When There Is Nothing Left But Love

I beckoned to the maid waiting to come over to clear the glasses of water, and gestured to Audrey, instructing, “Bring her to Mr. Gregory’s room.”

Excitedly, Audrey hopped over and took the maid’s hand, demurely allowing herself to be led upstairs to Gregory’s room.

I watched their departing figures until they had fully vanished upstairs, then turned back to gaze soberly at John. He looked a lot warmer and kinder than Ashton, but something about him raised my suspicions.

I vainly probed my memory in an attempt to uncover just what inspired my current feelings of uneasiness. In the face of John’s apparent sincerity, however, I found myself defenseless.

John and Ashton each maintained their respective versions of the truth. However, the identity Marcus had bestowed on me back then was clearly Carlette. My mind was in a whirlwind, uncertain of who I could trust.

“Don’t you trust me?” John persisted. His voice penetrated the fog of emotions in my head as if he could see right through my suspicion.

I felt strangely relieved that I no longer had to keep up my facade of confidence. I raised my head and met his eyes, saying gravely, “I’m sorry. I don’t think I have the capability to make a decision now.”

on the table, then reached out to touch its smooth surface. I laughed awkwardly, then confessed, “To tell the truth, I’ve seen this DNA report more than three times already this month. It has outlined a different result every time. If even science can be as unreliable as all that, I really don’t know

digging into the flesh of his thighs. In a low voice, he muttered, “You’re blaming

words pierced my

I could not bear to face the fact that my family had utterly abandoned

or mistake, but didn’t that mean that our familial ties couldn’t even endure a hurdle like

memory, I felt as if I was spending every waking moment on thin ice, not knowing whether my next step would be fatal. On the bright side, if one could call it that, any loss would

no longer had any earthly attachments, nor was I under any

thus replied mildly, “I’m sorry, I don’t know

his dark, troubled eyes, I added, “If I’m really Gregory and Audrey’s mother, however, I hope you will leave her with me. I’m thankful to you for having looked after her for so long, but raising her is my responsibility, after all. I don’t want to

me a long, hard look, then said tersely, “I won’t leave either Audrey or you here. Now that I’m here, I’m taking you along

family that domineering? I thought in

helplessly at John. “I’m sorry, but I can’t go with