Chapter 369 Unsympathetic Family
Eleanor grasped Amelia Winters’ right hand with both hands and said carefully, “Lia, since the both of you are like sisters to each other, I think of you as my daughter too. You can even call me ‘Mom’ if you want.” Due to the Hutton family’s current situation, Eleanor did not dare to acknowledge Amelia Winters as her daughter. She was afraid Benjamin and the others would try to put an end to it and prevent her from seeing Amelia Winters again. I just have to endure the pain on my own. I know that there’s no way Benjamin will accept her as his long-lost eldest daughter. What a failure I am. I’ve led a lavish lifestyle for almost thirty years and had everything I could ever want, but I can’t even protect my own daughter.
Amelia Winters withdrew her hand and responded coldly, “I’m grateful that you’ve taken a liking to me, but I have a mother. So, I don’t think I can call you that. I’m sorry.”
Eleanor’s face paled instantly as she stared at her with an unfathomable expression, her lips trembling slightly.
“How about Aunt Eleanor then?” she suggested.
Amelia Winters merely smiled without saying anything.
Although Eleanor was crushed, she did not want to try and force things. Now that she had finally found her daughter, she could not bear to let her feel the least bit troubled.
“Have some soup, Lia. I got up early this morning and went to the farmer’s market to get some fresh ingredients. I looked it up online and saw that these ingredients are good for the eyes. Try some. It might help. Do you want me to feed you? I’ve never fed you before,” Eleanor chattered away as she placed a bowl of soup in front of Amelia Winters. I’ve never fed you since you were born. It was always the nanny who took care of you. If I knew that you’d go missing, I wouldn’t have taken half a step away from you.
Amelia Winters leaned toward the other end of the sofa, away from Eleanor. Perhaps due to her losing her eyesight, she seemed to have a keener sense of a person’s sincerity.
Mixed emotions washed over Amelia Hutton as she watched Eleanor fawning over Amelia Winters. She bitterly regretted having poked her nose into the matter. If I hadn’t been a busybody, I’d still be the apple of Mom’s eye.
“Yes, you should have some. Mom made it just for you. You wouldn’t want her efforts to go to waste, right?” Amelia Hutton added. Although she tried her best to suppress her feelings, there was a tinge of resentment in her tone.
Tiffany went over and said, “I’ll do it, Mrs. Hutton. Although she can’t see, she can use her hands to eat by herself.”
Looking somewhat crestfallen, Eleanor handed the bowl to her.
Tiffany blew on the soup to cool it, then held up a spoonful to Amelia Winters’ lips. “Babe, have some soup. Mrs. Hutton very kindly made it for you, so you should eat it.”
At that, Amelia Winters opened her mouth obediently.
Three bowls of soup later, Tiffany said, “You’re such a good cook, Mrs. Hutton. She usually only has one bowl, but she has already had three!”
Feeling a mixture of joy and relief, Eleanor quickly replied, “Is that so? Well then, I’ll make it every day. Does she prefer chicken or beef? If she likes both, then I’ll decide. I’ll see whether I can get any chicken later to make more soup.”
Amelia Winters frowned. “You don’t have to trouble yourself. I’m—”
Eleanor interjected, saying, “It’s no trouble at all. I’d love to cook for you. If there’s anything else you’d prefer to eat, just let me know. I’m quite a good cook, you know. You’re just like a daughter to me, so I want to dote on you.”
Amelia Winters looked torn while Amelia Hutton’s expression darkened further.
After a while, the latter turned to Eleanor and said, “Didn’t you say you wanted to go and get some ingredients? I’ll go with you.”
“There’s no rush. I feel like talking to Lia for a little while.”
“Mom, they still haven’t eaten yet.”
“Well, I can stay and have something to eat too. Lia, you don’t mind if I join, do you?” With that, Eleanor shamelessly got up to get a plate and some cutlery, all just so that she could spend more time with her long-lost daughter. Amelia Hutton looked on grimly. She had no intention of having a falling out with Amelia Winters, so she could only grin and bear it.
In the end, Eleanor sat down and ate with them before leaving with Amelia Hutton.
After they left, Tiffany cleared the plates from the dining table and placed them in the kitchen for the housekeeper to wash. Wiping her hands as she walked out of the kitchen, she cautioned, “Babe, it looks like Mrs. Hutton is doing everything she can to fawn over you. If this goes on, your relationship with Amelia Hutton might turn sour. She didn’t look all too happy just now.”
Amelia was also looking somewhat unhappy. I don’t mind it if someone wants to get close to me. However, this sort of subservient attitude is making me feel pressured.
Tiffany sat down next to her. “Don’t be afraid. You still have me. If you don’t like them, then we’ll avoid them. We can move someplace else without them finding out. You don’t have to worry about anything.”
Amelia smiled as she replied, “I’m fine. There’s just something I can’t figure out. If I truly am her daughter, why does she treat me well without saying anything to acknowledge me as her daughter? Maybe she really meant to abandon me all those years ago.”
Tiffany grabbed her hand with a laugh, “Babe, you really do have a habit of dwelling on the negatives, don’t you? After everything we’ve been through together, is it worth moping over someone who doesn’t dare to acknowledge her relationship with you? It doesn’t matter whether she’s your biological mother or not. If she decides to acknowledge you as her daughter and is genuine about it, then we’ll accept it. If not, we’ll play dumb. After all, she has been absent from your life since you were thirteen years old. You’re all grown up now. You’re strong enough to face any malicious gossip and rumors. So, the fact that she’s your mother or not can’t hurt you anymore, right?”
Amelia’s face clouded over slightly. Suddenly, she sighed and said, “I know, but it still bothers me. I wish I could ask them if I’m really their daughter, and if yes, how they could’ve been so cruel as to abandon me.”
“Maybe someone kidnapped you.”
Amelia fell silent as she pondered Tiffany’s words.
After a while, Tiffany added, “There’s no point worrying about it. Just go with the flow. If Mrs. Hutton has no intention of acknowledging who you are, then pretend that you don’t know anything. You have Tony now, and you have me. Who needs them?”
Amelia shot her a smile, but her thoughts still lingered on the matter.
Meanwhile, Amelia Hutton and Eleanor had just reached their apartment. The former turned to her mother with a hurt look in her eyes and said, “Mom, did you even consider my feelings just now?”
“What do you mean?” Eleanor asked, perplexed.
“Mom, come on. You’ve never doted on me like that.”
“What’s gotten into you? All these years, I’ve given you everything that you wanted. What more do you want?”
Amelia smiled bitterly. “I’ve never seen you care so much for someone before. Is she much more important than me, Dad, and Sean?”
Uneasiness flashed in Eleanor’s eyes. She snapped, “Nonsense! You’re all the most important to me.”
Amelia stared at Eleanor, about to go against her mother for the first time in her life. “All these years, you’ve had mental lapses because of your daughter’s disappearance. You were so close to getting admitted into a psychiatric hospital. Not only did you treat Dad coldly, but you also never thought of yourself as part of the Hutton family. Your indifference was apparent to us all, yet we were tolerant of it. I chalked it up to the fact that you were just a cold and aloof person, but do you know what you looked like when you were with Amelia Winters? You were bending over backward trying to get her to like you! Only then did I realize that your love and warmth were reserved for one person. Did you even bother to think that your behavior would hurt me?”
Those words shocked Eleanor to the core. She then explained, “Listen to me, it’s not like that. It’s all because of the guilt I feel toward Amelia Winters. I lost her over twenty years ago, and I want to make it up to her. I’m not doing it because I don’t love you. You’re both my daughters, and I love both of you equally. It’s true.”
Amelia lost her temper and flung Eleanor’s hand aside. “I shouldn’t have gone and checked whether your DNA profiles matched, and I shouldn’t have placed the test results somewhere you could’ve found it. I sorely regret it. Her appearance is going to shatter our family.”
When Eleanor heard that, her face fell. “Do you even hear yourself?”
“I don’t want her as a sister anymore! Because of her, I’m going to lose my mother!”
Suddenly, there was a loud slap. Amelia cradled her burning cheek, staring at Eleanor in disbelief. She had never thought that her mother would strike her. “Did you just slap me?”
Her entire body trembling with rage, Eleanor said furiously, “Amelia Hutton, you’ve lived in the lap of luxury for over twenty years while your sister wandered around alone. You had everything you wanted while she was left to fend for herself. Your lives couldn’t be any more different, yet you dare to make such sarcastic comments. Is that how I raised you? You’ve disappointed me. Go and reflect on your behavior!”
“You’ve changed, Mom! Fine! Go ahead and defend that person who doesn’t even want to acknowledge you as her mother!” With that, Amelia dashed into her room and slammed the door shut.
Eleanor stood rooted to the spot, her expression inscrutable.
After a long while, she sank onto the sofa and sighed heavily. Covering her face with her hands, she burst into tears.
I finally found my daughter that I’ve missed dearly for over twenty years, but no one in this family is supportive of me. That’s what hurts the most. For one to get healed, one must identify the cause of illness. In my case, Amelia Winters is the medicine I need. However, they’d rather have me go to a psychiatrist instead of letting me reunite with my daughter. I wonder if I’m the one that’s being selfish or them with their ulterior motives.
Eleanor felt drained. She was mentally exhausted because she could not reconcile with her daughter. Her unsympathetic family was also not making it any easier for her. At that moment, she was at a loss for what to do next. All she knew was that her exhaustion was engulfing her like a debilitating wave.
