Alex finally paused to look back at her. “What did you say?!” Stefanie looked up and said tearfully, “Your dad betrayed me for that woman back then! You and Jewel are probably half-siblings with the same father, so how could you ever go out with her?”
He staggered at her words. Half-siblings? How is that possible? He came over and dragged Stefanie to her feet, asking, “How is that possible? Her mother’s name is Helena Parker. Didn’t you say that the woman whom Dad had an affair with was called Winnie Parker? A-And besides… Jean’s surname is Louis. Her name is Jean Louis. How can she possibly be my dad’s daughter?”
He trembled all over as the revelation hit him like a truck. If it was just Stefanie objecting to them being together, he could still struggle against it, but how could he put up a fight if he and Jewel were really half-siblings?
She explained, “I looked into her family back when you were dating her, but I never expected the world to be so small-the lady you loved was actually Winnie Parker’s daughter. Perhaps your dad didn’t end up with her, in any case, that woman then married a man with the last name of Louis, which was why Jean has the last name of Louis after her father.
However, that Mr. Louis passed away just a few years after that. As for Winnie Parker, it doesn’t matter what she’s called, because I can never mistake her for someone else. Come with me if you don’t believe me…” As she spoke, she entered her room. After rummaging under her bed, she directly took out a locked metal box, which she unlocked with a key she found in another lockbox in the drawer.
The metal box was well hidden. The moment it was opened, an earthy smell wafted out of it. Apparently, the box hadn’t been touched for a long time.
Inside the box were the findings of a private investigator, which Alex took out and read carefully. Most of them were similar to what Stefanie said, though they were presented in more detail.
Stefanie then took out another investigation report, which was used as evidence of Alex’s father’s affair with Winnie Parker in the divorce proceedings back then. Naturally, the report couldn’t possibly be false. “See for yourself whether they’re the same person.”
Alex took the report and compared Winnie Parker’s photo to Helena’s. Even though Winnie’s photo was slightly blurry due to the passage of time, he had to admit that she and Helena did look very much alike. Could they really be one and the same? The report found that Helena had indeed gotten pregnant out of wedlock. Stefanie’s story seemed to make sense, and the timeline matched up, too.
Alex felt his head throbbing all of a sudden. How could this happen? Wouldn’t that mean there’s no chance for Jean and me to be together anymore? How ridiculous! We’re actually half- siblings with the same father? How can I possibly fall in love with my own sister?
Stefanie added, “I don’t know whether Jean is your father’s daughter, but there’s no way I’ll let you marry her because her mother was the woman who wrecked my marriage! Alex, you know full well what my life has been like over the past 20 years. I cried myself to sleep and cried in my sleep every single night. How could I possibly let you marry her daughter?”
All at once, he sat on the floor in a daze without saying a word, as if he had lost all his enthusiasm. That’s right! I once swore that I’d avenge my mom. I studied hard and ran my company diligently so that when I got to meet my dad one day, I could hold my head up and ask him whether he ever regretted leaving my mom.
However, he never had the opportunity, nor did he want to deliberately make himself unhappy. But who would’ve thought that the woman he loved-the woman he loved dearly from the bottom of his heart-would actually be the daughter of his father and that homewrecker? This was so f*cking ridiculous! If Jewel really were Winnie Parker’s daughter, how could they still be together?
It took a long time before he stood up feebly. Like a wandering soul, he tottered unsteadily out the door as if he were drunk.
