When Faye Townsend got home, it was already half past seven.
If she hadn’t remembered about her appointment with Clara, she might have stayed busy a bit longer.
But upon returning home, she discovered that Clara had been there for a while, playing with Darnley.
"Faye, Sister Clara has been here for quite a while, how come you’re only just back?"
Faye could hear the complaint in Darnley’s voice, so she stepped forward and picked him up to look at Clara: "Clara, I’m really sorry, I’ve been insanely busy these past few days."
"It’s fine, Faye, I came early on purpose." She raised her hand to ruffle Darnley’s hair: "Just as well, I can play with him for a while."
Faye smiled: "Uncle Rivers, please prepare dinner."
"Miss, everything’s ready, I’ll get Mrs. Li to set the table now."
Faye looked at Clara’s face with some concern: "Clara, how come you look so unwell after just a few days?"
Clara sighed: "A lot has happened recently, it’s really hard to sum up."
Uncle Rivers called from the dining room: "Miss, it’s time for dinner."
Faye nodded and handed Darnley to Uncle Rivers: "Uncle Rivers, take Darnley to eat next door, I have something to discuss with Clara."
Darnley knew Faye was busy, so he obediently left with Uncle Rivers without fuss.
Faye and Clara sat down together, and she asked, "What’s going on, what happened?"
"There are some things I really don’t know how to start with.
Faye, did Uncle Oliver ever tell you why he decided to raise me?"
Faye shook her head: "I’ve never heard him mention it, why, is it related to what you want to say today?"
Clara nodded, "Actually, Uncle Oliver and I don’t have any blood relation.
My mom was a math genius and a teenage mom; she had me at 19.
That year, she had just started university, with a bright future ahead, but she fell for my dad mistakenly and ruined her own future.
She couldn’t even complete university and was expelled because of it, and my dad broke up with her to disassociate himself when he found out she was pregnant.
He wanted her to get an abortion, but she sat in the hospital crying all day long and in the end, she couldn’t go through with it.
For my sake, she ruined her own future.
I remember when I was nine, Uncle Oliver was in high school. He heard somewhere that my mom was a math genius, so he asked her to tutor him.
At that time, Uncle Oliver offered generous tuition fees that tempted my mom, and she agreed readily because she had to support me.
The second year she tutored Uncle Oliver, he got into the university he wanted, and my mom was so proud of him for it.
He invited my mom to his house for a celebration dinner. It was supposed to be a simple feast, but unexpectedly... it became my mom’s funeral."
Faye frowned: "Did something happen?"
"Back then, Uncle Oliver had a girlfriend named Luna Fisher. They were very much in love.
I heard from others later on that Uncle Oliver loved her very much.
They had agreed that after graduating from university, they would go abroad together to further their studies.
That night was supposed to be a happy occasion, but someone found my mom’s body in the swimming pool in the backyard of Uncle Oliver’s house.
The incident shocked Anchester for a long time, and that villa has remained empty; no one dares to buy it to this day.
When the police investigated, they checked the surveillance footage of the backyard and saw the girl arguing with my mom before pushing her into the swimming pool..."
Faye pressed her lips together and watched Clara, who was recounting all this with an air of indifference. On the surface, it seemed like it no longer pained her, but only her own heart knew if that was true or not.
"What happened after that?"
"Later, Luna Fisher was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
And because I was so young and an orphan, Uncle Oliver always kept me by his side.
I know that the reason Uncle Oliver raised me was that he wanted to atone for Luna Fisher’s sins.
But he doesn’t seem to know that I’ve never hated him.
He’s not the killer; I truly have no reason to hate him.
As life passed by peacefully day by day, I gradually realized that Uncle Oliver had become an indispensable part of my life.
I fell in love with him, and thinking about it, it seems logical... facing such an outstanding man, the only person who probably wouldn’t have feelings for him is you.
I’ve been living too comfortably, and it seems I’ve long forgotten that even a murderer has a day when their sentence ends."