NovelEnglish
“Can't get through the line?” Frederick's face fell.
Natalie replied with a nod, “Ya.”
Caitlin asked further, “Nat, you mentioned just now that Joyce contacted Stanley before she committed suicide.
What do you mean by that? Are you implying that Stanley has got something to do with Joyce's mishap?”
Upon hearing that, Frederick shot a look at Natalie, longing for an immediate answer.
Stunned, Natalie did not know what to say. Moments later, she nodded. “I think so. Joyce was acting weird after
meeting up with Stanley. I asked her about it the day before yesterday, but she said nothing. The only thing she told
me was that she wanted to do something. Yet, she refused to share the details. She said that I'd definitely stop her
if I knew about it. Hence, I assumed that she was referring to taking her own life.”
“What?” Frederick and Caitlin froze at the spot. They were both shocked to the core.
Natalie was worried for them. “Mr. and Mrs Rivers...”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt“Why... Why would such a dreadful thought appear in her head?” Caitlin broke down. She could no longer hold back
her tears.
Frederick clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, seemingly suppressing his overwhelming feelings.
“Stanley... That b*stard! What did he do to Joyce?” Suddenly, Frederick slammed his fist on the wall. “Did he
hypnotize Joyce and make her commit suicide? Does he hate Joyce so much? Does he want to get rid of the entire
Rivers family?”
At that moment, Shane put forward his two cents. “Would it be possible that Joyce did it to resolve the conflict
between the Rivers and the Quinns? Have you thought about this?”
“Huh?” Natalie was taken aback.
Frederick and Caitlin looked at him intently. “Mr. Thompson, you mean...”
Shane held the hands of the two children and said, “Joyce went to see Stanley and found out that the Rivers family
was involved in the death of his parents. Although I have no clue what they talked about, I could probably guess
that Joyce chose to take her own life in order to end the past grudges between two families once and for all.”
“To end it once and for all?” the Rivers repeated the last bit of his sentence.
Terrified, Natalie covered her mouth as a thought dawned on her. “I understand now.”
“Nat, what do you understand?” Caitlin grabbed her arm and queried.
Natalie gazed at Shane. “Mrs. Rivers, I think my husband's assumption is right. Joyce had been investigating the
murder case of Stanley's parents all these while. She wanted to discover the truth and seek the culprit, so that she
could be with Stanley. However, she didn't know much about the case nor the fact that the both of you were related
to it. Initially, she wanted to locate the murderer with the hope that it would help dismiss the charges pinned
against the Rivers. This way, Stanley would stop treating her with hostility, and perhaps they could live happily ever
after too. Who would have known that...”
She took a deep breath before continuing, “Who would have known that her dream would be shattered into a
million pieces. When she found out that her own parents were involved in leaking Stanley's parents whereabouts
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmunknowingly, she was filled with a mix of despair, desolation, and hopelessness. At the same time, she realized that
it was impossible for her to mend her relationship with Stanley. Hence, I suppose that's why she took the path with
no return with the hope that Stanley could forgive the Rivers family.”
Frederick and Caitlin were utterly dumbfounded upon hearing how Natalie pieced the puzzle together.
Shortly after, Frederick pounded his chest and wailed in guilt. “It's me. It's all my fault. I'm the one to be blame for
doing this to my own daughter. It's me!”
Needless to say, Caitlin bawled her eyes out too.
Natalie felt so sorry for the couple. Her heart ached for them.
An instant regret washed over her.
I shouldn't have told Joyce how Stanley’s parents died. Anyhow, she would surely discover the truth sooner or later
even if I were to keep my lips sealed at that time. The consequence might be even worse then, who knows? All in
all, it was an awful quandary to be in. Someone would get hurt no matter what decision was made.
“Tell me, Shane, did I make a mistake?” The agony shown on the faces of Frederick and Caitlin sent Natalie down a
guilt trip.
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