I Am An Illegitimate Child With A Legitimate Reason For Revenge-Chapter 38: For what reason did she suffer?

Ariel was silent. She couldn’t say that that wasn’t one of her speculations but she just decided to bring out the most unrealistic tale. Her heart was trying to censor the truth.

An illegitimate child. In other words, that man who always threw a blind eye at what his wife and kids did to her on a daily basis and even glared at her in disdain, was actually her real father.

Her back, which had stayed straightened the whole time, suddenly felt weak and painful and so she slumped back in the chair.

And just because she was an Illegitimate child, they treated her like she was a disgusting mutant species.

She always knew it didn’t make sense that she was merely adopted and treated that way. They already had a daughter who was four years old before taking her in, so it didn’t make sense.

"It’s true that you have the blood of that family flowing through your veins." Raymond suddenly said and she looked up.

"And my mother?" She asked. "Is there any chance that she might be alive somewhere?"

"Sadly, she is indeed dead. She died during labor." Raymond answered and her gaze fell. "But I find it a bit strange." She looked up. "The Albert family cared about their reputation so much and even went ahead to naming you an adopted daughter. I wonder why they didn’t just take you to an orphanage instead of taking you in and treating you the way they did."

Ariel was silent. She also wondered why. Maybe they just needed someone to raise their hands on. A human punching bag.

"Sir Raymond, can you please give me a moment?" She requested, covering her face with her hand. "I just need a moment to process all this."

"Not a problem." He said and waited.

Ariel was lost in her own thoughts. She was also mad.

Those people, they were too much. Just thinking about how badly they treated her, despite knowing that it wasn’t her fault... It gave her goosebumps. Why did she suffer so much? For what reason did she suffer? Her father was the one who went ahead to impregnate her mother, so why was she always blamed?

For what reason... What right did they have?

She rubbed her arms. She was really mad. So mad to the point she felt her eyes getting watery and tears started rolling down her cheeks. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

She suffered so much and thought that maybe her existence was just meant to suffer such a tragic fate. She thought she was just meant to suffer for being an orphan from the start. But to think this whole time, her real father had been watching in the sides and also contributing to her suffering... It was unforgivable. It was too much.

Raymond watched as she cried silently. Yes, the truth was difficult to take in and it was probably too much for her. A girl with a weak heart who was just entering into the world, knowing this truth would help her prepare for the worst that was to come.

It was for the best.

Yet, he couldn’t help but feel some sort of complex emotion rising in his chest. Seeing her cry wasn’t at all pleasing and it made him uncomfortable within. To be more precise, it made him angry.

’Maybe it’s because I can sympathize with the emotions she’s feeling right now.’ He thought and tuck his hand in his pocket.

He knew Ariel must’ve been feeling a deep sense of betrayal and anger. He, who knew he was an illegitimate child from the beginning, he who knew the exact reason why he suffered, could not compare his pain with hers. An innocent girl who had lived her entire life wondering why she was being treated so cruelly. Wondering what her sins were and how she could atone.

"Ariel," He called and she looked up. Her vision was a bit blurry with her tears but she could see his stretched out arm holding a hanky towards her. "Don’t be too hard on yourself." He said.

Ariel looked at him and then the hanky. He was consoling her again.

She took the hanky but didn’t stop crying. If anything, she cried more.

How many times did she wish, did she pray, that someone would come to her aide. Someone who could come to say a few words of consolation, encouragement, appreciation... How many times did she beg?

And after all that crying, praying, wishing... begging, she was given a scumbag named Marco. Again, she went on with her plea, hoping to be set free of the heart tormenting life she was living.

And here, after twenty years of her suffering, she finally found someone who could do that. He didn’t hit her. He didn’t scold her. He didn’t abuse her with words. He didn’t make empty promises either. He was someone she could rely on and he was very honest with her.

This must be her reward for enduring even when everything was crumbling and it seemed like it was all over.

"Thank you, Sir Raymond. Thank you so much." She cried. "Thank you for reaching your hand out to me. Thank you for considering my existence."

"No, Ariel." Raymond said and got up. He got to her and patted her head. "Thank you for not giving up and taking my hand. You endured well."

Amidst her tears, Ariel smiled.

"Yes."

They left the restaurant after Ariel calmed down a bit and in the car, she fell asleep. She looked drained and tired.

Raymond covered her with his coat and crossed his legs, keenly staring at her.

’In the end, I didn’t tell her that I am also an illegitimate child.’ He sighed.

His mind went back to the complex feeling that was rising inside of him. He concluded it to be him being empathetic towards her as they shared similar fates but he also couldn’t deny that it was different. It was an emotion he has never come across before. It was strange.

Even now, staring at the sleeping and tired Ariel, he couldn’t help but feel a certain ache. He felt angry and confused.

"For some reason, I wish that your innocence, which has not yet been contaminated by this world, can be preserved." He muttered and gently stroked the locks of her hair. "But in this world, the innocent tend to suffer more, just like you and I of the past." He kissed the locks that had entwined in his fingers and let go.

He shifted towards the other end of the car, rested his chin on his knuckles and looked outside the window.

After getting to the mansion, Raymond carried the sleeping Ariel up to her room and laid her on the bed.

"Change her clothes but don’t wake her up." He ordered Allison and Betty and they nodded before he left them to it.