CHAPTER 284

Chapter 284

When Charlie was 35, he had no intention of getting married, and no one could persuade him otherwise. He seemed destined to remain single. The Carter family felt helpless and anxious, worrying about him but unsure what to do. Everyone thought Charlie might live this way forever – never marrying, having children, or finding companionship.

One day, Abigail Carter and Aaron Carter, who were playing hide–and–seek, sneaked into Charlie’s private storage room and accidentally discovered his secret. By the way, Abigail and Aaron were the children of Stacey and Hayden. They were twins and very adorable kids.

Abigail, the elder sister of the twins, resembled Hayden more, while Aaron, the younger brother, took after their mother.

In the Carter family, adults generally respected each other’s private spaces, such as rooms or personal storage areas. They had a mutual understanding to allow each family member their own independent space. The exception to this rule was the children. Children were young, didn’t know much about many things, and were naturally curious about everything. Especially when a group of kids played hide–and–seek together, they would explore everywhere, regardless of whose private space it was.

That evening, Abigail and Aaron, along with Yolanda Carter, the daughter of Adrian and Isabella, played hide–and–seek with three other children. Abigail and Aaron were responsible for hiding, while Yolanda was the seeker. Abigail and Aaron quietly hid in Charlie’s personal storage room. While hiding, they accidentally opened Charlie’s cabinet, causing photos and a diary to spill out.

Charlie was a vivacious man. Since the birth of Abigail and Aaron, he had taken them on many adventures, so the two kids were very close to him. When the twins saw a photo of Charlie crying, their eyes widened with concern. They quickly took the photo and hurried to their mother.

“Mom, Uncle Charlie is crying!” Abigail handed the photo she had just picked up to her mother.

Hearing this, Stacey was confused. But the moment she took the photo and saw it, she was stunned.

“And this!” Aaron added, holding up the diary that had accidentally fallen out earlier and handing it to Stacey.

Stacey hesitantly took the diary from Aaron. Normally, she wouldn’t peek into someone else’s personal belongings, but the photo she had just seen worried her. After examining the photo and diary for a moment, she looked down at Abigail and Aaron and asked seriously, “Abigail, Aaron, where did you find this photo and diary?”

“Over there in Uncle Charlie’s room,” Aaron said immediately.

Stacey took the diary but didn’t open it, knowing it belonged to Charlie. Her conscience told her not to violate Charlie’s privacy and that she should return the diary and photos immediately. But as Stacey looked at the photo and thought about how Charlie had never married all these years, she hesitated. After a long pause, she decided to take these things to Debra. Stacey didn’t show them in the living room. Instead, she called her mother to her room and, after closing the door, carefully! took out the diary and the photo for her to see.

“What is this?” Debra asked, puzzled. But the next second, Debra saw the photo. Shocked, she asked, “Is there someone Charlie likes?”

Stacey thought for a while and couldn’t help but add, “Maybe someone he liked before.

“When?” Debra asked subconsciously. However, it was obvious that this question was unnecessary because Stacey didn’t

know the answer either.

Debra held the photo and stared at Charlie in it. Although she didn’t know when the photo was taken, she vaguely recalled her son’s growth and recognized the shirt he was wearing in the picture. “Did he take this when he was in college?” After a

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Chapter 284

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while, Debra muttered to herself. She looked at the girl in the photo again and couldn’t help but be excited. “I wonder if this girl is married or not. If she isn’t…”

Stacey was rendered speechless. She had mixed feelings about this. Charlie was 35 years old, and if the girl in the photo was around his age, she wouldn’t be young either. She had probably gotten married by now. Despite this, Stacey and Debra were curious about the girl Charlie had liked.

Debra wondered, ‘What if the girl’s not married yet? Maybe there’s still a little chance? Will finding this girl change Charlie’s attitude of not wanting to get married?‘

Debra thought and looked up to ask Stacey. “Have you read this diary?” she asked.

Stacey shook her head. “No.”

Debra nodded. She thought for a while, then stood up with her things and walked toward Charlie’s room. Abigail and Aaron immediately followed behind Debra. The two kids were very happy.

Yolanda, who had been playing hide–and–seek and trying to find Abigail and Aaron, lit up when she saw them. She immediately ran over, holding them in her small hands, and exclaimed, “I got you!”

A bright smile instantly appeared on Abigail’s face. Aaron also beamed at Yolanda.

Debra took the photo and diary to Charlie’s room, where she carefully placed them on the table. Before leaving, she couldn’t help but take out her phone and take a picture of the girl in the photo.

In the photo, Charlie and a girl were sitting on the green grass, leaning against each other. The girl had a bright smile on her face as she looked toward the sun while Charlie was staring down at her, his eyes red and clearly crying.

After Debra took a picture of the photo, she couldn’t help but look at it for a long time. Charlie had always been a playful boy, and as his mother, she never knew he had once been in love and even cried.

“Granny, Uncle Charlie is crying.” Abigail tugged at Debra’s clothes and emphasized again.

“His eyes are red,” Aaron described it vividly.

Stacey looked at the photo and then at the two kids. Abigail and Aaron had a close relationship with Charlie. Even just seeing a photo of him crying made the kids very worried, prompting them to quickly tell her and Debra about it. Thinking of this Stacey comforted the two kids, “It’s okay. Uncle Charlie is fine now.”

Abigail and Aaron didn’t understand, nor did Yolanda.

“Why is Uncle Charlie crying?” Yolanda asked curiously and felt a little worried. The next moment, Yolanda pursed her lips and said seriously, “Don’t cry. It’s not good to cry.”

Hearing this, Stacey was amused. She looked at Yolanda and nodded with a smile. “Yeah. It’s not good to cry. But Uncle Charlie isn’t crying now; that’s just a photo.”

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