Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 519

Hiram choked out, "My mom treats me well; she never did anything wrong to me, grandma..."

Hearing the innocence in the child's voice, Faith and I exchanged glances. As mothers, we understood. But a young child like Hiram wouldn't. Karina had raised him and was the person he relied on most. Therefore, in his mind, his mom was the best person in the world.

"Hiram, you'll understand when you're older. For now, you have to be obedient, okay?" Faith wasn't quite sure what to say, so she just comforted Hiram.

Fearing that Neil would get angry again, Hiram didn't make a scene. Instead, he sat quietly with his head down.

Perhaps realizing that he had been too harsh, Neil softened his tone, "How about we go buy some toys? You can choose whatever you want. Are you in?"

Hearing this tempting offer, Hiram cheered up immediately. He nodded and without hesitation, grabbed Neil's hand. The father and son duo left the hospital room to buy some toys.

This gave me the chance to discuss things privately with Faith.

"Faith, what's really going on?" I asked, heavy-hearted.

"Irene, you know about Louis, right? His father used to be the Whitmore family's chauffeur. When I married Neil's father, Louis' parents were already married and expecting him." Faith didn't hold anything back. She shared the details with me, maybe because it helped to talk about it.

The story was mostly as I had known it before, except for one detail. There was a jade pendant, a heirloom of the Whitmore family that was traditionally passed down to the next daughter-in-law. However, when it came to Ryan, the pendant was missing.

Even though Ryan had been scolded, Faith didn't hold it against him.

"If the pendant was with me, it should have been passed on to you next." Faith sighed as she said this.

I remained silent. It wasn't about the pendant. What I was thinking was how unfair all this was for Faith and Neil if it was true.

"Ryan refused to admit it. He claimed that he lost the pendant accidentally. We met with Louis and had a paternity test done. The results..." Faith couldn't go on. Tears welled up in her eyes. I quickly handed her a tissue to wipe them away.

"Faith, you have to stay strong." All I could offer were these empty words. But in the face of such a situation, I realized that all other words were just as pointless.

As Faith wiped her tears, she choked out, "We were the couple everyone envied. I always believed that he was faithful. I never imagined that I was being fooled this whole time. Irene, at my age, becoming a laughing stock... it's just humiliating."

I understood. People can be unpredictable. Even those who seem to be good friends might be secretly jealous and waiting for you to stumble. Especially considering Faith's status, she was bound to attract envy.

She and Ryan had been happily married for so many years. The sudden scandal had turned their world upside down and naturally, it made tongues wag.

I handed Faith another tissue and listened as she continued.

She talked for over half an hour. Gradually, she calmed down. That's when I asked, "So, what does Louis want now? To return to the Whitmore family?"

"Yes, he wants to change his last name and return to the Whitmore family. He wants to be on equal footing with Neil, including claiming half of the company. But that's impossible!" Faith was getting agitated.

"Don't be upset. It's just his wishful thinking. Your husband and Neil won't let it happen. You need to trust their abilities." I reassured her.

Louis was living in a fantasy. Even if he was Ryan's illegitimate son, the most he could expect was some money. The idea of returning to the Whitmore family and sharing their fortune with Neil was ludicrous.