228 Knowing the Truth Part 2

October 18, 20XX (Friday)

Xue Manor

Mouth wide open and eyes bulging, Mei Li could not help but clean her ear with her finger. Did she hear the last name correctly? Did she hear the name 'Bonaparte' or was she mistaken? The tears that had threatened to fall had vanished in her eyes because of shock. She turned to face Yang, hoping her fiance had the answer to her confusion.

Yang patted her thigh, where his right hand was placed. Leaning down, Yang whispered, "Your father is an illegitimate son. He has no claim to the Bonaparte name, but he was acknowledged because of his abilities as a public figure."

Shocked and still confused, Mei Li scowled. She couldn't even process the thought of having a family that had actually loved her. Now, she has to accept that her father was this type of person too?! Her hands fisted; her heart mixed with sadness and irritation which made her felt that the best solution was anger.

Knowing how she behaved, Yang's hand on her thigh begun to pat her as if to remind her of her purpose. Grateful for his help, Mei Li placed her left hand above his hand. Yang turned his hands to meet hers and then intertwined their fingers into a firm clasp of love. Yang's warmth reminded her of the situation. His hands showed her that she was not alone in her quest for the truth.

Seeing Mei Li's surprise, Grandma Zhao opened her phone and let her see an old picture of her late mother and her father in what appears to be a civil marriage. The painter, who had been somewhat calmed by Yang, had once again turned into an emotional mess. Her eyes watery as she memorized every detail. Looking at the woman in the picture, Mei Li felt as if she was looking at an edited picture of herself. They had the same facial structure but different coloring. Mei Li was annoyed when she noticed that her mother was not as petite. The Bonaparte blood: Mei Li's small frame must come from that side of the family.

"Why was I left in the orphanage?"

Mei Li saw everyone in the room hesitate to answer her question. The tears in her eyes couldn't be held in for too long. Yang sighed as tears began to drop. He hated her tears; it made him want to destroy the world for daring to give her sadness and pain.

This time it was Chang Min that told her a short version of the story, "Our father had testified about the existence of a terrorist group in Europe called Arcadia. Because of this, his life was in the line, making him enter into a witness protection program. You were born around that time when he went into hiding. Our mother wanted to let him see you, so she traveled the miles with you and our older sister while I stayed here to study with grandpa. Spies from the terrorist group got a hold of this information when you reached Europe and tailed mother to where father was hiding. That day a small war happened, and it ended with our dying mother detonating the bomb that she hid on her person while father ran with you in his arms. In fear of your safety, as the terrorist group might have seen you, Father allowed the Italian government to push the Chinese government to hand you to a random orphanage here to hide."

Mei Li took a moment of silence to register the words and commit her history in her mind. She glorified with finally knowing the truth. Her hand holding Yang's tightened as she registered her parent's actions.

Yang took all the attention of the room as he cleared his throat and dropped another bomb of truth, "You were not left in a random orphanage. My mom had planned together with Hao Chen's late mother to move you to the orphanage that Hao Chen's mother donated half of her inheritance to go. For you to be comfortable, mom's illegitimate brother volunteered to care for you."

Mei Li's eyes widen as she hastily wiped her tears away, "Mother Zhao's brother? Does she have a brother? You have an uncle?"

Nodding, Yang raised his eyebrows. Usually, Mei Li would have pieced his clues together like a detective. She must have been so affected with the news that her mind failed to notice the small nuances of his sentences.

"His uncle gave you your last name, dear." Grandma Xue pointed out.

Mei Li expected to be rejected, but instead, she was accepted. She hoped to be a regular family member, but she found out that she was of noble blood. She expected to know the truth of her birth, but instead, she also discovered the truth of Uncle Wu's birth.

Wu Mei Li was actually Mei Lin Bonaparte or Xue Mei Lin, whichever the last name their family bore. Wu Tian Li was actually Xing Tian Li. Mei Li's heart tightened. There is always more to the story than what is seen on the surface.

"But why leave me in an orphanage? You could have given me to a middle-class family or even held me prisoner in the Manor and train me to defend myself." Mei Li continued, "You don't know how it felt to grow up knowing you were not enough to be accepted by a family... as if your excistence will never be enough!"

They could have handled the situation better! Mei Li got up, slapped Yang's hands away from her, and left. Locking herself in the room that was deemed hers by the Xue Elders, Mei Li cried the hurt while trying to swallow the information that she gained.

Yang followed but only stood at the door, guarding her. As much as he wanted to make her smile, he knows that she needed to let all the pain out. Let her wash away the hurt by her tears.