Upon hearing what Tina said, Mandy looked even more embarrassed.
"Mom, you can go upstairs first. I want to talk with Aunt Tina alone," said Jean as she looked at Mandy. But Mandy refused, "Jean, I don't think..."
"It's okay. I'll be fine." Before Mandy could finish her sentence, Jean sent her off. Then Jean sat next to Tina and said, "Aunt Tina, it's good that you're here. You can ask me about any subject that troubles you. I won't hide anything from you."
"It's good that you think so. Julia and Terence have been married for three years, and he is your brother-in-law. I hope you can behave yourself. Don't do anything to embarrass yourself," said Tina in a rude tone.
Despite Tina's harsh words, Jean's expression didn't change. Instead, she revealed a smile and said, "Aunt Tina, you must have misunderstood something. You think that Terence divorced Julia for me, don't you?"
"It's the truth, isn't it?" Tina revealed a displeased face. "I've found out that the time you came back was exactly the time when they divorced. Although Julia and Terence had been quarreling all these years, they never said that they wanted to be separated. Why did they divorce when you came back? Besides, I've read in the newspaper that you and Terence had begun to choose rings. Is that not true? And now, you are hanging out with Terence every day. How dare you say that you have no idea at all!"
Tina looked at Jean with disdain. "Jean, I've known you are an ambitious girl since you were a child. However, one is your sister, and the other is your brother-in-law. Don't you feel guilty about such a despicable scheme?"
"Aunt, it's not like that. I..."
"So, what's the truth?" Tina decided to press the issue. "Tell me the truth!"
A deep sigh escaped Jean's breathe as she pretended to be innocent. "You should know that I was the one who should've gotten married to Terence three years ago."
"So what?" Tina remained furious. "You said it was three years ago. It has been a long time since then. Additionally, Terence and Julia had been married for such a long time. What do you mean by saying this to me now?"
"Aunt Tina, please don't misunderstand. I didn't mean anything else," Jean said with a wry smile. "I just want to tell you that Terence and Julia got married not out of their own will. They didn't have any feelings for each other. In the end, they were forced to get married. Otherwise, he wouldn't hide the news of their marriage and keep it a secret, right?"
Jean's words were reasonable. Deep inside, Tina had also considered the question before. However, Tina always felt believed as long as the time was long enough, Terence would inevitably change his mind.
"I admit that I was angry when Terence married Julia. But in the end, for her happiness, I chose to go far away. To heal my broken heart, I had been abroad for three years. However, please understand that H City is my home. I can't stay abroad forever, right?" With tearful eyes, Jean looked at Tina. "I have been away for three years. However, when I came back, I found that three years of my absence did not bring Terence happiness. Instead, it only made him suffer for three years. You should know that deep inside, he doesn't like Julia.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: A Night with Her Cruel Mate