Chapter 404 Possible Mental Issues
Nora was slightly surprised because the person spoke slowly with a childish tone that didn't match her age.
As a doctor, she immediately deduced that this middle-aged woman might have some mental issues.
"Apologize to me quickly!" the woman scowled and urged Ryan again.
Ryan also furrowed his brows and replied, "But you also ran into me. Moreover, I didn't do it on purpose."
Mrs. Woodhouse quickly interjected, "But Chloe still fell down, Ryan. You should apologize to her."
Ryan raised his gaze and saw Mrs. Woodhouse giving him a signal.
He recalled her telling him that Chloe wasn't very bright; she had an IQ similar to his, and he shouldn't argue with her over trivial matters. Thus, he apologized.
After that, the middle-aged woman smiled and reached out to pull him.
"Ryan, come with me to play."
Seeing this, Mrs. Woodhouse hastily pulled her son behind her.
"You can't, Chloe. Ryan's hand is injured and he needs treatment. He can't play with you right now."
The middle-aged woman pouted and tried to pull Mrs. Woodhouse again. She used quite a bit of force, causing Mrs. Woodhouse to sway and her face to slightly change.
Nora quickly grabbed Chloe and said, "Ryan hurt his hand. Even if he accompanies you, he won't be able to fully enjoy playing with you. How about waiting until he's all recovered, and then he can play with you to his heart's content?"
She smiled warmly, her tone as gentle as when coaxing a child.
The middle-aged woman looked at her for a while before replying, "You're very beautiful, Miss."
Being called "Miss" by someone who could be a mother was a bittersweet feeling.
"Miss, would you like to play with me then?" the middle-aged woman clung onto her again.
Nora smiled and replied, "Sure. I'll come play with you as soon as I'm done with my work."
Chloe’s eyes lit up as she replied, "No, just play with me now."
"I can't; I'm a doctor. I have to go treat Ryan's hand injury first," Nora replied.
Upon hearing the word "doctor," fear flashed in the Chloe eyes. She grabbed Nora's hand, suddenly recoiled, and took two steps back.
"You're a doctor? I'm not sick, I don't want to see a doctor! I don't want to see a doctor!" she exclaimed.
Nora laughed and said, "We won't see a doctor. I'll come play with you as soon as I'm done."
Chloe blinked and asked, "Really? I don't want to see a doctor!"
"Really."
At that moment, footsteps echoed in the distance.
"Chloe, where are you?" a man's voice called out.
Hearing the man's voice, Chloe’s face stiffened. She quickly ran behind Nora and held onto her clothes tightly, whispering, "I don't want to go back, I don't want to go back!"
Nora was surprised, sensing her fear.
Was she afraid of that man?
Who was he?
"Chloe's here," Mrs. Woodhouse called out to the man not far away.
Soon, a middle-aged man in his fifties with a servant hurriedly walked over.
"Mrs. Woodhouse."
He greeted her before he looked at Nora.
Mrs. Woodhouse introduced, "Nora, this is Arthur."
Nora nodded slightly and said, "Arthur."
Arthur's eyes showed something before he smiled and said, "This must be the daughter, Nora, that my elder sister just found."
Mrs. Woodhouse said, "Yes."
He continued, "I regret that I couldn't attend the family gathering when you were recognized. Nevertheless, you look quite similar to my elder sister. It's a great joy for the family to be reunited after all these years."
He had a gentle smile, but Nora couldn't help but feel something hidden behind it.
Moreover, he mentioned that she looked like Emma.
It seemed like he didn't know the true story.
Nora smiled and remained silent.
Meanwhile, Arthur looked away and reached out his hand toward Chloe.
"Chloe, come here."
Chloe lowered her head and shook it, saying, "I don't want to go back."
His smile grew as he softly replied, "Behave. There are delicious snacks at home, so let's return and have some."
Chloe glanced at him, hesitating slightly before saying, "But I want to play with the pretty sister."
Arthur looked at Nora.
As the "pretty sister," Nora turned back and said, "You go back and have some snacks first. I'll come find you to play after I'm done, okay?"
Chloe looked at her and then extended her pinky finger, "Pinky promise."
This action reminded her of Aaron.
Nora smiled and hooked her pinky with Chloe's.
This made Chloe happy, "Sealed! You can't deceive me; liars will get a long nose."
"I won't," Nora laughed.
"Then I'll take her back first," Arthur pulled Chloe and said to the other two.
Chloe walked away, constantly looking back at Nora.
She seemed reluctant to leave.
"Let's go, too," Mrs. Woodhouse said.
"Okay." Nora and Mrs. Woodhouse continued to walk forward with Ryan.
Mrs. Woodhouse said, "Nora, you've noticed, right? Chloe isn't very bright."
Nora nodded, "She's... my mother's sister."
She still wasn't used to calling Emma her mother.
But to prevent unnecessary trouble, she had to force herself to.
"Yes."
"How did she end up like that?" Nora asked.
"I've seen photos of her when she was young. Chloe was a beauty in her youth, but unfortunately, she had a bad marriage."
Mrs. Woodhouse fell silent and told Chloe's story.
"She got married once when she was young. Her husband was a rural man who became wealthy thanks to the Woodhouse family's support. Unexpectedly, he cheated and shamelessly claimed that he found other women for the sake of continuing his bloodline since Chloe couldn't bear children."
Hearing this, Nora frowned and asked, "Chloe couldn't bear children?"
"Yes, she was married to that man for five years and she never got pregnant," Mrs. Woodhouse said.
"And then?" Nora asked.
Mrs. Woodhouse continued, "Chloe probably loved him very much, so she chose to endure it. She made an agreement with him that if the mistress bore a child, she'd give her a large sum of money to leave the country and cut off all ties with the man. She considered it as borrowing someone's womb to have a child."
"At that time, he agreed. However, the mistress was scheming. She pretended to be gentle and weak on the surface, but she always deliberately provoked Chloe, calling her a hen who couldn't lay eggs."
"Later on, Chloe got into a car accident and injured her head. When she woke up, her mind was unclear. The doctors said she developed depression and, combined with the head injury, had problems with her mental faculties. Thus, her intelligence would forever remain that of a seven or eight-year-old."
Hearing this, Nora felt sorry for Chloe.
What a miserable woman.
Getting married was like being reborn. If it didn't turn out well, it would be a lifelong pain.
She wanted to say that out of ten men, nine were bad, but there was always that one person everyone loved.
If you want longevity, you'd have to stay away from unreliable men.
However, how can a woman judge whether a man is reliable or not in a short time?
Moreover, some men were calculating and hid their true colors before marriage for their goals.
Their true nature will only be exposed after marriage.
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