Journey to Happy Ending

Chapter 1528 Spring Festival (Part One)

When Shannon hadn't heard from Leena for a long time, she grew anxious and couldn't stay still. For

this reason, she found herself coming to S City for a visit. Entering her son's apartment, she sought for

her daughter-in-law but to no avail. The woman was simply nowhere to be seen.

However, Shannon's presence under his roof surprised Kevin. He hadn't found the right time to tell her

about Leena's disappearance yet, and didn't think that he would have to do it some time soon. In fact,

he never expected Shannon to come without prior notice. Taken aback, he rushed towards her.

"Mom, what brings you here?" he asked. "You should have called me first." Taking her bags

immediately from her shoulder, he carried them to the living room. Luckily, it was the weekend and he

was at home.

"Can't I visit my son when I feel like it?" Shannon asked angrily. She had asked about Leena's situation

on the phone several times. But Kevin, who was great at deflecting, only told her that Leena had gone

to Paris. That was it.

"I didn't mean it that way, Mom," he said, as she sat on the sofa. "Tea or water?" She was one of the

few people who wasn't a fan of coffee. Shannon gave him a brief, surprised look before looking away.

"Iced water!" Rolling her eyes, she expected Leena to appear out of nowhere. Despite knowing she

wasn't around, she couldn't help but hope to be surprised.

"That doesn't sound like a good idea," said Kevin, frowning. "I'll pour you a glass of warm water." It was

freezing cold outside, and Kevin wasn't sure if Shannon was only trying to spite him.

"Where's Leena?" she asked, just before he could leave to fetch the drink. "Has she not come back

yet?" she persisted stubbornly. Her eyes roamed across her son's face, never missing a single

expression. His hesitance spoke a thousand words she didn't want to hear.

"Uh," he said, "I'll talk about it with you later. Let me make you something to eat first." With his mother

coming over by surprise, Kevin was unprepared and couldn't think of the best way to tell her the truth.

Worrying her mother was the last thing he wanted to do, and if he could prolong the announcement of

Leena's disappearance, he would.

"You think I came all the way here for food?" asked Shannon incredulously. Alas, it seemed like Kevin

could not escape his mother's impatience. "Tell me the truth!" she demanded. A lot of what Kevin said

didn't add up. Even if Leena had gone to Paris, that would not have stopped the lady from calling to

check in on her mother-in-law. And when Shannon called Leena, her phone was always off. It was like

she didn't want to be found.

"Uh," said Kevin, standing awkwardly by the doorway. "Okay." He turned and crossed his arms.

Constantly changing position, he finally cleared his throat and said, "Before that, I'll go get your water

first." With that, he scurried away from the living room and took his time getting the glass of water.

When he returned, Kevin placed the drink in front of her on the table.

Shannon merely looked at it. "Oh my god, just tell me," she burst in anticipation. "Did something bad

happen?" She had been having a bad feeling about it for a while, and seeing her son's odd behavior

only magnified her worry.

"I told you that Leena went to Paris," he began in a low and sad voice, "but I actually lied. The truth is

that I've lost her." His shoulder slumped in defeat. "I don't know where she is now," he admitted. The

thought of Leena pierced his soul like a sharp knife.

After his confession, Shannon had her hand over her mouth. "What do you mean... you've lost her?"

she asked in disbelief. "Kevin, you're a Major General. If you can't even protect your wife," she paused

for a while and added, "how do you expect to protect your country?" After she observed him more

carefully, her heart sank. She noticed he had lost some weight, likely in the absence of his wife. The

thought only made her heart ache more unbearable.NôvelDrama.Org © content.

"Sorry, Mom," he said genuinely, "I've let you down." Continuing, he went on to say, "I didn't pay Leena

enough attention before. If I had done it, I would have recognized her odd behavior. But... I didn't." He

lowered his head in misery, sitting on the armchair beside Shannon.

"How can you be so irresponsible? A girl from a well-off family chose to marry a soldier like you...

because she loves you," emphasized Shannon. "How could you lose her? What have you done?" A

reasonable person like Shannon wouldn't defend Kevin just because he was her son. She demanded

to hear the whole story. Having known Leena's exceptional character, however, Shannon felt inclined to

take her side.

"Mom, it's not what you think," said Kevin quickly. "Leena... she just left me." His mother's reaction gave

off the impression that, perhaps, she misunderstood the situation. As much as Kevin wanted to clarify

everything, he just didn't know how to properly explain himself.

"And you just let her leave without stopping her?" questioned Shannon dubiously. She paused for a

while before asking, "Kevin, did you have an affair with Louisa?" Having uttered such a question,

Shannon felt like she lost her mind. How dare she question her own son's loyalty? But it seemed like

the only reason for which an amazing woman like Leena would have to disappear without a word.

"Mom!" exclaimed Kevin in shock. "What are you even talking about? I've never had an affair,

especially not with Louisa! I don't even want to hear her name." He let out a disgruntled sigh. "If I had

known that she'd leave, I wouldn't have let her." Her mother was too anxious to be rational, he thought.

This was exactly what he feared to happen.

"Fine!" snapped Shannon. "Just tell me why Leena suddenly left. I won't... I won't make any more

presumptions until you're done." Calming down, she realized that her emotions got the better of her.

She took deep breaths, and pursed her lips tightly in anticipation of Kevin's explanation.

"Leena... It's extremely difficult for her to get pregnant," Kevin said, feeling his chest tighten as soon as

he mentioned it. If only he'd known about the status of Leena's health from the beginning, he would

have refrained from expressing his affection for having children to her. He might have even insisted that

he didn't want kids at all. Because of him, Leena probably believed that it was better she left since she

couldn't give what he was dying to have. As her husband, Kevin hadn't even noticed that she wasn't

herself. He just couldn't forgive himself for it. What an uncaring and incompetent husband he was!

"So?" pressed Shannon. She just couldn't understand why Leena would leave because of it. Unless...

She looked at Kevin and asked, "Did you express any regrets because of it?" As Shannon really

admired Leena, she couldn't help but side with her as soon as Kevin finished talking. Her son was at a

loss for words. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, thinking, 'I'm your son! Yet you act like Leena is

your daughter, and I'm just an outsider.'