Love me or leave me (Rebecca and Theodore) novel Chapter 285

Abigail, Aaron, and Yolanda didn't understand, so Stacey had to take them outside and patiently explain everything to them. After a long explanation, they finally understood that Charlie wasn't sad anymore. However, he had cried in the past and had been very sad before.

That evening, when Charlie returned home eager to see the children, he was immediately surrounded by a swarm of little ones. The three youngest, Abigail, Aaron, and Yolanda, ran over and encircled him. Charlie gazed at the children before finally squatting down. He embraced each of them, planting kisses on their cheeks, and felt utterly blissful. Despite his happiness, he couldn't hold all three at once, especially the older ones. Lillian, Kevin, Jeremy, and Damian were older now and didn't cling to people as much as they used to, but Charlie still adored them. After attending to the younger children, he went to find the older children, giving each a hug to ensure no one felt left out. The number of children in the Carter family had grown significantly over time, making coming home a vibrant and lively experience.

After the excitement settled, Debra called Charlie over. Initially, he was all smiles, but his expression stiffened when he heard that Abigail and Aaron had accidentally entered his room while playing hide and seek and had rummaged through his things. Charlie quickly stood up and rushed upstairs. Debra hadn't thought much of it at first. After all, who hadn't experienced relationships in their youth? It was normal to have a broken heart now and then. She assumed that after all these years, that girl wouldn't hold much significance for Charlie. But as she witnessed his reaction now, a sudden realization hit her. Debra wondered, 'Does Charlie still love that girl? If he didn't, he wouldn't react so strongly to the children finding his things. Could it be that Charlie hasn't dated all these years because of her?'

Stacey could clearly see that Charlie still cared about that girl. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll go upstairs to check on him." She made her way upstairs quickly but instinctively softened her steps as she approached Charlie's room. Stacey did not enter and stood at the door. Charlie was inside, and she found it inappropriate to intrude into his private space without first receiving his permission.

Debra soon arrived and, like Stacey, paused at the door. Lillian, Kevin, Jeremy, Damian, Abigail, Aaron, and Yolanda joined them. Before long, a sizable group of children gathered around the door to Charlie's room. As Stacey and Debra had not entered, the children, following their lead, also refrained from going inside. They did not go in but waited outside obediently. Lillian, finding it a little strange, couldn't help asking, "Mommy, Granny, what happened to Uncle Charlie?"

Kevin, equally curious, chimed in, "Yeah. What is Uncle Charlie doing?"

"Uncle Charlie is crying!" Abigail said in a voice she believed was discreet.

"Yeah. His eyes are red from crying. He's crying really sadly!" Aaron added seriously.

"No, Aunt Stacey said that Uncle Charlie isn't crying now. He cried in the past. The photo was taken before," Yolanda quickly and loudly corrected.

It suddenly got noisy outside the room. Inside, Charlie's mood was already low, but hearing the children's chatter outside made him feel helpless. He thought that with some effort, he could suppress the sadness in his heart. Charlie swiftly stashed the diary and photos away, then turned to face the group of children gathered at the door, deliberately adopting a stern expression. Abigail, seeing Charlie looking at them, immediately brightened up. She ran in and exclaimed, "Uncle Charlie!"