Chapter 1076

If it were Noel, he definitely wouldn’t tell her to wash her hands clean when he saw her fingers covered in ashes.

Instead, he would say, “Ms. Jarvis, did you enjoy eating roasted sweet potatoes?”

He knew what she truly liked and cared about. He always took care of her meticulously, without imposing any rules on her.

Before Cecilia met Noel, she didn’t think there was anything wrong with her life with the Jarvis family.

She only knew that everything had been arranged for her. With so many people loving her, she only needed to accept everything passively.

But now, she felt restrained by this arrangement.

This included her engagement to Julian.

Cecilia wiped her fingers clean, and looked up. “Mom… Did you ever ask me how I feel about my engagement to Julian?”

They hadn’t even gone through an engagement ceremony. It was just an agreement between Sue and Julian, and that was supposed to be enough.

“You’ve been ill after all,” Sue said, sounding slightly guilty. However, she was convinced she had done it mostly for her daughter’s benefit, and that she had proudly acted out her role as a parent planning for her child’s future.

“The Fulchers are excellent in many aspects. Although Julian is a divorcee, his strength speaks for itself. When you marry him, you won’t have any conflicts with your mother-in- law, as you won’t have one.”

Sue spoke earnestly. “You’re still young. You don’t understand the difference between being a woman before and after marriage.”

The Jarvis family had wealth, while the Fulcher family had power.

Also, Julian was an outstanding man.

“Although you’ll be a stepmother, you did say you wouldn’t mind back then.” The meaning behind Sue’s words was clear. “You were still ill at that time, so there was no need to ask.”

The more Cecilia listened, the colder she felt. “You keep circling around the fact that I was a little out of my mind.”

Sue interrupted her sternly, “Out of your mind? What are you talking about? Stop saying all this nonsense.”

Sue had never been this harsh before. Her expression was devoid of her usual patience and affection, and she looked like she wanted to throw Cecilia out of the car.

Cecilia suddenly understood something. She clutched the tissue she used to wipe the dust away tightly, and smiled stubbornly.

“This isn’t nonsense,” Cecilia said. “You have to accept the fact that I was slightly mad. This illness…

can’t be cured completely. I just need to avoid getting triggered again.”

“Be quiet!”

Sue was trembling all over. It seemed Cecilia’s words had provoked her. She glared angrily at her daughter, who had always been her treasure. Her face was now flushed with rage.

Sue’s reaction confirmed Cecilia’s suspicion.

“Mom,” Cecilia said, her tone slightly flat. “Ever since I got sick, you never truly accepted the fact that I was ill, did you?”

That was why Sue had been in such a rush to set up an engagement for Cecilia.

Before, it was clear Sue wasn’t very supportive of Julian and Cecilia’s relationship. She had even advised Cecilia against becoming a stepmother, saying that it was a bad idea.

If Cecilia did well, people would say it was expected of her.

If she didn’t, they would brush it off and say that being a stepmother wasn’t the same as being the children’s biological mother.

However, everything had changed since Cecilia got ill. Sue had become unusually obsessed with Julian, especially when she arranged the engagement.

Her mother, who had always emphasized the importance of ceremony, hadn’t even thought about making an engagement ceremony for Cecilia.

It was all done verbally, and that was supposed to be enough. Of course, considering the resources of the Jarvis and Fulcher families, a verbal agreement was as good as binding.

However, it left a bitter taste in Cecilia’s mouth. Her mother, who loved her so much, still couldn’t accept everything about her beloved daughter.

Sue shook her head, and hugged Cecilia tightly. “What are you talking about?”

She wrapped her arms around Cecilia, warmly and affectionately.

This was the embrace Cecilia had grown up with. It was there for her when she failed her first exam, experienced her first period, got scared by blood-stained pants, and when she had her first hospital stay.