Facing Faith's fury, Neil shot me a glance. Was he subconsciously assuming that I was the cause of the uproar?
Well, it was understandable. After all, Faith was in my house at the moment.
"Let's clarify what actually happened first," Neil tried to pacify his mother, "Then I'll handle it."
Faith took a deep breath, attempting to calm herself. Then she repeated my words for the second time. Her emotions were running high, causing her to speak faster than I had, her words interspersed with criticism and distaste for Karina.
Neil's expression darkened as she spoke, and finally, he turned to me and asked, "Is everything my mom saying true?"
"You asked me about it last night, and I already told you everything. Whether you believe it or not, that's up to you," I replied calmly, my conscience clear.
"Irene wouldn't lie to us. Hiram's words were clear as day. That woman is manipulative. She even used Hiram as a spy. It's absolutely outrageous!" Faith was getting worked up again, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
I went to pour her a glass of water. "Here, take a moment to calm down."
Faith took the glass of water, giving me a deep look before suddenly turning her attention to Neil. "This is all your fault! Irene was so good to you, completely devoted to you, and you didn't appreciate her. And now look, you've invited a wolf into your home, bringing all sorts of trouble upon us!"
I was embarrassed. Despite my exposure of Karina's deceit, I was honestly at a loss on how to respond to Faith's praise.
Ryan chimed in, "Yeah, when you first started dating Karina, we were against it. But you wouldn't listen. Now, she's secretly had a child, and the child is already so big. What are we supposed to do now?"
"That's enough. I'll handle this myself," Neil said, obviously frustrated. His brows were furrowed, a sign of deep worry and tension.
Faith knew her son's temperament. If she continued to push, he would only resist more, and that would cause more trouble.
I didn't say anything else. How Neil would handle the situation was his business.
The room became oppressively silent. When Norah returned, she found the Whitmore family sitting in the living room, no one speaking a word.
Faith and Ryan were each holding Serena and Brandon.
Norah was clearly uncomfortable. She quietly said, "Mrs. Finch, I'll make dinner."
"Alright," I waited until Norah had entered the kitchen before turning to Ryan and Faith. "Why don't you stay for dinner? I don't have much to offer, but Norah is a great cook. You should try her food."
Faith finally smiled and said, "Sure, it's been a while since we've had a meal together."
I returned the smile and got up to help Norah in the kitchen, leaving Serena and Brandon with Ryan and Faith.
After a while of bustling about in the kitchen, Norah seemed to be holding back something. Seeing her hesitation, I asked, "Norah, if you have something to say, just say it."
"Mrs. Finch, I'm just a nanny. It's not my place to comment on the affairs of my employers," Norah sighed.
"It's okay, just speak your mind," I assured her as I continued with my work.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled