Chapter 837

Chapter 837:

Sitting next to Fernanda on a hospital bench, Haley got straight to the point. “Jordyn called me about Cristian.”

Fernanda was not surprised at all and waited for Haley to continue. “She doesn’t know I’m aware of your involvement with Cristian. She hoped I’d step in,” Haley explained with a steady gaze.

Fernanda remained silent.

“She didn’t tell Cristian’s grandfather. He’d be furious if he knew,” Haley continued, emphasizing her point.

Fernanda’s expression was unreadable.

“So, what do you expect from me?” she responded calmly. “Should I break things off with Cristian?”

Haley shook her head. “That’s not what I’m suggesting. I understand neither of you will back down easily. Just be ready. Being with Cristian might draw challenges and obstacles. I hope you’re prepared to support him through them, rather than let him face them alone.”

Fernanda replied resolutely, “I intend to stand by him. A relationship involves two, and I won’t shy away from those challenges.”

“It’s reassuring to hear that.” Haley nodded slightly, her eyelashes casting shadows on her cheeks. “Cristian has faced many challenges. It’s comforting to know he won’t be alone.”

Her voice grew softer, hoarse yet gentle, as if drifting through time, reaching back to the past.

“I’m counting on you to look after him now,” Haley mentioned quietly. “Cristian’s health has been fragile since childhood, and he tends to keep to himself. Unfortunately, some within the Reed family hold him in low regard. But it’s not his fault. His mother suffered from depression during her pregnancy and died giving birth to him. He’s been unfairly blamed by the Reed family for my sister’s death, though he’s just as much a victim as she was.”

Haley leaned against the hospital wall, the impact sending a soft thud echoing in the corridor. She sighed deeply, her eyes remaining shut as she continued, “He resents me for marrying his father after his mother, who was also my sister, passed away. But I had little choice in the matter. Our family needed the influence of the Reed family, and after my sister’s death, they married me off to maintain the alliance. I thought it was better for me to be the one; who else would have cared for Cristian?”

These confessions were new to Haley, as she had never shared her thoughts with anyone until now with Fernanda. Her candidness might have stemmed from years of suppressed feelings, or perhaps from the emotional rollercoaster of the night’s events and Cristian’s standoffishness. This revelation allowed Fernanda to see past Cristian’s occasional aloofness and stubbornness, softening any residual misunderstanding she might have felt towards him.

Yet, Haley was unaware that Cristian rarely expressed his negative emotions in front of Fernanda.

𝗿𝗼𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 gⲁ𝗅⁚𝗇𝗈⁚ν𝖊⁚𝗅𝘀⁚ⅽ⁚𝗈⁚𝗆

“I thought that once I joined the Reed family, Cristian’s life would improve, but it turns out I overestimated my influence,” Haley sighed.

“Curran adheres to old superstitions and harbors deep-seated biases against Cristian. He dismisses my advice. Cristian was often ostracized by other children in the Reed family, leading him to become increasingly withdrawn and defiant. The more he pushed back, the more they resented him, trapping him in a cycle of prejudice and isolation. When he was ten, he fell seriously ill and was bedridden for six months, during which he didn’t speak at all. Out of concern, I persuaded Curran to let him leave the Reed household.”

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