Beyond The Divorce - Season 8 Episode 30

I chuckled, thinking Ava was indeed attached to me. However, I had been so busy that I hadn’t spent much quality time with her. Honestly, I felt guilty about it.

Since my mom told me not to enter the music room, I sat with her in the small living area upstairs instead. I leaned against her affectionately, as it had been a long time since I felt this close to my mom, especially after learning about my true identity.

I felt an unusual comfort as I rested against her. However, Atlas’s description of Lucille’s final moments flooded my mind, sending shivers down my spine. My mom glanced down at me and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you sick?”

She instinctively palmed my forehead to check for signs of illness. I quickly reassured her, “No, I’m just tired from today.”

“Then go to bed. You’ve been through a lot, dear,” my mom spoke softly.

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I murmured, “I’m waiting for Atlas to get back. I have something to tell him.” Suddenly, my nose tingled, and I silently uttered, “My poor mother died tragically.”

I involuntarily began to harbor resentment toward Clark, thinking I’d never let him off the hook. Meanwhile, my mom continued to stroke my hair, and I felt a lovely warmth. I wished everything was just a dream.

There were no so-called truths in dreams, just a lifetime of love and companionship with Atlas. We’d share the joy of family life with our elders. After all, they treated me no differently than their own.

I then composed myself, fearing my mom might sense my inner turmoil. I changed the subject, “I sent Ryan back to Bibury for a two-week vacation. He has a girlfriend who’s an architect. She’s beautiful, and they love each other. They went to Bibury together.”

My mom sounded genuinely delighted, “Oh, that’s perfect! You did well in handling that. I can finally feel at ease, or I’d always feel indebted to Ryan. He should have found a girlfriend years ago. He should already be married and had children. If he did, they would be around Ava’s age.

It seemed my mom had entirely regarded Atlas as her son-in-law, so she always felt a sense of guilt toward Ryan.

I saw how happy my mom was and continued, “I’m considering inviting them for the New Year. Since our old house is vacant, they can stay there. After all, it’s livelier when everyone gets together to celebrate.

“They can visit Pleca Park, too. It’s so big, so having more people over would be great. I’ll discuss it with Atlas and invite more people here to celebrate the New Year together.”

“That sounds wonderful. Time flies, doesn’t it? It felt like we just celebrated New Year’s just yesterday, but it’s already October now.” My mom sighed and then added, “Our house is nearing the end of its lease. I want to go and check it out.”

I then sat up and looked at her. “What’s there to check out? Let’s just sell that Bibury house.”

“No, let’s rent it out instead! We can’t sell it,” my mom sounded defensive.

Mom, you’ve seen how big this place is. You guys have plenty of room to stay. Atlas’s parents passed away long ago, so he’s been alone for so many years. Why go back when we’re all together?

“Sell the Bibury house, and I’ll figure out how to ship Dad’s books back here. You don’t need to go back there anymore.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Atlas entered the small living area and chimed in, “Chlo’s right. You guys don’t have to go back there, especially since Dad has gotten used to things here.”

My mom stiffened momentarily. “But people always long to return to their roots. We still hope to return to Bibury, you know.”