cathy , Cathy might collapse from shock .
Benny said , “ Didn’t you say you got pregnant because you were with the wrong guy ? Your parents love you no matter what . When they find out , they’ll feel for you , not blame you . Just relax . ”
Cheryl paused for a few seconds before finally murmuring , “ I … I’ll think about it some more … ” With that , she stepped out of the car .
Benny gazed at Cheryl’s retreating figure , wiping her tears as she walked away . In his eyes surfaced a trace of tenderness he wasn’t even aware of .
Back home , Cheryl fixed Werner with a gaze full of resentment and disappointment , refusing to exchange another word with him .
Werner was doomed to suffer his children’s lifelong contempt . He felt utterly ashamed of his failure as a father .
Now that Donald and Cheryl knew about the divorce , Cathy busied herself packing up , emptying her wardrobe of clothes and belongings .
Werner stared blankly at the empty house . From now on , he’d be living here all alone . It felt as if he was doomed to grow old in solitude .
Cathy was staying at a hotel temporarily , saying she planned to find a place of her own to rent .
Cheryl said softly , “ Mom , why don’t you go stay with Catherine or Cecilia for a while ? They both feel so bad for you . ”
Cathy shook her head . “ How could I keep bothering them forever ? They’ve been kind enough to take me in for a few days , but they have their own
families too . ”
Cheryl pursed her lips , steeling herself to finally tell Cathy that she had a daughter . But seeing how physically and emotionally drained Cathy was from the divorce , she decided to put off telling her about Serena .
On Donald’s side , he hoped Cathy would move in with him and Jennifer . “ Mom , Jennifer , and I don’t have kids yet , so we’ve got two guest bedrooms . Feel free to take whichever you like . ”
Cathy refused . She wanted to live alone , pottering around with her flowers and plants . In an ideal world , she’d have her own small villa in Soronfield .
Donald looked at her with mixed emotions . “ Mom , why don’t you just move in with Jennifer and me ? I really can’t rest easy knowing you’re living alone , and our neighborhood is actually quite nice . ”
Cathy still refused .
Seeing how adamant Cathy was , Donald didn’t press the matter further .
These past two days had been hard for Donald . He had always known about Werner’s visits to prostitutes . He’d assumed that was why Cathy divorced him . But the real shocker was that Sanford was Werner’s son .
It was only when Cheryl stormed out that Cathy finally revealed this shocking and absurd truth . It wasn’t just Donald ; Jennifer’s face was a whirlwind of emotions too , flashing shock , disbelief , and utter confusion .
This whole ordeal kept Donald from work . He’d called in sick for two days and barely slept . The scruffy stubble on his chin made him look haggard and
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worn out .
Cathy had made Donald promise to break the news about Sanford to Cheryl when the time was right .
For now , Cheryl only knew about Werner’s affair , but remained completely unaware of the whole truth about Sanford .
After helping Cathy move , Cheryl wasn’t naive . As they were leaving , she pulled Donald aside and asked , “ Who exactly did Dad cheat with ? Do know her ? ”
“ Never mind , Cheryl. Even if I told you , you wouldn’t know her . ”
“ Come on , spill it . You have to tell me . Your face says it all . This has to be something really serious , right ? Don’t tell me Dad was cheating with a bunch of women ? ” Cheryl pressed , unable to hide her urgency .
Donald remained silent , his jaw clenched tightly . Under Cheryl’s relentless questioning , he finally relented and spoke , his voice strained . “ Cheryl , listen to me . You need to brace yourself for this .”
Cheryl demanded , “ Come on , spill it . Was Dad really sleeping around with a bunch of women ? ”
Donald sighed . “ Well , it’s true that Dad used to pay for sex . And he even has a son with another woman . ” Bracing himself against the pain and turmoil , he finally revealed the truth about Sanford to Cheryl .
Cheryl was just as devastated as Donald . She burst into tears , utterly devastated to learn she had a half – brother , Sanford .
Donald gently patted Cheryl on the shoulder and said , “ I’m so sorry . This is all on me . I should’ve told you sooner . ”
“ This isn’t your fault . How could Dad do this ? Why , why would he ? Paying for sex ,, cheating , even fathering a child with another woman … Is he cut of his mind ? I’ll never forgive him ! ”
To make matters even worse , Sanford was actually several years older than Donald .
Cheryl could only console herself by pretending that Werner had simply been divorced , and that Sanford was just his son from a previous marriage . Only by thinking this way could she barely make herself feel a little better .
لام الكامل
Cheryl pressed Donald , “ Is there anything else you’ve been keeping from me ? If there is , just spill it all out today . I can take it ! ”
“ That’s all , really . Mom just didn’t know how to break the news herself , so she asked me to tell you . ”
“ Mom … ” Cheryl murmured , her voice trembling with emotion . Her heart broke for Cathy . Cathy must have endured so much , yet she knew nothing about it . If she told Cathy about Serena , the shock might be too much .
Donald suggested , “ Let’s take turns keeping Mom company during this time . ”
“ Yeah , absolutely ! ” Cheryl nodded vigorously , eager to agree .
이
At the police station in Shaville , Sanford walked out with a bright smile . He’d completely transformed himself . He’d even g specifically for the name change .
S
na fresh haircut
Sanford tapped on the window of the Maybach parked by the roadside , grinning as he called out , “ Jonathan ! ” then he handed his temporary ID over to Jonathan . “ The new ID card will take about two weeks to process . They can courier it to me .
“ Gary Thomas , ” Jonathan read out Sanford’s new name , and in that instant , its meaning clicked for him . He glanced at Sanford , a subtle quirk playing on his lips . “ Nice name . It sounds way better than your old one . ”
Jonathan motioned for Gary to get in the car , planning to treat him to a meal before heading back to Nareigh . Jonathan asked , “ So , what’s next ? ”
“ I’d like to head back to Nareigh , too . Once I’ve spent some time there , I’ll travel the world . ”
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you’ve got any unfinished business s in Nareigh ? ”
“ So ,
Gary
and said , “ Well , I don’t paused
really have
any
unfinished
I business ,
, it’s just
that … ”