âMom, Iâve seen the news.â
A cold, airy voice was heard from the other end of the phone.
Mabelâs face instantly turned pale.
Adina hurriedly supported her swaying body as she asked worriedly, âMrs. Winters, are you okay? Do you want to take a seat first?â
âIâm okay,â Mabel sighed and said with a smile, âLet me answer a call.â
She walked out, closed her eyes, and said softly, âEarl, Duke has told me what happened last time. I really didnât expect you to take my trust for granted and attack your own brother. Earl, I believed you once, and Iâll never do that again. I wonât see you anymore. Leave Sea City. Go somewhere far away, and never come back.â
âMom, youâve only seen the part where I harmed him. Have you ever questioned why I did that?â Earl hissed,â Iâve worked so hard to run the company for decades, and it was ruined by Duke! I just wanted him to have a taste of his owii medicine. I wanted him to experience how I felt for so many years.
Whatâs wrong with that?
âHeâs having the time of his life. He has a family of his own and already has four children. What about me? What do I have?
âWeâre twins, but heâs in the spotlight, and I have to stay in the shadows. Heâs admired by everyone, and Iâm like a mouse in the gutter. How is that fair?â
Mabelâs lips quivered as tears streamed down her face.
âTheyâre my sons. Both of them are dear to me. I canât just choose any of themâ¦
âBut that yearâ¦
âThings have come to this. Thereâs nothing I can do. âI can only finish what Iâve started.â
âEarl, Iâm sorry. If I were to not trust what others said so easily, I wouldnât have sent you away. And things wouldnât have turned out this way. Earl, hate me as much as you want.â Mabel pursed her lips and said, âIf you want to kill me, go ahead. I wonât fight backâ¦â
âHmph!â Earl sneered. âIâm not interested in killing you. I just want to take back what belongs to me!â
He then hung up.
Mabel could no longer control her emotions, and she wept.
âI truly regretny decision twenty-six years ago. âBecause of it, l-arlâs life has been ruined, my husband died with a bad reputation, and Duke and I are never close âItâs all my fault!
Iâve made a terrible mistake!â
âAunt Mabel, what happened?â
Suddenly, Mabel heard someone calling out to her.
Mabel hurriedly wiped her tears and turned around. She was stunned when she saw a familiar face.
âCatherine , why are you here?â Catherine held Mabelâs arm and said with a smile,â Didnât I tell you that Iâm coming to Sea City to open a counseling center? The studio is almost ready, so I came to Sea City yesterday. Oh, yes. I heard Duke is hospitalized , so I came to see him. How is he? Why are you crying?â âDuke is fine. He has been discharged.â
Her eyes were red, and she looked depressed.
Catherine narrowed her eyes and asked softly, âDid Earl call you again? Is that why youâ¦â
Mabel smiled bitterly.
She lived abroad for about five years, and Catherine had accompanied her all those years.
She was a psychologist . Mabel would share everything with her.
She knew what happened to the Winters family. Mabel had nothing to hide from her.
Mabel smiled bitterly and said, âDuke is getting married