After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 140: Alice York Suspects Her Origin

Alice York’s good mood was written all over her face as she left the old house. Anyone could tell she was delighted.

Even Mindy Vaughn rarely saw Alice this happy. She smiled and reminded her, "Roll the window up a little. The wind is too strong; it’s messing up my hair."

"Okay."

Alice obliged, reaching out to roll the window all the way up.

With the wind gone, Mindy Vaughn tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked, "Did you manage to switch shifts with your coworker?"

"I did. It went very smoothly." Alice turned her head. "Everything is going smoothly."

Gazing at her daughter’s radiant, lively face, Mindy Vaughn seemed to drift off for a moment. "Looking at you like this," she murmured, "you don’t really look like me."

Alice didn’t notice the strange look that flashed in Mindy Vaughn’s eyes. She asked casually, "Don’t look like who?"

"Me," Mindy Vaughn said.

Alice’s lips curved into a smile. "I never really looked like you anyway."

Mindy Vaughn froze for a second, then heard Alice add, "I take after my dad more."

At that, Mindy Vaughn looked away and let out a dry little laugh. "I wouldn’t say that."

Those four words easily shattered Alice’s good mood.

’So if I don’t look like Mom, and I don’t look like Dad, who do I look like? Was I adopted?’

"Alright, don’t overthink it." Mindy Vaughn sensed Alice’s mood had soured and quickly tried to placate her. "You do look like him when you’re not smiling. Especially your eyes..."

"My dad had monolids. I don’t," Alice helpfully pointed out.

Mindy Vaughn quickly corrected herself. "I meant the expression in your eyes. Your gaze is still like his."

Alice pressed her lips together. "Is it really because it’s been so long that you’ve forgotten what Dad looked like?"

’She was only eight when he left, so her memories were few.’

’But over all these years, she had always kept the image of her father etched deeply in her mind, never once forgetting.’

A sigh escaped Mindy Vaughn. "Alice, it’s been sixteen years. I’ve been moving forward this whole time. I’ve long since moved on. It’s only normal that I don’t remember."

Alice said nothing more.

Alice held certain thoughts in all the way to the airport. It wasn’t until they had boarded the plane that she finally said to Mindy Vaughn, who was seated beside her, "Grandpa and Grandma will be so happy that we’re going back to Rhovan together. Every year I’ve gone back, they always ask how you’re doing. Even though you’re their daughter-in-law, I feel like they’ve always treated you like their own daughter."

She hoped Mindy Vaughn would be at least a little moved.

But Mindy Vaughn simply closed her eyes. "They shouldn’t bother."

...

The journey from the old house to the airport and then on to Rhovan took three hours in total.

They still needed to buy clothes and health supplements for the elderly couple. Mindy Vaughn disliked the hassle, so she waited in the car. Half an hour later, Alice emerged, laden with shopping bags.

"Do you buy this much every time you come back?" Mindy Vaughn asked, seemingly baffled.

Alice placed everything in the trunk, and only after making sure she hadn’t forgotten anything did she close it. She walked around to the front, opened the passenger door, and got in. "I only get to come back once a year, not once a month. Do you still think this is too much?"

Mindy Vaughn raised a hand to her forehead. "Fine. Do as you please."

"If you’re going to be this impatient, why did you even come back with me?"

’Honestly, Alice just didn’t get it.’

Mindy Vaughn said nothing.

’Whatever.’ Alice didn’t press the issue.

It was nearly noon, so they would arrive just in time for lunch. Alice hadn’t called her grandparents ahead of time. She knew that an early warning would give them more time to be excited, but she didn’t want the elderly couple to exhaust themselves preparing for her arrival.

The elderly couple lived in a small town on the outskirts of the city.

Getting there by public transport required several transfers, so Alice always rented a car to drive herself, and this time was no different.

By the time they arrived, it was already past twelve-thirty.

A small, standalone house stood on the far bank of a river, flanked by a few fancier-looking modern homes. They drove through the bustling town, followed a road that ran alongside the river, and finally pulled up outside the house’s courtyard.

A small dog tied up by the courtyard gate barked furiously at the car.

Hearing the dog, the old woman inside rushed out, spatula in hand. She saw the black car parked outside the yard and hesitated, not coming any closer. Even when Alice pushed the car door open and stepped out, the old woman still didn’t recognize her.

"Who is it?"

The old man asked as he walked out, holding a bowl of rice.

The old woman squinted, unable to see clearly. "I don’t recognize them. Probably just some salespeople."

The words had barely left her mouth when the old man shoved the bowl of rice he was holding into her hands and slapped his thigh. "Well, I’ll be! It’s my Little Girl! She’s back!"

"It’s our Little Girl?"

The old man’s eyesight was better than the old woman’s; he recognized Alice at a glance and hurried out of the yard.

It took the old woman a moment to register, then she hurried after him. "Our Little Girl is back! Our Little Girl is back!"

Alice didn’t even have time to close the car door before her grandparents were hugging her.

The elderly couple held Alice’s hands, one on each side, their faces filled with joy. But as she smiled, the grandmother’s expression fell. She said exactly what Alice had expected: "Why didn’t you tell us you were coming? If you’d just let us know one day sooner, your grandma could have had an extra day of happiness."

Alice swung her grandmother’s hand playfully. "A few times I did tell you in advance, and then when I arrived, I saw you two had bought a mountain of stuff."

Then, Alice turned to her grandfather, whose face was full of affection. "And you, Grandpa. You knew I was coming, so you drove your three-wheeler all the way from town to the county to pick me up before the sun was even up. Of course I was happy you came to get me, but it’s almost thirty kilometers to the county! There are so many big trucks on that road—it’s terrifying. After that, I learned my lesson. I decided to come back secretly and give you a surprise instead."

The old man pretended to be angry and let go of Alice’s hand. "More like a fright, you mean! But Little Girl, you’ve timed your arrival perfectly. We’re just about to eat."

With that, the old man walked toward the car. "Is there anything to unload? Grandpa will give you a..."

His words trailed off as he finally noticed another woman standing by the car.

"Old Vaughn, who’s that?"

The old woman’s vision wasn’t good from a distance, so she couldn’t see clearly. But she, too, had now noticed someone else standing by the car.

The old man stared at Mindy Vaughn. The deep-set wrinkles on his face twitched slightly, as if he were holding something back.

"Dad."

Mindy Vaughn called out.

The old man didn’t answer.

Mindy Vaughn didn’t seem to mind. She looked toward the distant old woman and called out again, "Mom."

Alice saw the old woman before her go completely still at the sound of that "Mom."

It was such a powerful physical reaction.

Then, Alice watched as her grandmother, who had been spry enough to run just moments ago, now walked unsteadily toward Mindy Vaughn.

"Mindy..."

"Is that really you, Mindy? Have you come back?"

The old woman reached Mindy Vaughn’s side and went to touch her, but her hand trembled and pulled back halfway, as if she couldn’t believe her eyes.

Just then, the old man asked, "What are you doing back here?"

Mindy Vaughn casually tucked a strand of hair back, her red lips a vibrant slash of color. "I came back to see you. Have you been well all these years?"

The old woman nodded hurriedly. "Yes, we’re doing well. Very well."

But the old man just said coldly, "Just fine."

For some reason, the scene made Alice feel that her grandparents’ concern for Mindy Vaughn went far beyond what was typical for in-laws. It was more like how they would treat their own flesh and blood.