Chapter 266

Chapter 266Chapter 266
“Mom, I’m fine,” Jared replied as he plastered a smile.
Dinner was a silent and awkward affair. Throughout the entire meal, no one dared to break the silence.
Afraid that his parents would sense that something was amiss, Jared quickly scarfed down his food and
excused himself from the table.
Once Jared left, Hannah and Gary exchanged a knowing glance. Unable to help themselves, the duo
heaved out a heavy sigh.
“Sooner or later, we’ll have to tell him the truth,” Gary said in a low voice.
“All these years, I have always seen Jared as my own son. In fact, I already forgot about the fact that
we adopted him. Why did Benedict have to say such nonsense…” Hannah’s eyes reddened with
sorrow. “Judging from Jared’s bad mood, he must have found out the truth. We can’t hide it from him
anymore.”
“Jared is not a child anymore. He has the right to know about it as well. We can’t be too selfish.” Gary
took a seat next to Hannah and pulled her into his embrace.
“But I’m afraid that Jared might abandon us when he realizes the truth. What if he plans to search for
his birth parents? I can’t live without him…”
novelbinAfter so many years of being Jared’s mother, she could not bear the thought of losing him.
“The decision to look for his birth parents is a choice for Jared to make. Even if Jared leaves, I will
spend the rest of my life with you.” In order to comfort Hannah, Gary blurted out a string of heartfelt
words.In the midst of her sobs, Hannah leaned her head against Gary’s shoulder as tears continued to roll
down her cheeks.
After some time, Hannah brushed her tears away and rose to her feet. “Could you ask Jared to come
out of his room?” she asked.
Gary nodded his head in response. He quickly made his way to Jared’s bedroom and rapped his
knuckles against the door.
“Jared, please come out. Your mom and I have something to tell you.” Without another word, Gary took
his leave.
When Jared caught wind of Gary’s words, his heart skipped a beat. He already had an inkling of what
his parents were planning to inform him.
Deep down, Jared felt extremely conflicted. Although he didn’t want to admit that they weren’t his birth
parents, he was still dying to know about his birth parents.
After a brief moment of hesitation, Jared finally mustered the courage to emerge from his room.
When Jared reached the living room, Gary and Hannah were already waiting for him on the couch. The
atmosphere in the air felt uncomfortably stifling. Upon closer inspection, Jared realized that there was
an elaborate wooden box on the table in front of Hannah. It was barely as big as a palm.
“Dad, Mom…” Jared called out.
“Sit down.” Gary waved his hand to beckon at Jared. Gary took two long drags of his cigarette before
he said hesitantly, “Jared, you aren’t a child anymore. There is something that we’ve been meaning to
tell you.”All of a sudden, Gary snapped his mouth shut. Instead, he glanced at Hannah, who averted her eyes.
She didn’t want to be the bearer of bad news.
As they were both reluctant to spill the truth, a blanket of silence descended over the living room.
“Dad, Mom, no matter what, the both of you are still my parents. I will never abandon you. I’ll take care
of you when you’re old, and I’ll bless you with as many grandchildren as you want.”
Suddenly, Jared knelt in front of Hannah and Gary.
The sight of her son on his knees caused Hannah to burst into tears again. In haste, she helped him to
his feet and hugged him. “You will always be my son!”
“Mom, please don’t cry. Even if we aren’t related by flesh and blood, you have always been my mom.
Throughout all these years, you were the one who raised me to become the man I am now. I still
remember how you carried me in the rain to visit the clinic when I was five,” Jared softly said as he
wiped Hannah’s tears away,
Hearing that, Hannah finally managed to let go of her worries, “Jared, I must admit that I’m not your
birth mother. Since an illness plagued my body, I became infertile and couldn’t bear any children of my
own, One winter day, your dad found you by the roadside when you were an infant. I can still recall how
you were shivering in the frigid cold.”