The Apple of My Eye
Chapter 237 The Truth

"That is reasonable, "

Abby said, smiling in response.

Amy, who has long been curious about Charles, decided to ask her daughter a question.

"Dear, I would like to ask you something... " she said, looking at her daughter. "How well do you know Autumn's husband?"

Abby stared back, not sure why her mother was asking such a question. "Is he kind? How long have they been married?" Amy continued to ask, wanting to know more.

"I assume they've been married for quite a while. But Autumn isn't pregnant, is she? Do you know why they haven't had children yet?"

"Mom, can you pause for a second? Why are you suddenly so interested to know all of that?" Abby asked, overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. As she tried to talk, Abby continued to think about what sparked her Mum's curiosity. "Well... All I know is that...," she started. "Andy confirmed that Charles was indeed a playboy before getting married to Autumn."

Amy, surprised to hear the information, expressed her concern. "It must be difficult for her to get married to a lady-killer. Autumn must have been living in constant fear," she sighed. "I have already considered Autumn as my granddaughter. Don't you think we should protect her? We shouldn't let her be with Charles any longer."

"Mom, can you please just hear me out?" said Abby, stopping her mom before she even got the chance to go for Autumn.

She couldn't believe that someone sensible like her mom would lose composure over her concern for Autumn. "There's no reason to worry because Charles has changed a lot. He wouldn't do such things because he really loves Autumn,

Abby explained.

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"Besides, Dad wouldn't let anything bad happen to Autumn. Charles would suffer dire consequences if he dared to do anything that might hurt her."

A sense of relief washed over Amy upon hearing this. She was glad to know that Autumn was safe to be with Charles. "Let me just prepare some food to eat. Though I'm not exactly sure if Autumn will like it or not. Hopefully this will satisfy her as your brother used to like it."

"Mom, it's okay. I'm sure she'll like it. I'll let Dad stay with Autumn for a while. Here, let me help you, "Abby said, smiling as she offered to lend a helping hand.

Because of her age, Amy has refrained from cooking regularly. But she was so eager to make some food for Autumn that she decided to cook it herself.

Andy was able to divert Charles's attention after making a conversation with him, leaving Autumn, Arthur and Cindy in the living room. Taking advantage of the moment, Arthur stole glances at Autumn while trying to remain well-poised.

Autumn concentrated on playing with Cindy, completely unaware of the gesture.

Knowing how much she loved her grandmother, Arthur thought of a good conversation starter.

After a few moments of hesitation, he finally managed to speak. "How's your grandmother? Is she feeling better?" he asked, facing her.

"I'm glad you asked, Dr. Zhao. This is exactly where your expertise might come in handy..." Autumn replied.

"There's no need for formalities. From now on, I want you to call me Grandpa Zhao. Alright?"

Arthur said, voicing out his thoughts.

Despite feeling uneasy, Autumn decided to grant his request. "Grandpa Zhao, my grandma refused to see the doctor last night even though she's sick. If it's not much of a bother, I would like to ask you to pay her a visit so you can check her condition. I'm worried about her health, "Autumn said, expressing her concern.

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to go see her tomorrow," he said, accepting her request.

A few moments later, Cindy threw a tantrum over a Hami-melon, causing Arthur to rise in order to fetch it. Autumn rose unexpectedly at the same moment.

"Grandpa Zhao, why don't you stay here with Cindy? I'll just wash my hands and bring her the fruit, "

Autumn said, her hands sticky from peeling the fruit for Cindy.

Nodding his head, Arthur pointed in the direction of the kitchen. Upon entering, Autumn happened to overhear the conversation between Abby and Amy. "Do you know? You took after your brother when you were stll a child. Look at Autumn now and you'll see the resemblance between him and Autumn, " Amy said, beaming.

"They look so much alike!"

"Frankly speaking, I was quite taken aback when we first met each other. But I trusted my gut feeling, not even sparing a second thought. Luckily, Andy had suggested that I make a thorough investigation. That eventually led to our family reunion, which, as you know, is a big satisfaction to my brother, "Abby said, smiling as she washed the vegetable.

"You know that your brother was a kind man, though I must admit that he could be very stubborn. His stubbornness even led to a scandal, " Amy sighed. Both of them continued talking, completely unaware of Autumn's presence.

The truth dawned upon Autumn, recalling what Mandy had previously told her. She was certain that the two people she had referred to were undoubtedly Arthur and Amy. Autumn stood in shock, unable to walk away as she tried to comprehend what she just heard.

She wondered, trying to make sense of what just happened. Just as she was about to dismiss the matter, she heard Cindy's innocent voice, demanding the Hami melon.

Amy and Abby were startled, now alerted to Autumn's presence. Autumn stood still, her face aghast because of the awkward situation.

"Autumn, please allow me to-" Embarrassed, Abby tried to find the right words to explain the situation, but all her efforts proved to be in vain.

"I need to leave, "Autumn stammered, still in shock.

"I almost forgot I had some business to attend to. Kindly excuse me."

"Autumn, wait! Let me explain, "Abby said, rushing towards Autumn in an effort to stop her from leaving.

"I've long been wanting to tell you about this, Autumn. Believe me, I really do. But I was waiting for the right moment to tell you about everything. Our attempts to win you back never faltered. But..." "Stop! I don't want to hear it!" Autumn said as she shook Abby's hands off her.

Trying to excuse herself, she turned to face Abby. "Miss Zhao, I really have to leave-"

"What's going on?"

Alerted by the disturbance, Andy and Charles suddenly appeared, trying to make sense of what just happened. Grateful for his husband's presence, Autumn decided to seize the opportunity. She raced towards him, clutching his hands as she begged him to take her away.

Charles agreed without a moment's hesitation. "Come on, let's leave," he said, putting his arms around her.

"Charles, wait-"

Andy frowned, his face reflecting his disapproval as he tried to stop them from leaving.

"Autumn is not in the right condition to talk right now. Maybe we can talk about it later. But for now, we must take our leave. Kindly excuse us," he said, escorting Autumn as they prepared to leave. Abby, still keen to talk, tried to explain herself again. "Autumn, I understand that you might be confused right now. But if you just hear me out-"

"Enough!" Charles exclaimed, interrupting Abby.

The Zhao family had long intended to unveil Autumn's family background, but they did not expect things to go awry as they just had. Charles had to calm Autumn down.

"I understand that this must be hard for everyone. But Autumn needs time to think, so please respect her decision," Charles said.