Win My Husband Over to Find My Child
Chapter 363: The Important Decision

Chapter 363: The Important Decision

The high tension in the air was further deepened by the cries coming from Irene. Sitting next to Leslie, the teenager sobbed her heart out as she hugged her elder sister.

"S-sorry... I didn’t know... Big Sister, I’m sorry..."

Irene’s heartwrenching cries made it hard for Leslie to smile. But, she did her best to comfort the struggling teenager. After all, everything Irene had just heard was not pleasant.

"Why are you sorry ah? You’re not... at fault at all..." Leslie gently stroked Irene’s back. She raised one hand, running her thumb under one of the teenager’s eyes, "Neither of them told you... the truth..."

Irene was indeed oblivious to the torment Charlene had to endure. Being around nine to ten years old, what else could she do when her own parents refused to tell her why her elder sister was exiled.

Rowan and Bianca simply reassured Irene that Charlene was recuperating from a sudden sickness. No matter how many times she asked, she only got the same answer.

Earlier, Leslie started by telling Irene about her short relationship with Calix around six years ago – the story both of them agreed on from the beginning[01].

"I didn’t dare to tell anyone... about our romance... Shortly before I knew I was pregnant, your brother-in-law... got into an accident..."

Leslie brought up how Calix was trapped in a coma for half a year. He also didn’t remember her at all until recently, leading him to ask Rowan for her hand in marriage.

"I was too tired to argue... with them... They wouldn’t ever believe me if I said... Calix was the father..."

From there, Leslie told Irene about the hellish days she had to endure during her exile. Only one person treated her well, Mrs. Wang as the rest viewed her as a burden.

Reluctant to push Irene into a breakdown, Leslie mentioned nothing about Charlene’s attempts to end her own life. As she skipped those gruesome details, she emphasized how Old Madam Li robbed her newborn child right after the birth.

"I’ve been trying to find Calliope all... these years but... I was under strict surveillance... I was shocked to find out about this marriage... Yet, this is what I need..."

Leslie informed Irene how she asked Calix to look for Calliope despite not having many details. Fortunately, they found her around two months ago before bringing her out of the orphanage four weeks back.

Still sobbing, more tears ran down Irene’s cheeks. She cried harder when Leslie patiently wiped her face with a tissue.

"I never thought... Grandmother and our parents... could do such a thing to you. Hic... No wonder you hate them... so much..."

Pulling away from Leslie’s embrace, Irene angrily rubbed her eyes. She coughed a few times, finding it hard to breathe.

"Big Sister, now I understand why you... suddenly ignored Mom and Dad..."

Irene recalled Rowan and Bianca’s frustrations when Leslie abruptly cut contact with them. They were desperate for the answers because the lady initially showed signs of reconciling.

Guilt laced in Leslie’s smile. Despite already expecting such a reaction from Irene, she still felt bad for dragging the teenager into this mess.

"After we found Poppy, we decided to... limit our contact with the Li family... except you, Irene..."

Leslie raised one hand, slowly brushing Irene’s bangs away. Some of her wet fringes were stuck to her forehead, beading with sweat.

The high school girl’s eyes were puffy from all her crying. The tip of her nose was as red as her eyes.

"Especially when we found out... Gladys had spread rumors about me..."

Gasping, Irene blurted out, "What? What did she do?"

Leslie told Irene everything about what Gladys had done. From the shameless woman’s attempts to seduce Calix and how she deliberately told some people of Charlene’s pregnancy years ago.

"Your brother-in-law was mad. So... we made this decision..."

Irene was at a loss for words. She knew how wicked Gladys could be but, not to this extent!

Leslie noticed how Irene became angrier once she heard about Gladys. Exhaling a sigh, she decided to bring up the main reason why she wanted to meet Irene alone today.

"Irene, there’s something more important... I haven’t told you..."

Sensing the slight change in Leslie’s voice, Irene silently gazed at her elder sister before asking cautiously, "...what is it?"

Leslie pressed her lips, wondering how badly Irene would cry as soon as she heard her. She reached out for the teenager’s hands, clasping them together.

Irene darted her eyes from Leslie’s somber countenance to her hands under her elder sister’s grasp. Suddenly, her heart pounded heavier than before, sending a buzzing sound to her ears.

"Big Sister... please tell me."

Irene’s voice was half-pleading. Her reddened eyes expressed her curiosity, mixing with guilt.

Unwilling to prolong this moment, Leslie decided to bite the bullet.

"Actually, aside from limiting our contact, we plan to... cut the Li family off from our lives, Irene."

Irene froze. Without saying anything, she looked at Leslie with horror in her eyes.

"Except for you, we don’t want to be... associated with the Li family... Even though I’m the eldest granddaughter..."

As those words registered in Irene’s mind, she stiffly lowered her head. There was still so much to take despite already understanding what Leslie meant by that.

Cutting off the relationship with the entire Li family... except for her.

If this news spread in high society, Irene couldn’t imagine how much damage would befall both parties – her elder sister and their maiden family.

Her elder sister would be accused of turning her back on her family after marrying a more powerful one.

Their maiden family would be rumored to treat her elder sister badly, enough for the latter to sever their familial relationship.

But...

Who cared about those damn gossips?

"Big Sister, I support you."

Under Leslie’s baffled eyes, Irene slowly tilted up her chin, once again letting their gaze meet. The weight of her words stunned the former.

"Irene, you said... you’ll support me?" asked Leslie, sounding a little cautious.

"Yes."

Irene’s face still expressed her disappointment and sadness but, her eyes were burning with resolution. She no longer looked as meek and sorrowful as earlier.

"I’m sure you thought long and hard about this before deciding on it, right? My brother-in-law too."

Irene paused. She couldn’t help but wonder how troubled her elder sister was when pondering on this issue. Without a doubt, her brother-in-law shared the same opinion as her.

"Yes, we did..." Leslie nodded once, admitting to Irene’s guess, "If they knew we found Poppy, we’re afraid... they’d try something else... to deny their wrongdoings..."

Old Madam Li and Geoffrey were more than happy to be associated with Calix Xu even though they were dissatisfied because the bride was not Gladys.

Knowing them, they would throw the blame on someone else once they knew Calliope was Calix’s biological child.

Irene inwardly sighed. Squeezing Leslie’s hands, she said, "That’s it. You made this decision because it’s for the best. For your own sake."

Her elder sister had had enough.

Now that she had reunited with her daughter and lover, she didn’t have to trouble herself with the poison of their family.

The clarity in Irene’s voice brought a relieved smile to Leslie’s lips.

Really, this girl might seem weak but, she possessed a strong heart.

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