Our Love Story: Hard to Guard Against the Sudden Love Strike

Chapter 603 - 574: Words from the Heart

"Apologize to my mom!" Seeing Zane Forrester unmoved, Simon Forrester repeated again.Old Master Forrester, afraid his son would lose face in front of the relatives, couldn’t stand it and shouted, "Jules!"

The Forrester Family relatives all stopped nearby, waiting for the drama to unfold.

Zane Forrester, because of an injury on his face, kept his face turned to one side, not daring to face people, and eventually it became a standoff between Simon Forrester and Old Master Forrester.

Sylvia Langley, watching for a while from the side, perhaps afraid that her son and the old man would have a strained relationship, tugged her son’s arm: "Let it go for today. He already apologized to me in front of your uncles last night."

"Was it recorded on video?"

"It was."

Only then did Simon Forrester suppress the urge to have Zane Forrester apologize in person: "Alright then."

Old Master Forrester quickly pushed his son to the family tomb to burn incense, trying to minimize contact between Zane Forrester and Simon Forrester.

On the surface, Old Master Forrester appeared to be in charge, speaking loudly, but in reality, when the grandson was stubborn, the old man was helpless, even a bit wary, fearing that his only grandson would ignore him or cut off contact in the future. Therefore, his protection of his son was rather subtle and low-key. Regarding the whole mess with Zane Forrester, the old man dared not scold Sylvia Langley in front of Simon Forrester, fearing it would provoke Simon’s aversion, because after all, Sylvia Langley was Simon’s mother. Even if she didn’t spend much time raising him, that natural bond and affection couldn’t be erased.

Afraid that Zane Forrester would be given the cold shoulder by his grandson, Old Master Forrester stuck by his side throughout the cemetery. Simon Forrester, not wanting to see Zane, took his mother, wife, and other relatives to pay respects to their ancestors.

The rituals for ancestor worship were well-versed and coordinated by everyone, with each having their role to play. While others took turns paying their respects, Simon Forrester, along with his wife and Sylvia Langley, stood aside waiting.

Today’s weather was cloudy without much sun, and this cemetery, facing north, had quite a high terrain, making it rather windy. Afraid that Sienna Thornton might catch a cold, once their ritual was over, Simon quickly took her and Sylvia Langley to the pavilion to rest, then returned to help other relatives near the family tomb.

Left alone with Sylvia, Sienna initially hesitated, concerned about her feelings and planning to ask about her next steps, but Sylvia spoke first, though only about children, avoiding any mention of Zane Forrester’s troublesome situation.

Sylvia shared her experiences in great detail about pregnancy and postpartum care, kindly advising Sienna not to carry the baby often in the first year after delivery, nor lift heavy items.

"The internal structure of us women is very important and delicate. After ten months of carrying, your organs are all rearranged, and the reproductive system is inevitably loosened somewhat. If you don’t take good care after giving birth, those loosened tissues won’t recover to their former tightness. Once aging starts internally, both the body and face will age along."

Sienna clicked her tongue, "But to not hold the baby often is quite difficult."

Sylvia chuckled, enclosing her daughter-in-law’s hands warmly on her lap, giving them a gentle, affectionate pat.

"When the time comes, hire two professional nannies, let them or Jules carry the baby. You’ve already spent ten months being pregnant, and endured the pains of childbirth, so let the family share the burden of childcare, what’s wrong with that? It’s true that women give birth, but nurturing a child is a shared responsibility of a couple, even a family. Don’t foolishly take it all upon yourself. Dress up when needed, work out when needed, maintain your allure and economic independence! Otherwise, if a man changes his heart, you’ll feel like the sky is falling..."

Saying this, Sylvia seemed to think of her own experience, her voice suddenly dropping.

Sienna took the opportunity to ask, "With Dad causing such troubles, what do you plan to do?"

Sylvia looked at Simon who was helping relatives with the incense, smiling with relief: "My brothers want me to divorce, take half of Zane’s assets and retire in The South, but I can’t bear to leave Jules or what Zane’s other half of assets might mean. A woman can live without a man, but a man can’t survive without a woman. That old scoundrel Zane, I dare say, if we divorced, he’d remarry a young and beautiful one immediately next month. If she has some ambition, with three or four bastards, a large portion of what should belong to Jules would go. When I think it through, I can’t let other women and bastards take advantage. So, I won’t divorce, I’ll drag him down! Once he’s gone, everything will belong to Jules..."

At this point, Sylvia shook her head helplessly: "If there were no children, I could just walk away smartly. But after all, there is a child. Actually, now when I see Zane, I can’t stand him, bothersome and infuriating as he is, but there is no way..."

Even Sienna, as the daughter-in-law, now felt uncomfortable seeing Zane, let alone Sylvia, who had been betrayed.

Listening to Sylvia’s words, Sienna felt it wasn’t fair to her; being involved in Zane’s case, she understood Sylvia’s sacrifices. It all came down to being for Simon, as all mothers do.

She pondered what marriage really was, what life was, and how to balance personal will with these two aspects... whether the child was more important or her own feelings were more important...

As a junior, it wasn’t her place to speak much about her elders’ matters or interfere with Sylvia’s decisions; hence she could only listen attentively. Sometimes, a high-quality venting can help dissolve a good part of the heart’s troubles.

Sylvia said, "Marrying Zane, I regret deeply, but the only thing I don’t regret is having Jules. Jules was raised by the old man. The old man is a righteous person, so I felt confident leaving Jules in his care then. If not for the old lady helping Bianca Fordham with her child back then, I would have taken Jules to Franland. Zane and Thomas Reed were raised by that old lady, and look at how these two behave, like their uncle and nephew... Earlier, the old lady even wanted to hit me. She raised such a rotten son, I haven’t even settled accounts with her, and she wanted to hit me? That damn old lady! Luckily, Jules stood by me..."

At that, Sylvia suddenly smiled again.

Sienna thought, having a son to stand by her must make Sylvia feel warm and secure.

As she pondered this, the pressure from Sylvia’s hands suddenly increased. Sylvia looked at her, teasing, "Don’t get upset that Jules was supporting me just now!"

"Hmm?" Sienna was stunned for a moment before she caught on.

Sylvia probably feared she’d think about whether, if a conflict arose between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in the future, Simon would side with his mom.

She chuckled, "No, if Simon wasn’t there just now, I would have stopped Grandma too!" meaning that if the son wasn’t present, the daughter-in-law would also protect her.

Sylvia, with her eyes lowered, said nothing, remaining quiet, looking somewhat pitiable, quite different from her formerly cheerful and lively self.