Dorothy remained silent.
Surprisingly, Everett didn't push her for an answer. Or perhaps, deep down, he already knew what it was.
Truth be told, even if Dorothy hadn't asked Karen to break the news in advance, Kenneth knew a day like this would come eventually.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAfter all, the children weren't really his. Everett wouldn't let him play dad forever.
In a few hours, Dorothy and Everett would be landing at Eldorria City Airport.
Kenneth watched as the living room bustled, the two kids dressed and ready to go with Karen to pick them up. A complex mix of emotions brewed inside him.
Karen was ruffling Abigail's hair, laughing and chasing after the kids. She looked up and caught Kenneth's pained expression.
"Hey, you munchkins, keep playing. Aunt Karen needs to chat with Kenneth for a sec.” She gave Abigail's head a gentle pat before walking over to Kenneth.
"Something eating you up, Kenneth?" Kenneth's lips twisted into a half-smile. "Like | could hide it from you." "Don't you worry, Kenneth. Dorothy will be back for good in like, twenty days max! As soon as they get the security footage from Byte 7 sorted, she's gonna hit Everett's mom and Heather with a lawsuit." As the other man in the picture, Kenneth should have felt a twinge of joy at the news.
But his concern overshadowed everything else.
"Dorothy could be in real danger.” "Yeah, | told her that! When we were in Swevia Country, | seriously thought about convincing her to drop it, to just let it go. | mean, Everett's got her back now, even his parents can't touch her." Kenneth took a deep breath and cut her off before she could finish, "Dorothy won't agree to that. Her mom's death was so sudden. It's been her driving force ever since she was little." Dorothy had scrimped and saved, worked multiple jobs through the toughest of student days, all to pay for her mom's medical bills. To see her mother well again was Dorothy's ultimate resolve! Just as her mom seemed to be getting better post-surgery, the news of her death came crashing down.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmThat kind of loss was unbearable.
A mother's murder was an unforgivable sin.
"But she can't let hate ruin her life, can she?" Kenneth looked Karen in the eye, his voice serious as he asked, "If it were you, could you let your mother’s killer walk free?" Karen fell silent. She wouldn't either.
"Dorothy's different, Karen. She grew up without a father. Her mom was her only family, her entire world. It means more to her than you can imagine." "Yeah, | get it now. After you put it that way, | totally see where Dorothy's coming from." Karen's brow furrowed. "Everett's parents, they're the worst! If it weren't for this mess, she and Everett—" Kenneth gave her a look and smiled, "It's okay, | know she loves Everett." "Kenneth..." "Everett has done so much for her, it's only natural she'd fall for him." Kenneth wasn't blind to reality. He just regretted not meeting Dorothy sooner. "That day when | learned Everett would risk his life for Dorothy, | knew I'd lost completely, without a chance." If he were in her shoes, he probably would have fallen hopelessly in love with Everett too.
Who wouldn't be moved by such fierce and devoted love? "The way Everett, with all his stature and status, has been secretly pining after a girl for over a decade. Karen, I've got to hand it to him."