After His Sweetheart Moved In, He Came Home Every Night-Chapter 165: It Was a Mistake, He Lost Control
"Finn Hawthorne?"
"Hey, Finn Hawthorne, what are you thinking about?"
Alice York called out to him twice before Finn Hawthorne finally snapped out of it. He slowly turned his head, his eyes red as if he were suppressing some strong emotion.
"Nothing," he replied.
Alice kindly reminded him, "Your phone is ringing. It’s been ringing for a while now."
"Oh."
Finn Hawthorne squeezed his eyes shut, trying to compose himself. Then, he slowly fumbled for his phone. As soon as he saw the caller ID, he instantly perked up.
"Looks like the results are in!"
He stood up in a surge of excitement.
The commotion drew the gazes of other passengers in the waiting lounge.
Alice couldn’t understand why he was so jumpy. Seeing him answer the phone, she prepared to quietly move to another seat. There were simply too many people looking their way.
But just as she stood up, Finn Hawthorne grabbed her wrist!
"Wait!"
Finn Hawthorne used a lot of force, as if terrified Alice would run away.
The grip was painful, but with so many eyes on them, Alice didn’t want to start an argument. She told him in a calm, reasonable tone, "Let go. Stop grabbing me."
Finn Hawthorne refused to let go, his gaze fixed firmly on her. He then asked the person on the phone, "Bro, are the results out? How did it go?"
The person on the other end of the line was Felix Hawthorne.
The call was indeed to inform Finn about the results that had just come in.
He had notified their parents first, saving Finn for last.
"Bro, say something! What are the results?" Finn was getting anxious, and without realizing it, his grip tightened.
Alice hissed, her expression souring. "Finn Hawthorne, you’re hurting me. Let go."
Finn wanted to let go, but he was afraid Alice would vanish in the blink of an eye. He was too flustered to mind his strength, and seeing Alice get angry, he was on the verge of tears himself.
Just then, Felix’s slow voice came through the phone. "It’s confirmed. She’s Vera."
The moment he heard the news, an explosion of joy erupted in Finn Hawthorne’s chest. He hadn’t been this happy in twenty years!
This is great! This is great! This is absolutely fantastic!!
Alice just watched Finn Hawthorne as he became overwhelmed with excitement, his expression a mix of joy and madness. His face twisted with a thousand different emotions in a single instant—it was so sudden, yet somehow, it felt right.
Joy, excitement, exhilaration.
But the next second—
All those expressions of excitement vanished from his face in a flash. The flush from his elation drained away in an instant, leaving him pale.
His face had turned ashen.
Alice was stunned by such a drastic emotional swing.
What on earth did the person on the phone say to make Finn Hawthorne’s emotions go through such a rollercoaster in such a short time?
"Bro, what did you just say?" Finn’s voice cracked.
Felix said, "Vera is right here in front of me."
It was such a simple sentence, yet Finn Hawthorne couldn’t seem to understand it. "What do you mean... my sister is right in front of you?"
Felix went silent.
Finn pressed him, "Make it clear! What do you mean, my sister is right in front of you? Isn’t my sister right—"
His voice died in his throat as he lifted his gaze to Alice York.
His sister...
’Isn’t my sister right here in front of me?’
"Finn, what’s wrong with you?" Clearly, Felix didn’t understand what was happening on Finn’s end.
Finn took a deep breath, his tone grave. "Bro, where are you?"
Felix: "Silvanus. You knew that."
Silvanus...
He and Alice were still in Rhovan...
Finn frantically looked around, trying to spot Felix somewhere in his surroundings.
But there was no sign of Felix anywhere.
On the other end of the line, Felix pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Vera is having a hard time accepting the truth about her background. She has adoptive parents here, so bringing her back home will require careful planning. But Mom and Dad are already on their way. You should come over too. I’ll explain the details one by one when you get here."
Just as Felix was about to hang up, Finn suddenly asked, "What’s her name?"
Felix knew his brother was asking for Vera’s current name, so he answered, "Tess Thompson."
Finn almost fainted.
After ending the call, his body swayed, and then he collapsed into the seat as if he had no bones.
His hand was still clamped around Alice’s wrist, and as he sat down, he pulled her down with him.
Alice’s face was livid by now. She no longer cared about the frequent stares and bent down to bite Finn’s wrist.
"HISS—"
Finn cried out in pain and yanked his hand back.
Alice shook out her sore, numb wrist. "What you just did was completely out of line. I’m already doing you a favor by not slapping you in public."
"I’m sorry," he said in a hoarse voice.
Alice was taken aback. She wanted to say more but swallowed her words. ’Forget it. This guy seems emotionally unstable, especially with that wild rollercoaster of emotions just now. Something serious must have happened.’
Boarding would start soon, and they would go their separate ways. She just had to bear with it a little longer.
"Alice York."
Finn called out in a low voice.
Alice answered but didn’t look at him.
Then she heard him ask, "Do you know Tess Thompson?"
"No." She shook her head, still not looking at him.
For some reason, Finn felt incredibly resentful. All this time, he had been convinced that Alice York was his long-lost sister, that Alice York was Evelyn Hawthorne.
But fate had played a cruel joke on him. Alice wasn’t Evelyn Hawthorne. His real sister had been found in Silvanus, and his brother had already met her and even confirmed her identity.
Felix had personally verified her identity through a DNA comparison and by checking multiple timelines. There was no way it could be a mistake, so Finn had no reason to doubt it.
He was the one who had gotten it wrong.
He was the one who, without figuring anything out, had just decided that Alice was his sister.
Alice tilted her head. Seeing Finn still looking utterly dejected, she asked, "Is Tess Thompson a friend of yours?"
Finn didn’t answer.
So Alice didn’t ask again.
After that, the two didn’t speak again. Finn’s brief burst of enthusiasm toward her had completely vanished. From boarding the plane to leaving the airport, he treated her like a complete stranger.
That suited Alice just fine. She happily hailed a cab, ready to head back to West River.
But just as she pulled the car door open, Finn strode up from behind and slammed it shut.
Alice jumped. "What’s gotten into you now?"
’Didn’t he just treat me like a stranger? Why is he scaring me again!’
Finn’s heart was a tangle of complex emotions, which was reflected in the way he looked at Alice. He had thought about it the entire trip and still couldn’t make sense of it. Perhaps, deep down, he was just unwilling to accept the result.
’But... but Alice was the sister he had decided on.’
’She was abandoned at an orphanage, and the things that old couple said—didn’t it all line up?’
"Did you want this cab? Fine, you can have it. I’ll just get another..."
Before she could finish the word "cab," Finn grabbed Alice and started pulling her toward another car. "No, I still have to take you to see my brother. I want them all to meet you."
