Reborn Young Miss: Phoenix Burning Red-Chapter 260: I Can Never Be Your Wife (2)

Adrienne was relieved that her meeting with her grandfather went well, but she knew Alistair wouldn’t give up easily and was bent on marrying her. Sitting in the car’s backseat, she took her uncle’s hand.

"Uncle shouldn’t have done that. What if Alistair Han does something to get even with you? Mom would scold me if she knew what happened earlier." She told him.

Reese’s gaze softened. He patted Adrienne’s hand, earning a slight pout from his niece.

"Stop treating me like a child, Uncle," Adrienne complained, swatting his hand away from her head.

"It doesn’t matter if you’re a grown woman, Addie. Uncle will always protect you in a heartbeat." Reese reassured her.

"But, Uncle, I’m already married. Please don’t hit someone impulsively again, regardless of whether it was Alistair Han. I don’t want you to get in trouble." She paused as a thought crossed her mind.

Her uncle had spent the last few years making up for her and her mother. Reese put them as his utmost priority, and now that she was married and her mother awake, Adrienne wanted her uncle to find his happiness, too, and live his life.

"Uncle should start considering finding a suitable woman to marry. I don’t want you to become an old bachelor. Do you plan on ending the Zhao family bloodline with you?" She asked her uncle.

Reese smiled warmly at Adrienne’s concern. "Don’t worry, my dear. I may not have found the right woman yet, but I haven’t given up hope. When the time is right, love will find its way to me. Until then, I am content with being there for you and your mother."

Adrienne felt a sense of relief knowing that her uncle had not given up on finding happiness, and she promised to support him in his search for love.

They fell into a companionable silence. Adrienne wondered what her husband had done to infuriate Alistair like that earlier. Lennox must have done something, considering he was aware of her meeting with the patriarch of the Jiang family today.

"Something must have happened. I’ve never seen Mr. Han lose his composure like that, Uncle." She told Reese.

Reese crossed his arms and scoffed. "Of course, something did happen. Do you think your husband and I would do nothing, seeing how Alistair is forcing you away? Lennox and I decided to teach him a lesson. It should be enough to keep him away in the meantime."

Adrienne was surprised that her uncle willingly helped her husband. It seemed to her that Lennox was slowly but surely winning her Uncle Reese’s approval. She was relieved to know that her family accepted Lennox as her husband and was willing to support them.

Adrienne spent the rest of the afternoon at the Zhao estate, accompanying her mother. Rosemary hadn’t asked her anything yet about her father and Cayden, and she wondered if Lennox was right. Did her mother know their circumstances, or had someone already disclosed the details?

"What are you thinking about, Addie?" Her mother asked. Rosemary was seated on her bed and had just finished her recent therapy session.

"Mom, I have something to tell you..."

Adrienne didn’t know where to start. She hadn’t even told her mother she had found her older brother.

Adrienne took a deep breath, trying to gather her thoughts. The weight of the secret was becoming unbearable, and she knew she couldn’t keep it from her mother any longer.

"Mom, aren’t you curious why you’re here and haven’t seen Father since you woke up? The truth is... " Adrienne clenched her fist and sucked in a deep breath. "Mom, Father has already remarried. "

"Is it Camilla Yan?" Rosemary looked at her daughter with a bitter smile on her lips.

Adrienne was taken aback, but she supposed her mother wasn’t oblivious. Her father had a history with Camilla Yan before marrying her mother anyway.

"Yes." She nodded.

Rosemary grabbed Adrienne’s hand and smiled. "And your brother?"

Adrienne looked at her mother with a lost expression on her face. She didn’t know what to say either. She heard her mother sigh and felt her squeeze her hand.

"I think there’s something you need to know, Addie." Rosemary inhaled deeply and looked away.

"I met your father when I was young and naive. I fell deeply in love despite knowing he was already with Camilla Yan. At that time, I knew he would never look my way. I could see how much he loved Camilla and their devotion to each other. But fate had other plans, and we ended up together. It was a complicated situation, and I never wanted you to bear the burden of our past."

Adrienne remained silent. She supposed she couldn’t blame her mother for falling for her father. If it weren’t for Lewis Jiang, she wouldn’t be here and alive. Also, she understood the foolishness her mother had done, as she had fallen in love with the wrong man in the past. However, her mother wasn’t as lucky as her. Her mother didn’t manage to love a man who could truly love her.

"The Jiang family was considerably lower in status than our Zhao family. My father deemed him unfit to be my husband. Alas, my foolishness got the best of me, and I couldn’t resist your father’s charm. Despite the disapproval, I followed my heart and eloped with him, leaving behind a life of privilege and security. Little did I know that this decision would lead to a lifetime of struggles and sacrifices."

"For the first two years, our lives seemed perfect. My dowry helped save the Jiang Corporation and its legacy. We thrived, and I thought we were happy until I lost your brother at childbirth."

Rosemary smiled at Adrienne, and Adrienne could see how much it pained her mother to remember the loss of her older brother. Her mother had no idea that her brother had been taken away and was still alive.

"Then, one day, your father came to me with a little boy in his arms. It was Cayden. Your father told me he’d sinned and committed a mistake he couldn’t undo, but he wanted to make things right by giving Cayden a loving home. It was a difficult decision, but we welcomed him into our family."

Adrienne hardened her jaw. "Why, Mom? You know he’s Camilla’s child, and yet..."

"Because your father was desperate to have children, something I couldn’t provide, Addie." Her mother said helplessly. "He begged me to give him another chance and said he couldn’t abandon Cayden because he’s his flesh and blood.

Adrienne’s eyes turned bloodshot. She was also her father’s flesh and blood, but he allowed his mistress and other children to harm her.

"Of course, I was mad. Your father’s betrayal devastated me, but Addie, Cayden was so young then. He hadn’t done anything wrong. I know he’s your father’s child with Camilla."

"If you know, then why?" Adrienne couldn’t comprehend why her mother accepted such blatant disrespect for her. It would have been better if her mother divorced her trash father at that instant.

"Did Camilla agree to all of it?"

Her mother nodded. ’Camilla knew she could never give Cayden the life that I could, so she begged me to take your brother in, and in return, she would stay away from your father and our family."

"Mom..." Adrienne felt anguished in her heart. She wanted to destroy her father and Camilla Yan until nothing was left for them. She wanted to protect her mother from further pain and ensure she would never be hurt again.

"And then you came, my little Addie." Rosemary cupped Adrienne’s cheek and wept. "My daughter. My little miracle. You don’t know how happy I was when you came into my life. You brought so much light and joy into my world. I couldn’t imagine my life without you now. You are my everything, Addie."

Adrienne nodded and rested her head on her mother’s lap like she used to do when she was younger. She tried her best to hold back her tears.

Rosemary stroked her hair gently. "I’m sorry for causing you a lot of heartache, Addie, but I promise I’ll make it up to you."