CHAPTER 285

Chapter 285

Abigail, Aaron, and Yolanda didn’t understand, so Stacey had to take them outside and patiently explain everything to them. After a long explanation, they finally understood that Charlie wasn’t sad anymore. However, he had cried in the past and had been very sad before.

That evening, when Charlie returned home eager to see the children, he was immediately surrounded by a swarm of little ones. The three youngest, Abigail, Aaron, and Yolanda, ran over and encircled him. Charlie gazed at the children before finally squatting down. He embraced each of them, planting kisses on their cheeks, and felt utterly blissful. Despite his happiness, he couldn’t hold all three at once, especially the older ones. Lillian, Kevin, Jeremy, and Damian were older now and didn’t cling to people as much as they used to, but Charlic still adored them. After attending to the younger children, he went to find the older children, giving each a hug to ensure no one felt left out. The number of children in the Carter family had grown significantly over time, making coming home a vibrant and lively experience.

After the excitement settled, Debra called Charlie over. Initially, he was all smiles, but his expression stiffened when he heard that Abigail and Aaron had accidentally entered his room while playing hide and seek and had rummaged through his things. Charlie quickly stood up and rushed upstairs. Debra hadn’t thought much of it at first. After all, who hadn’t experienced relationships in their youth? It was normal to have a broken heart now and then. She assumed that after all these years, that girl wouldn’t hold much significance for Charlie. But as she witnessed his reaction now, a sudden realization hit her. Debra wondered, ‘Does Charlie still love that girl? If he didn’t, he wouldn’t react so strongly to the children finding his things. Could it be that Charlie hasn’t dated all these years because of her?‘

Stacey could clearly see that Charlie still cared about that girl. She hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’ll go upstairs to check on him.” She made her way upstairs quickly but instinctively softened her steps as she approached Charlie’s room. Stacey did not enter and stood at the door. Charlie was inside, and she found it inappropriate to intrude into his private space without first receiving his permission.

Debra soon arrived and, like Stacey, paused at the door. Lillian, Kevin, Jeremy, Damian, Abigail, Aaron, and Yolanda joined them. Before long, a sizable group of children gathered around the door to Charlie’s room. As Stacey and Debra had not entered, the children, following their lead, also refrained from going inside. They did not go in but waited outside obediently. Lillian, finding it a little strange, couldn’t help asking “Mommy, Granny, what happened to Uncle Charlie?”

Kevin, equally curious, chimed in, “Yeah. What is Uncle Charlie doing?”

“Uncle Charlie is crying!” Abigail said in a voice she believed was discreet.

“Yeah. His eyes are red from crying. He’s crying really sadly!” Aaron added seriously.

“No, Aunt Stacey said that Uncle Charlie isn’t crying now. He cried in the past. The photo was taken before,” Yolanda quickly and loudly corrected.

It suddenly got noisy outside the room. Inside, Charlie’s mood was already low, but hearing the children’s chatter outside made him feel helpless. He thought that with some effort, he could suppress the sadness in his heart. Charlie swiftly stashed the diary and photos away, then turned to face the group of children gathered at the door, deliberately adopting a stern expression. Abigail, seeing Charlie looking at them, immediately brightened up. She ran in and exclaimed, “Uncle Charlie!”

Yolanda also ran into the room. She was very curious. “Uncle Charlie, why did you cry before?”

Holding the two in his arms, Charlie was speechless. He tried to keep a straight face, saying, “I didn’t cry. Don’t slander me.”

“You cried!” Aaron exclaimed, and he analyzed seriously. “Your eyes are super red. You must have cried very loudly.” Charlie was unsure of what to respond next.

Stacey found it amusing and promptly entered the room to remind the children, saying, “Abigail, Aaron, stop bothering Charlie all the time.” Yolanda glanced at Stacey and then at Charlie.

14:39 Sun, Aug 18 RRC

Chapter 285

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Debra entered last, sighing softly as she looked at Charlie. She then turned to Stacey and said, “Becky, take the children downstairs.” Stacey understood that Debra wanted to have a serious conversation with Charlie, so she nodded in agreement. She gathered the large group of children and led them downstairs, ensuring they didn’t stay to interrupt Debra and Charlie’s discussion. In the room, Debra saw that all the children had gone out, and it was quiet. She then looked at Charlie. Feeling conflicted, she hesitated for a moment before trying to speak in a gentle voice. “Charlie, these past years…”

Charlie forced a smile and responded, “Mom, it’s all in the past. He then added quickly, “It’s been so many years, and it doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s not dwell on it. Let’s head downstairs. There’s nothing more to say. I… will go tidy up my things. Do you want to go downstairs and get some rest?” As Charlie said that, he wanted to send her away.

How could Debra leave? Charlie had avoided marriage for so long, and she never understood why. She had almost come to believe that he simply preferred being single. Now, Debra realized he had been harboring unrequited love for a girl all these years. Thinking of this, Debra couldn’t help but say, “Chuck.” She called Charlie by his nickname, one she hadn’t used in many years. Hearing Debra’s words, Charlie instantly froze, unable to continue asking her to leave. “Chuck, can I ask what her name is? When… did it all start?” Debra inquired cautiously. As she spoke, she was overwhelmed with guilt and apologized. “Chuck, I’m sorry. It was my fault for not paying more attention to you in the past. I–I didn’t know you were in a relationship before.”

Charlie hesitated for a while and couldn’t help but say, “Mom, why don’t you just call me Charlie? It’s weird hearing my nickname after all these years. It gives me goosebumps.”

Debra was currently overwhelmed with guilt, but Charlie’s words left her feeling helpless and somewhat honplussed. She couldn’t help but respond with a lecture, “Stop joking around. I’m serious.”

Charlie/sighed and sat down. “I’m serious too. It’s been so many years. There’s no need to think about it anymore.”

“You still love her, don’t you?” Debra asked. Charlie was unsure of what to respond next.