Chapter 571 571

Chloe closed her eyes and buried her face into Vernon's chest. She felt guilty for forcing Vernon to meet Dorothea.

Maybe she just had such an idealized view of what a good family would be, so she thought that Vernon would be able to accept Dorothea if Dorothea tried hard enough.

As much as she wanted Dorothea to be with them, her focus had always been Vernon.

She wanted Vernon to have a complete family, with a mother, wife, and daughter. Because in her mind, Chloe always thought that Vernon would not have a happy life as long as he hadn't made peace with his past, and that past was his mother.

"I'm sorry, Vernon…." Chloe murmured. "I never thought that things could be this bad…."

Vernon tightened his hug for a while and then whispered gently, "It's never your fault. I know that you want the best for me. But I really don't need anyone except you and Mackie by my side."

"I… I understand. I will tell Dorothea to leave…." Chloe had difficulty accepting that her strategy to get them to talk actually backfired. Now there was no more chance for mother and son to reconcile, and she didn't know what to do next.

She didn't want Dorothea to die out of heartbreak, but she also didn't want Vernon to get stressed out because of Dorothea's presence around them.

Vernon said nothing as if he had silently agreed with Chloe to kick Dorothea out of their lives.

He separated their hugs, and Chloe gave Vernon a pitiful look before turning around. She approached the door, ready to open it, and kicked Dorothea away.

"Chloe," Vernon suddenly called her name.

Chloe looked over her shoulder, "Yes?"

Vernon was a little lost. He opened his mouth, but no voice came out until Chloe assured him, "It's okay, Vernon. I will accept whatever verdict you want to say. Whether you accept Dorothea or not, it is all your right to decide."

"Then…" Vernon took a deep breath before continuing, "Tell her that she doesn't need to leave this apartment. She can meet with you or Mackie daily. But she is not allowed to join any family dinner, nor events. I don't want to see her face."

Chloe's eyes widened. She didn't expect Vernon to suddenly tolerate Dorothea's presence.

"I'm sorry that I can't do more than this, Chloe. This is the best I can for you, for us," Vernon said, feeling guilty because he couldn't accept Dorothea into his life.

"I—It's okay, Vernon! You've done much more than you should!"

Vernon smiled thin and stepped back, "Well, what are you waiting for? Go and meet with Dorothea. Tell her what I said just now."

"Huh? You're not coming with me? I'm pretty sure that Dorothea will be happy to hear the news from you," Chloe said.

Vernon shook his head, "I'm afraid that I will change my mind and kick her out once I see her face again. The reason why I decided to just tolerate her is because of you, Chloe. I don't want to see you sad or heartbroken. So go and meet her. I'll be going somewhere to calm myself first."

"I… I will meet you again tonight, right?" Chloe asked. She feared Vernon might go to a club or a bar to drink his sorrow until he blacked out.

"Don't worry, I know that you're sad whenever I get absolutely drunk," Vernon smiled. "Go and tell her."

Chloe hesitated. But she finally nodded after getting approval from Vernon.

She opened the door and entered room 505.

Vernon stared at the door briefly and muttered, "You're the reason for everything, Chloe."

**

Chloe entered the room and saw Dorothea slumped on the floor, sobbing endlessly as she realized that Vernon would never accept her as his mother.

"Dorothea!" Chloe rushed towards Dorothea and hugged her. "Oh no, I'm sorry, Dorothea, I didn't expect it to go this bad."

pǎпdǎ Йᴏνê1,сòМ Dorothea hugged Chloe, and she cried loudly. She had had enough of maintaining her dignity and trying her best not to look weak.

This was her last chance to have a normal family, and she actually blew it.

Now she could not meet Chloe, Mackie, and Vernon after this.

She had nothing to look up to in the future, and this moment was how she died, lonely, heartbroken, and full of regret.

"Chloe, I… I tried my best to make Vernon understand my circumstances and how regretful I was for treating him horribly. But I… I blew it," Dorothea said in between her sobs and wails. "I actually hurt him way more after I told him the truth."

Chloe wanted to console Dorothea to make her feel better.

But Dorothea did blow up the whole thing. She had failed to convince Vernon to accept her into the family and even went as far as triggering Vernon until he snapped.

So she hugged Dorothea in silence, listening to the old woman's desperate cry as she regretted everything she did when she was younger.

It took at least thirty minutes until Dorothea stopped crying. Her head was dizzy, and she felt really weak after crying her heart out, something that she never did before, as she always tried to mask her sadness with lots and lots of booze and heroin.

Dorothea finally separated herself from Chloe and tried to wipe the dried tears on her cheek, "I will leave now, Chloe. Thank you for everything. You're truly the kindest person I've ever met in my life."

Dorothea grabbed the chair and used it to prop herself up. Her legs were still weak, but she had to leave, or else Vernon might get mad at her for staying inside his apartment too long.

Chloe watched as the woman ambled towards the door. Her back was hunched, showing the extreme exhaustion that she had endured for so long.

"Dorothea, don't leave," Chloe said.

Dorothea halted and replied, "I don't want to leave either. But Vernon has rejected me, and he will not change his mind. I can't stay, Chloe."