Chapter 400 She Did Not Dare To Acknowledge Her
Tony broke away from Kurt’s embrace and trotted toward Amelia Hutton. In the next moment, he bit her hand like a puppy, causing her to cry out in pain.
Immediately, Amelia Winters stepped forward and hugged Tony in her arms. “Tony, let go of her. Otherwise, I’ll get angry.”
Only then did Tony stop biting Amelia Hutton. However, he still glared at her like a wolf cub as he snarled, “How dare you slap Mommy? I’ll bite you to death.”
Grabbing the hand that was bitten by Tony, Amelia Hutton was on the verge of tears. She looked at Amelia Winters and questioned, “Amy, is this how you educate your son?”
Just then, Tiffany shielded Amelia Winters behind her and piped up, “Ms. Hutton, we’re just acquaintances. It might be inappropriate for us to leave without informing you, but that doesn’t mean you can slap Amelia because of it. I think Tony did nothing wrong. He’s teaching you how to respect others. To be honest, we only got to know you and your mother by chance. We aren’t obligated to report our whereabouts to both of you.”
A hint of embarrassment flickered past Amelia Hutton’s eyes while Eleanor’s face blanched.
With Tony in her arms, Amelia Winters uttered, “Tiff, don’t say that.” The next moment, she averted her gaze to Eleanor and suggested, “Mrs. Hutton, let’s talk in the house. This is the corridor. We might disturb others.”
After entering the house, she put Tony down and said to him gently, “Tony, what did I tell you? You can’t be rude to people, and you can’t bite them without reason. Have you forgotten what I taught you? You’ve bitten Amelia just now. Shouldn’t you apologize to her?”
Nevertheless, Tony lifted his chin and snorted arrogantly. “Mommy, she’s a bad woman. She slapped you. I’m not going to apologize to her. I’ll bite whoever that bullies you.”
Using his little hand to caress her cheek, he leaned over and blew on it gently. “I’ll blow away all the pain for you, Mommy.”
His words and actions brought warmth to the deepest part of her heart.
Amelia Winters pulled Tony into her arms and grinned. “It doesn’t hurt anymore. However, you still have to apologize if you did something wrong. Go and apologize to Amelia and promise that you’ll never do it again in the future. Or else, I’ll be angry.”
Tony pursed his lips, looking obviously reluctant.
“Tony, be good now. Hurry up.”
In the end, he reluctantly approached Amelia Hutton and apologized, “Amelia, I’m sorry. But you did bully my mommy, so I don’t regret biting you.”
Amelia Hutton’s expression darkened.
Subsequently, Eleanor squatted down and hugged Tony. “You’re such a good boy and even know how to apologize to others at such a young age. Your mother has taught you well. I’m so proud of you.”
With that said, she looked at Amelia Hutton and questioned, “Tony is only two years old and already knows that he has to apologize when he has done something wrong. What about you? Shouldn’t you apologize to Lia?”
Amelia Hutton stood rooted to the spot and did not respond.
“Are you trying to piss me off?” Eleanor’s face fell as she spoke.
Only then did Amelia Hutton walk over reluctantly.
“Amy, I’m sorry. I was too impulsive just now. Please forgive me,” enunciated Amelia Hutton insincerely.
Amelia Winters wore a smile on her face, but her smile was tinged with a hint of aloofness.
“Amelia, I don’t blame you. I went to Anglandur in a hurry, so I forgot to inform you and Mrs. Hutton. When I arrived in Anglandur, I had too many problems to settle. Plus, I changed to an Anglandurn phone number, so I wasn’t able to receive your call. I’m the one who should apologize to you. I’m glad that you still remember me even though we aren’t that close,” remarked Amelia Winters.
Amelia Hutton’s cheeks flushed a little.
“Amy, I acted too rashly just now. I shouldn’t have slapped you even if I’m angry. I just feel sorry for my mom. She has a history of mental illness, and the doctor said that if she falls ill again, she may need to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. She has controlled her emotions well in the past few years, and she’s also doing counseling with her psychiatrist every month. Yet, she almost had a relapse because she was too worried about you. That’s why I was anxious,” explained Amelia Hutton.
Truth be told, Amelia Hutton had complicated feelings toward Amelia Winters. On one hand, she hoped that she could have an elder sister who could chat with her, but on the other, she did not want Amelia Winters to take away all the attention of her family. It was somewhat of a love-hate relationship.
Moments later, Amelia Winters shifted her attention to Eleanor and uttered guiltily, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Hutton.”
Eleanor looked at her sparkling eyes and was unable to hold back her excitement. She hugged Amelia Winters while shedding tears. “Lia, have your eyes recovered? I didn’t notice it because of the chaos just now. You can finally see again. I’m really happy for you.”
When she calmed down, Amelia Winters helped her to sit on the sofa and handed her a tissue. “Mrs. Hutton, please wipe your tears.”
Wiping off the tears from the corners of her eyes, Eleanor explained apologetically, “Lia, I was too happy for you. Did I scare you?”
In response, Amelia Winters shook her head. “Mrs. Hutton, I’m grateful that you cared so much about me. I’ve always regarded you as my elder. Previously, Tiff said that I look a lot like you, but I don’t really believe it. However, I believe it now. Looking at you, I almost thought that I’m actually your daughter, but I know that I’m not. I appreciate everything that you have done so far, but I’m leaving soon. We might put this apartment up for sale after we leave. Fate has brought us together. So, if you go to Tayhaven one day, please come look for me, and I’ll provide you with food and accommodation.”
“Why are you leaving? Was I being too friendly? Did I scare you? I can change if that’s the case.” All of a sudden, Eleanor grew nervous.
“Mrs. Hutton, don’t get me wrong. I’m not leaving because of you. My husband is from Tayhaven. He manages his family business over there and can’t leave. As his wife, it’s only natural that I’d bring my son back to reunite with him. There’s no reason for a married couple to live separately, right?” Amelia Winters clarified with patience.
“I see.” There was a hint of disappointment in Eleanor’s eyes. “Lia, can I go visit you after you go back to Tayhaven?”
Amelia Winters grinned. “Of course. You’re welcome to drop by anytime.”
Eleanor’s lips curled into a smile as well. She fixated her gaze on Amelia Winters and stated, “Lia, you’re such a good child. I wish I could keep you by my side for the rest of my life. Sometimes, I think that it would be great if you could call me Mom. However, many things are out of control, and I don’t have a choice. I’m not keeping the truth a secret for my sake. It’s because I’m afraid that you will be hurt for a second time. Anyway, it’s a good thing that you’re leaving Beshya. Although Tayhaven is pretty far from Saspiuburg, I can travel there by plane. I’ll visit you when I get the chance.”
Upon hearing that, Amelia Winters felt a pang of sadness in her heart.
Her heart was a tempest of emotions as she looked at Eleanor. She could see the agony in Eleanor’s eyes. There had to be a reason why she did not dare to acknowledge Amelia Winters as her daughter. Hence, the latter did not mention a word regarding their blood relation as well. If she was being honest with herself, the situation they were in right then was not that bad. Everyone knew the truth but chose to play dumb and pretended that it had never happened.
“Lia, you must be tired after traveling for the whole day. Take a good rest. I’ll make you some beef bourguignon in the afternoon,” commented Eleanor while standing up.
“Thank you, Mrs. Hutton.”
After Eleanor and Amelia Hutton left, Tiffany vented her frustration. “What the hell is wrong with them? Are we obliged to forgive them if they back down after beating people up? Do they really think that we’re pushovers?”
“Tiff, please don’t say that. We were indeed at fault for leaving without informing them. They have the right to be angry.”
“But that doesn’t mean they can beat someone up. You don’t even know how much I want to teach Amelia a lesson just now. If it wasn’t for the fact that she might be your younger sister, I wouldn’t have suppressed my anger.”
In response, Amelia merely shook her head.
“Amelia, you’re being too kind to her. She’s getting more and more overboard now. She didn’t even show you any respect earlier.”
“Tiff, if a stranger suddenly appears to rob you of your mother’s love, you’ll feel upset as well, right? She’s just spoilt. Not to mention that Mrs. Hutton is too protective of me, so it’s understandable for Amelia to feel hostile toward me.” Amelia Winters could understand Amelia Hutton’s feelings and empathize with her. If our roles were reversed, I’d probably hate the person who takes away my mother’s love as well. It’s human nature.
“Why are you defending her? Did you forget how hard she slapped you just now?”
“Tony has blown away the pain for me. It doesn’t hurt anymore. So let’s just stop talking about this. Once we leave Beshya, we won’t have anything to do with them anymore.” Amelia’s face turned gloomy as she said that. With much difficulty, she finally met someone who might be related to her by blood, but they were not willing to acknowledge her. No matter it was the Winters family or the Hutton family, to them, she was just an outsider. Even if Eleanor treated her well, she could see that Eleanor did not dare to acknowledge her.
She could not help but smile bitterly. Did I do something wrong? Why do both families dislike me? Although the Winters family never abused her physically, emotional abuse still caused her trauma. In actuality, she also longed for family affection and a warm home in her heart.
“Babe, let’s stop talking about the Hutton family. It doesn’t matter whether they’re related to you or not. If they don’t acknowledge you, we’ll pretend that we didn’t find out about it. After we go back to Tayhaven, you should cut off all ties with them. You still have us. Oscar, Tony, Kurt, and I are your strong and reliable relatives.”
Listening to that, Amelia burst out in laughter. The sadness she felt earlier disappeared in an instant, and her mood inexorably improved.
Life had to go on. She had no time to waste on indulging in sadness. Besides, there were more unfortunate people in the world than her. Although her family treated her indifferently, at least she was well-fed and had a house to live in. She was grateful that she did not have to starve.
