Chapter 214 After the Wedding
Chapter 214 After the Wedding
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When thest guests finally left, the only ones remaining were the Osbornes.
“Mom.”
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Dawn walked over and held Sandra’s hand. A sharp ache pressed into her chest, and she could not swallow it down. Sandra, instead of letting her sadness show, brushed a hand over her daughter’s hair. “Sweetheart, you’re grown now. One day you’ll be a mother yourself. You need to hold steady and stay strong, do you hear me?”
Dawn nodded. “After you and Dad go back to Trifton, make sure you take good care of yourselves.”
“We will. Your grandmother’s still in good health. You don’t need to worry.”
Sandra’s words came soft, but her eyes slid to the side. Jessica stood stiff, her chin lifted in that proud way of hers, yet her hand trembled as she wiped at her tears, thinking no one saw that.
The Osbornes had once been a family with name and standing. Now most of that pride had been stripped away. The children were few, and of the younger generation, Dawn was the only girl.
Her grandmother’s reluctance to let her go was natural. Her attachment to her was expected.
Sandra and Dawn caught each other’s gaze, sharing a smile that carried no strength, only helplessness.
“Grandma.”
Dawn stepped forward and gently wrapped an arm around Jessica’s shoulders. Her voice turned gentle. “You don’t really have much waiting for you back home. Why not stay in Northville with me for a little while? That would be nice, wouldn’t it?”
“It would not.”
Jessica swiped her tears away in a single motion and tightened her face into something stern.
“You’re married now. You need to live your life as a wife. What use would I be sitting in your house? I’m going back to my own ce. I’m leaving tonight.”
“Jessica …” Sandra joined in, her voice coaxing. “If you don’t want to part from Dawn just yet, then stay another couple of days. We aren’t rushing back.”
20:27 Mon, Oct 6 <b>N </b>
Chapter 214 After the Wedding
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Jessica gave a bitterugh. “Two more days won’t change anything. Staying longer won’t make me less reluctant.
“I’m old now, and no matter where I go, I just feel in the way. The only ce I can rest is in my own home.”
“Grandma…
“That’s enough. I’ve already decided. There’s no use arguing.” <fn8ed4> This update is avable on f?i?n?d?n?o?v?e?l?</fn8ed4>
Dawn’s words, the ones she had carefully lined up in her head, caught and stuck in her throat. Before she could even think of how to answer, Jessica spoke again, turning the subject. “Are you sure there’s been no word from Austin?”
It was clear she had been weighing that question for a long time before asking it.
The room turned silent.
Dawn lifted her eyes. Her grandmother’s gaze no longer carried its sharp gossiping gleam. What filled it now was the raw worry of a mother searching for her son.
Dawn pressed her lips tight and spoke softly. “He came to see me this morning.”
Jessica released a breath she had been holding. Relief softened her face.
“That boy vanished for over a month without a word. I thought something had happened to him. Dawn …” Her reddened eyes fixed on her granddaughter with heavy helplessness. “I know
but he … you
don’t care for your uncle anymore,
“He’s been lonely his whole life. From the start you were the only one who stayed by him. You could-”
“No.”
Dawn cut her off.
The word was firm. She knew it sounded harsh, but there were promises she could never make.
After seeing Austin that morning, she understood more than ever that their bond ended where it began. They were uncle and niece. Nothing more.
She had stepped away. She had chosen a new path.
If Austin could not ept that, then the only thing left between them would be memories.
<b>20:21 Mon</b>, Oct 6 <b>W </b>
Chapter 214 After the Wedding
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Her eyes lowered, her tone gentle. “Grandma, I’m not the only one he has. He has his friends. He has Sydney. Someday he’ll start a family of his own. If I keep stepping into his life, then I’d only be getting in the way.”
Jessica said nothing for a long time.
Her breathing quickened, her face stiffened, and her silence told Dawn she hated every word of it.
Atst Jessica’s hand rose, trembling, and she pointed straight at her. “You … you really are ungrateful! To think we spent years on you…
”
The words cracked across the room like a whip.
On a day like this, theynded as hard as a hit to the face.
Even Sandra and Anna froze, too shocked to know how to react.
Jessica turned and stormed toward the parking lot, her back rigid with fury, her steps sharp and merciless.
“Dawn…” Sandra looked at her daughter’s pale face. She held her arm gently, her voice low and fragile. “Your grandmother’s getting old. Sometimes she doesn’t even realize how cruel her words sound. Don’t let it cut you so deep, alright?”
Dawn tried to smile, but it came out twisted, uglier than tears. She shook her head. “It’s fine. Mom, go after her. Make sure she’s alright.”
Sandra studied her daughter’s face, words caught in her throat, but she left them unsaid.
She turned and hurried after Jessica.
“Is something wrong with that olddy’s head?” Anna muttered in disbelief. She had thought the Osbornes were fair–minded people. “Is she losing her memory or something?”
Dawn forced a faint smile.
“Anna, don’t worry about it.”
It mattered, but it didn’t matter that much.
Jessica worried about her son. That was natural. Even if it was not Dawn’s fault that Austin refused to keep in touch, the family would still pin the me on her.
Time would pass.
Their anger would fade. They would forget.
20:27 Mon, Oct 6 <b>N </b>
Chapter 214 After the Wedding
There was nothing to dwell upon.
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That was the truth Dawn had learned after all these years living under the Osborne name.
Anna and Erin traded a look, both at a loss for words.
Jessica’s outburst had drained all the warmth from the room, leaving only a dim heaviness behind. By the time Ethan came back from walking out thest guests, the sight that greeted him was several women sitting in silence, their faces heavy with weariness.