Family on Their Knees Heart Turned to Ice novel Chapter 134

The old house had plenty of rooms, but none were specifically for Brandon.

After all, Brandon and Colin had rarely ever stayed in Midvale.

It was perfectly normal that there wasn't a room for him.

"There are so many rooms, just pick one," Lillian said dismissively. "Sleep wherever you want."

Did he really need to ask her that?

With that, she went upstairs.

The housekeeper, having overheard, came over with a smile to show Brandon to a guest room.

"Mr. Brandon Mercer, please follow me to the second floor. There are two guest rooms up there, always kept clean. The sheets and duvet cover were just changed.

When the master and madam were still with us, they also lived on the second floor.

Your mother and Lillian stayed on this floor when they visited as well."

Brandon could discern the hierarchy from the way he was addressed.

The housekeeper called him the formal "Mr. Brandon Mercer," while he called Lillian by her first name.

Not that Lillian seemed to mind.

Brandon just found her way of interacting with the people in Midvale very strange.

She had lived in Northwyn for so many years and had never shown any of these tendencies.

Lillian returned to her room. Everything was just as she remembered it, without the slightest change.

But though the room was the same, the people were not.

She would never again see her doting grandparents in this old house.

So much had changed over the years.

Her grandparents were gone, her grandmother was in a coma, and her mother had a mental illness.

She hadn't been back to Midvale in a long time, and this visit was only to get a signature for a divorce.

Lillian felt she couldn't even face her Lancaster relatives.

Despite this, the next day, the elders of the Lancaster clan all came to see her.

They all brought her gifts.

Lillian looked at them, her heart filled with complex emotions.

As they sat and caught up, everyone was surprised by how much Lillian had changed.

She looked as if she had been through a great deal.

One of the clan elders looked at her and couldn't help but ask, "Lillian, what happened to your hair? And why have you gotten so thin?"

Hearing the elder's question, Brandon, fearing Lillian might blurt out the truth about prison, quickly interjected.

"Lillian spent two years abroad. I think she wasn't used to the food."

The Lancaster family had long known about Eleanor's illness and about Sabrina Ward, the mistress. But while Eleanor's parents were still alive, they hadn't taken any drastic action against Sabrina, hoping only that Martin would treat Eleanor well. After all, they knew they would pass on first and believed a husband was the one who would care for her.

But now that Lillian brought up the divorce, Gregory was the first to object.

Lillian had expected this.

Eleanor's mental illness was a direct result of the trauma Martin had inflicted on her.

Though the physical injuries had healed, the mental illness remained, with no signs of recovery over the years.

Eleanor couldn't be left alone, or an accident could happen at any moment.

The Lancaster family had remained silent on the matter for years, implicitly accepting that Martin, even if he spent his life with the mistress, would have to carry the title of husband and care for Eleanor for the rest of his life.

Martin had promised as much, vowing never to divorce her and to be responsible for her until the end.

And now, he was demanding a divorce?

The Lancaster family would not allow it!

Lillian paused for a moment before speaking. "A little over two weeks ago, I moved my mother out of the psychiatric hospital. I've hired a team of professionals to care for her and continue her treatment.

I don't know if she'll ever recover, but she will live comfortably and be well looked after.

She doesn't need a husband who doesn't love her by her side.

And she still has me, her daughter. Her life will not be affected in any way.

I believe that if Mom were to recover one day, she would also agree to this divorce. I ask for your understanding."