Chapter 1048

Chapter 1048 I Love Her Adriana looked at him without the warmth she had shown earlier. Her expression was stern as she asked, “What are you doing here?”

Jean glanced behind her and inquired, “Aunt Adriana, I came to see Neera: Where is she?”

Adriana replied coldly, “You’d better not call me ‘Aunt’. I’m not worthy of that title. As for Neera, she’s locked herself in her room. She hasn’t had dinner, and it’s obvious she’s suffering.”

Jean felt a pang in his heart just from hearing her words.

“I’ll go check on her,” he said in a hoarse voice.

However, Adriana disagreed. “She doesn’t want to see you right now. Your visit would be in vain, so let her calm down on her own. Let’s talk first.”

Jean pursed his lips and nodded.

After taking a seat, Adriana got straight to the point.

“During these days, I’ve been grateful for your company and care for Neera. I’ve seen how much you love her and how much you care for her. But what I didn’t expect was that you were the one involved in that incident years ago…

She couldn’t continue the sentence and skipped that sensitive topic.

“Let me ask you, did you approach her because of the three children?”

Jean immediately denied, “Absolutely not. I fell in love with Neera long before I knew they were my children. Even so, I love her, and I willingly consider the three children as my own flesh and blood. I don’t care about the past; I only care about Neera as a person and our future. Aunt Adriana, my feelings for Neera are genuine.”

Listening to his heartfelt confession, Adriana fell into a moment of silence.

She didn’t believe he was lying and could sense his sincerity.

However, the past remained a thorn that couldn’t be easily removed.

“What happened six years ago that night? Neera was indeed set up by Roxanne, but what about you?

And if you did something like that, why did you disappear afterward, refusing to come forward and allowing her to suffer?”

Jean’s heart ached, and he felt like he had no way to defend himself.

After a moment of hesitation, he responded in a strained voice, “I’m truly sorry for what happened back then. I know that no matter what I say now, it might sound like I’m making excuses, but, Aunt Adriana, I really didn’t intentionally refrain from coming forward. In fact, I had a severe health crisis that night. I was in so much pain that I lost consciousness and had no idea what I had done. After the crisis, I passed out, and my subordinates found me and took me away. I had no knowledge of the events that occurred. If I had known, I certainly wouldn’t have remained silent, letting things escalate to the point they did.”

He hadn’t explained much to anyone before, but this time, he shared more details.

He didn’t seek forgiveness but hoped to clarify the situation.

Adriana could see his sincerity, and deep down, she believed him.

10:15 Tue, 31 Oct f However, she couldn’t help but wonder why fate had played out this way.

Why does it have to be him?

Beside him, Chad also realized that he wasn’t lying and sighed inwardly.

“Why did you not confess to Neera when you found out the truth that the children were indeed your own flesh and blood?”

Jean tightened his fist, feeling a sense of remorse.

“That was my mistake. I was filled with both joy and fear when I found out the truth. I lacked the courage to tell her. I knew what a terrible nightmare that incident had been for her, and knowing the truth would have made her even more scared. I’m truly sorry; I was so afraid of losing her. So, I thought I would wait until our relationship was more stable, until we were back together, and then I would find the right time to confess. But no matter how much I planned, I never expected this unfortunate turn of events. Ultimately, everything is my fault. I am the one to blame.”

These words left both of them speechless.

Only those who had truly loved and lost could understand the pain of fearing to lose someone.

Realizing that Jean had also suffered during this time after learning the truth, Chad sighed deeply. “We understand what you’ve said, and we believe that you didn’t intentionally deceive. The incident from years ago was an unfortunate accident caused by your illness. However, the way this situation has been exposed in the worst possible manner makes it irreparable. Whether Neera will choose to forgive you is uncertain, and it may take some time.”

Jean nodded, his heart heavy. “It’s okay. No matter how long it takes, I’ll wait.”

He raised his eyes, his gaze earnest and sincere. Despite his noble demeanor, he had lowered himself to the lowest position now.

“Aunt Adriana, I know I hurt Neera. I understand that you have grievances against me. But I request another chance. As long as I gain Neera’s forgiveness, I will treat her well for the rest of my life. She’ll be my one and only. This is my lifelong promise.

Adriana didn’t know how to respond at first and remained silent.

Seeing this, the three children couldn’t sit still and came forward to plead.

“Grandaunt, could you please give Daddy another chance? Let’s go and persuade Mommy so she won’t be sad anymore. Can we?”

“Please trust Daddy. He loves Mommy a lot, as well as us. He will cherish Mommy.”

Adriana sighed repeatedly. Feeling helpless, she eventually softened her stance.

“Fine, if Neera really chooses to forgive you, I can allow you to be together. But for now, I can’t stand on the same side as you. Otherwise, it would be too tough on our Neera. Even though what happened was unintentional on your part, it did hurt her deeply. She endured insult and slander, living through a year of torment until the children were born. Only then did she fully recover.”

Jean felt an uncomfortable knot in his chest but nodded. “I understand, Aunt Adriana. Thank you.”

With that, Jean glanced upstairs.

“She hasn’t eaten dinner tonight, and she must be hungry. Can I bring some food to her?”

Adriana reminded him, “She won’t see you. You’ll definitely be turned away.”

“It’s okay. I just want to be closer to her. Even if I can’t see her, it’s good to be able to say something at her door.”

With that, he went to the dining room to retrieve the meal that Auntie Zuniga had prepared and brought it upstairs.