My Wife Wants a Divorce by Red Little Fruit

Chapter 916 The Old Madam’s Intention

“I understand,” Julien nodded.

The Old Madam beat her breast and added, “I couldn’t bear it anymore after your dad passed out drinking because of your mother. I went to her and asked her why she didn’t keep her word and what she wanted. Why didn’t she agree to annul the engagement since she didn’t think much of Alexander? Why did she marry into our family? We certainly had given her a chance: she could get back together with Dallin after the annulment of engagement, and the Flint family would pull the Harrow family through the trouble. She, however, had refused to consent. After the marriage, she accepted our help but treated Alexander...”

‘It’s not acceptable for anyone, is it?’ Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

Julien cast his eyes down and made no further reply.

He knew that his mother’s actions were incorrect or even immoral.

But he, as the son, could not directly criticize his mother.

She was the one who gave birth to him even though he had few affections for her.

The Old Madam was always reasonable. She understood Julien’s silence and did not blame him.

After all, commenting on a mother’s behavior was not what a son should do.

Actually, the Old Madam would disapprove of his indication of his mother’s misconduct.

“Grandma, didn’t you give them any advice on divorce?” Julien asked. “You knew that Dallin was the one my mother loved and how much my father suffered. Knowing you, you should have done that. It is a good suggestion for everyone.”

“Of course, I did.” The Old Madam sighed, “I made this suggestion during my conversation with Isabel at that time. She was already pregnant with you then, and I told her that she could abort and pursue her love. But…”

“She still said no?” Julien guessed at what came next.

The Old Madam nodded, “Right. Isabel was exactly a lovestruck girl, but she was very responsible. She rejected my suggestion, saying that she would produce an heir for Alexander, as she had promised him. She said that she would keep her promise and that she would not have an abortion or divorce. In addition, she would leave when you were old enough to understand that your parents divorced because they didn’t love each other. Her seriousness and my eagerness for a grandchild prevented me from persuading her to agree to my proposal. She was carrying you then. And I, to be honest, didn’t have the heart to have her abort. I just didn’t want to see them put each other through torture. Since she clearly stated that she would give birth, I said nothing more.”

“And then?” Julien asked.

The Old Madam took a sip of tea, “I told her that as long as she would not regret it in the future, I respect her choice. She petted her belly and smiled, saying she would not regret it. She said that she and Dallin agreed to wait for each other until they were reunited. In fact, I had known this agreement during the investigation. Instead of telling her I knew this, I pretended to be surprised and told her it was a good idea.”

Speaking of which, she sneered, “Though I said that, I didn’t mean it. It was ridiculous of her to believe that a man would wait for her. Really, she overestimated Dallin’s feelings for her. Why didn’t he speak out against her engagement if he loved her? He never even publicly acknowledged his relationship with her. Instead, she was the one who revealed this secret before the marriage. If a man loves a woman, would he not tell anyone that she is his girlfriend or object to her marrying another man? I never thought Isabel was Dallin’s love. But she, alas…”

The Old Madam let loose a long and deep sigh, “Facts bear me out. The fact that Dallin has an illegitimate daughter about Syd’s age is a clear indication that he unilaterally rescinded the agreement a few years after your parents were married. If Isabel were still alive, she might go crazy knowing this.”

“Keep it from her,” Julien said.

The Old Madam was amused by his words, “Yeah. Hateful as your mother is, she is a poor thing. If she had forgotten Dallin and accepted Alexander’s love, she would be a happy woman now, and Velma would never have a chance.”

Julien believed the Old Madam was right.

His grandma said that his father used to love his mother.

If his mother had accepted his father’s love, his father would not fall in love with Velma.

Although Velma was rude, she was a woman of conscience. She felt responsible for the breakdown of Julien’s parents’ marriage and the death of Isabel, so she treated Julien as her own son.

For this reason, the Old Madam acknowledged Velma as her daughter-in-law, though she was not satisfied with her.

“Perhaps my father’s Miss Right is Velma, not my mother,” Julien looked at his grandma and asked, “Don’t you think he is happier with Velma?”

She snorted, “If I hadn’t been sure that they were in love and that she was kind to you, I would definitely disapprove of the match even if your father took the punishment for breaking the family rule.”

Julien chuckled, “You haven’t treated Velma shabbily, though you dislike her. Your detestation of her didn’t prevent you from acknowledging her as your daughter-in-law. Am I right?”

The Old Madam sighed, “Yeah, she’s boorish and tacky. I don’t think much of her, anyway. It’s really annoying that I’ve taught her manners for many years, and she still goes her own way. But she’s really kind to you. All in all, I’ve to admit that she, as a daughter-in-law of our family, is inadequate socially but capable as a wife and mother. Therefore, as long as she could fulfill her duty as a wife and mother, I would not give her a hard time.”

With that, the Old Madam waved her hand with a look of disgust on her face.

Julien chuckled for a moment, and his usual impassive expression returned to his face, “Oh, grandma, you haven’t told me how you found my mother cultivated me to have the same character as Dallin.”

The Old Madam’s countenance changed when she heard this, “I didn’t know at first. Isabel said she wanted to foster your character herself, and I didn’t think anything of it. A mother has the right to raise her own child herself, and I couldn’t take that away from her, so I didn’t stop her. When you were eight years old, I went to the Jackal City to attend the 80th birthday party of your grandpa’s army comrade, and I met Dallin there. The moment I saw Dallin, I suddenly knew what your mother was up to and that must be what Syd felt when she met Dallin. How crazy your mother is! It was irritating that she was going to groom you to be a stand-in for her lover. Is this something a mother should do?”

The Old Madam blushed furiously.

Julien suddenly remembered something and looked up at his grandma, “No wonder you asked me to come and live with you in the old residence after you returned from Jackal City. You’re trying to stop my mother from turning me into another Dallin, right?”