Reborn From Ashes novel Chapter 12

"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I understand what he said?" Julia became even more confused.

Didn't Hayden make everything clear?

"He said that Mom treats Morgan as her foster son, but he also asked if Morgan was really just a foster son," Anna stated with much emphasis as she looked Julia in the eye.

They shared a moment of silence before Julia broke the ice and said with logical assessment, "It's not that hard to understand what he said, is it? Hayden's just trying to create a rift between Mom and Morgan by saying that. It's because he's jealous of Morgan.

"It's that simple, so you don't have to overthink what he said. Although Morgan is indeed a foster son, he'll forever be one of our own!"

"But… it feels off. I feel like he was trying to imply something else," Anna muttered.

"Don't think too much. Hayden has made his choice not to return to us. So, just let it be," Julia said lightly and turned to leave without much thought.

Anna was left to dwell on her own. She couldn't shake off the suspicions that she had as she looked at the horizon.

Was she really overthinking? She felt as though Hayden's expression had been a little strange when he had said those words, as if he was referring to something else.

At the old housing complex, Hayden sat at the dining table in the evening to have dinner. There was a scrumptious spread laid on the table, which included hash browns, tomato frittata, and Caesar salad.

"Give it a taste, Hayden. I've specially returned early to prepare them, so see if you like it," Serene stated hopefully as she placed the last dish on the table.

She had specially prepared all of the dishes Hayden used to love eating.

"I just know that it's going to taste delicious from the aroma," Hayden praised with a joyful smile.

"That's right! I can tell with a glance that they'll be yummy!" Jenny stated excitedly as she held her utensils. She could hardly contain her anticipation.

Soon after, everyone began to eat their meal, grabbing onto the dishes to fill their own plates. James had even poured himself a glass of wine and drank in celebration. His heart was warmed by the scene of their family eating together happily.

"This is it! This is a true family reunion! It feels great," James sighed in contentment.

"Let's eat together more often in the future." Hayden smiled.

"You'll be sitting for the SAT soon, and it'll be hard for you to travel home once you're attending a good college." Serena chuckled.

She didn't feel sad to send him off to college. After all, it was another milestone in Hayden's life that showed he was all grown up.

"Which college are you going to, Hayden? I wanna apply for it in the future as well!" Jenny's eyes lit up as she stared at Hayden.

She knew that Hayden had always gotten impressive results, and he had also tutored her ever since she was young. In her eyes, Hayden was the smartest person she ever knew, and she believed that there was nothing he couldn't do.

As such, Jenny treated Hayden as her role model.

"How can you compare to Hayden with your results? It's still too early for you to be making these decisions." Serena immediately tried to rein her in.

She didn't want Jenny to harbor unrealistic expectations because she knew that Jenny was far from catching up to Hayden's academic proficiency. If it weren't for Hayden's consistent tutoring lessons, Jenny would have hit rock bottom by now.

"Hmph! You're being too unfair, Mom!" Jenny pouted, clearly upset.

Just then, James laughed aloud and shook his head. Then, he turned to Hayden and looked at him seriously. "You must have thought about it, Hayden. Which college do you wish to attend?"