The Enigmatic Return (Neera and Jean) novel Chapter 1007

Edward looked toward his parents and the old man as if waiting for them to speak.

Elmer exhaled slowly, his voice barely above a whisper. “Edward, why don't you explain.”

Edward nodded before looking at Neera with a solemn expression.

“Ms. Garcia, even though we've met before, allow me to reintroduce you. This is my grandfather, Elmer Park. The lady next to him is my mother, Nadine Little, and this is my father, Jeremiah Park.”

At that point, Edward paused, his expression complex.

“In our family, I actually have an aunt. However... she ran away from home when she was young.”

Neera's heart skipped a beat, and deep within her eyes, it seemed as if something was surging forth.

Jeremiah Park... Stacy Park... The old lady who always mistook me for her own daughter? Her appearance also bears a striking resemblance to my mother, with about a fifty to sixty percent similarity.

In just a few short seconds, several thoughts raced through her mind, and she seemingly realized something.

Her face was tense, her hand clenched under the table. She looked straight at them, her gaze slightly cold.

“So... what are you trying to say?”

Edward pursed his lips. “My aunt. Her name is Stacy.”

When she heard the name that was etched in her roll off Edward's tongue, Neera felt surprised but also seemed to have expected it.

After she was momentarily stunned, the tension within her quickly eased.

No wonder I have always felt an inexplicable sense of closeness to that old lady. Watching her tirelessly searching for her daughter has also tugged at my heartstrings. It turns out that she's actually my maternal grandmother. Does this mean that the people in front of me now are my relatives?

She couldn't help but feel that the situation was surreal.

She had always thought that she would never have any contact with her mother's family in her lifetime.

Unexpectedly, both parties ended up meeting in such a manner.

Edward looked at the surprise and realization in her eyes and gave a bitter smile.

“Hard to believe, isn't it? But it's true. You are my aunt's daughter, my cousin.”

Neera was somewhat at a loss for words, trying to process the unexpected piece of information.

After a long silence, she took a deep breath. “Words don't mean a thing. Do you have any proof?”

“Yes.”

Edward anticipated her question and took out his phone, tapping on it a few times. “Look, this is a family photo of the Park family. This woman here is my aunt, your mother.”

Neera turned to look at the woman he was pointing at, and she caught her breath.

That's what Mom looked like when she was young! It's true, all of this is indeed true. In the photograph, Mom looks so beautiful with her warm and gentle smile. Her eyes are brimming with joy and contentment.

As Neera stared at it, she felt her heartstrings being tugged.

She averted her gaze before she finally spoke, “My mother ran away from home over twenty years ago. Why have you suddenly thought to look for her now? She... she's no longer with us...”

“We already know.”

Edward spoke in a strained voice. “You must hold some resentment towards us in your heart, thinking that we've been heartless all these years for not searching for your mother. But that's not the case.”

“Let me do the talking.”

At that moment, Jeremiah suddenly took over the conversation with a hoarse voice.

“Your mother was pampered and protected from a young age. She was naturally innocent and kind, unaware of the wickedness in people's hearts. During her university years, she fell in love with Alfonso under his persistent pursuit. However, we all felt that he was not a good man and did not approve of their relationship. Yet your mother was determined to marry him. This caused a huge uproar in the family. Later, no one knew what Alfonso promised your mother, but she believed him and even eloped with him. That was the first and only time she ever rebelled in her life. Your grandfather was quite upset about it. Your grandmother, who was already in poor health, became even more despondent because of this incident. I initially wanted to find her, but your grandfather was stubborn and refused to allow it. Later, as your grandmother's illness worsened, we had no choice but to take her abroad for treatment. Before we left, I sent a message to your mother, but I wasn't sure if she saw it. Truth be told, we've gotten over our anger, and we've forgiven her in our hearts. We missed her dearly. If only she had come back and apologized. Even if we still don't like Alfonso, we would've accepted him. But who would have thought, once we parted, it would be for so many years...”

He spoke at length with an increasingly sorrowful tone before heaving a deep sigh.

“All these years, your mother never returned. We thought she was still holding a grudge against the family. We missed her and felt sad. It wasn't until last year that your grandmother started to become like this, always talking about your mother. So, we began to look for your mother, but who would have known...”

Before he could finish speaking, Neera suddenly broke into a sarcastic smile.

“Who would have known that the consequences of her going all out would be so terrible? The man she had set her heart on turned out to be useless and worse than an animal!”

As soon as the words were spoken, members of the Park family were taken aback as they looked at her with eyes full of sympathy.

Unable to bear it any longer, Nadine got up and moved to her side, clutching the latter's hand with teary eyes.

“We only learned about your situation and heard about all the injustices you've endured after we returned. Over the years... you've really suffered. If only we had known earlier about what happened to you and your mother, we would have definitely found you earlier. It's our fault. We came too late...”