Chapter 673
“My mother isn’t Eileen’s biological mother! I’m not related to Eileen. Now, you should understand why I told you not to bother her!” Roderick shouted.
Denise was taken aback, her gaze fixed on the enraged Roderick. “How did you know this?”
Judie, equally stunned, glanced between Roderick and Denise with wide eyes. “What exactly do you mean?”
“Eileen isn’t my mother’s biological child,” Roderick stated, his gaze shifting to Denise. “When I was in middle school, Dad came to me and told me I was his only son, and that Eileen was adopted. He tried to convince me to go along with him, but I refused.”
However, Denise was unyielding. After his initial failure, Lowell never had the courage to return.
Roderick wished to avoid further complications, so he kept this information to himself.
His feelings for Eileen were complex. During his parents’ divorce, he had frequently seen her crying in secret.
His memories of Eileen were a mix of vivid and vague impressions—he couldn’t clearly recall many of their childhood interactions.
Later, when she had pressed him to turn to Eileen for assistance, he had hesitated but did so out of necessity.
Aware that Eileen didn’t know they were not related, he had felt too awkward to fully take advantage of her kindness.
He had genuinely seen the hardships Eileen had faced and had been reluctant to add to her burdens.
Over time, he genuinely started to see Eileen as a sister.
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Had Judie’s exploitative behavior not been exposed today, he would have kept this secret hidden forever.
“Moreover, the funds to start my restaurant came from Eileen. How much is on this card? Nowhere near enough to repay her. Judie, if you want to be with me, don’t prevent me from paying her back. If you do, we’ll get a divorce!”
With that, Roderick moved to the bed, retrieved the card from under the pillow, and turned to leave.
Judie wanted to follow him, but her feet felt as though they were glued to the floor.
If she ran after him and reclaimed the card, their marriage would be at risk. A divorce would leave her with just half of the card’s worth and a child to support.
But if she didn’t chase after him, she would lose hundreds of thousands just like that!
“Judie, calm down.” Denise, realizing that they couldn’t rely on Eileen anymore, tried to offer some comfort. “Roderick is a man of honor. This could actually be beneficial for you. Plus, we haven’t burned bridges with Eileen entirely. When you give birth to the child or run into trouble, Eileen might still assist us for Roderick’s sake.”
It then dawned on Judie that when Denise had returned the other day looking guilty, it was probably because her real relationship with Eileen had been revealed. She had hoped Denise would help her secure more money from Eileen, but now, Denise seemed to be more of a hindrance than a help compared to Roderick.