Chapter 384 Severing Ties
The room was thick with tension. Brianna let out a sigh, breaking the silence. "Yeah, Juliet already spilled the beans. Luann, I'm not your real mom, so I can't say much. But whether you hate or resent your dad, I just want you to be happy and not stuck in the past."
Luann's eyes cleared up. She looked at Brianna. "What do you know?"
Brianna gave a sad smile. "Being married to Mike for so long, I hear things, even if I don't want to. Like the mysterious death of the Wrights and Mike going after the Wright family fortune. I thought it was just gossip, but when Juliet told me you didn't spend a dime on your dad's illness and even bought a cemetery plot, I got it."
Brianna knew those weren't just rumors.
She held Luann's hand, tears in her eyes. "You're a good person. You've been so kind to me, even though we're not related. There's no way you'd abandon your own dad."
From the first time Brianna saw Luann, she felt pity. Such a slender, beautiful girl, stood in front of her. The wind lifted her black hair, and ginkgo leaves fell on her shoulder. Luann gave a faint, sad smile.
Brianna decided then she'd never let anyone bully Luann and would try to give her the motherly love she missed.
So, Brianna treated Luann as well as she treated Juliet. Mike ignored Luann, but Brianna took care of her. Mike didn't remember her likes, but Brianna did, cooking for her late at night. Mike didn't give her money, but Brianna secretly gave her a bank card, though Luann never used it.
Hearing this, Luann stopped hiding. "I'm going to take back what's mine.."
Brianna nodded, her smile bitter. "Take back? It was always yours."
They were the outsiders, even though Brianna's relationship with Mike started after the Wright family disappeared.
"So, you've found the evidence, right?" Brianna asked.
With Luann's skills, she couldn't have learned them living in the countryside. Clearly, she came back to find evidence and stayed for four years. She must have found something.
Luann lowered her eyes, her tone flat but filled with hatred. "I thought he'd get a long prison sentence, but he got lucky and avoided it.
"For him, that's a blessing."
"And you?" Luann didn't look at Brianna. "After Mike is gone, what will you do?"
Brianna shook her head, lost. She never imagined her husband of many years would be responsible for someone's death or that he would die.
Luann stood up and walked out. There was something she never told Brianna: Brianna and Shirley were very alike. Sometimes, Luann saw the same care in Brianna's gentleness as she did in Shirley's.
Brianna was always the sweet, gentle type, treating everyone like they were saints. She thought the world was full of good people. But her family was just regular folks; her parents were your average workers. When she met Mike, she had just graduated and was handing out flyers on the street.
Sometimes Luann wondered, 'Did Mike ever really love Mom? Why else would he go for two women with the same vibe? If Mom's family hadn't been so high-profile, maybe things wouldn't have gone down like this."
"Luann," Brianna called out, feeling a sudden panic as she watched Luann leave. She felt that once Luann walked out, she'd have no more ties to the Weaver family or to her. If Mike died, their marriage would be over, and Brianna wouldn't even count as a stepmom anymore.
Luann turned slightly, her eyes filled with mixed emotions. "What is it?"
Brianna's words got stuck in her throat. She wanted to ask, "Will I still be your stepmom? Even if we don't have that mother-daughter thing, can you not cut me off? Can you visit me sometimes?" But all she managed to say was, "Nothing, I just wanted to say, you and Myron, you gotta be happy."
Tears shimmered in Brianna's eyes. Shirley's marriage was a mess. Before she left, she must have wanted to see Luann happy.
Luann nodded. "I will."
Leaving the Weaver Villa, Luann let out a long sigh. At the door, a fancy Maybach was parked. She walked over and opened the car door.
Myron immediately leaned over, holding a tissue to wipe her tears.
"They haven't even fallen yet; why are you wiping?" Luann held back, her eyes and nose red.
Myron chuckled. "You were only in there for ten minutes, but how did you end up crying?"
"Seeing Brianna always reminds me of my mom. Mike may not be a good person, but he had two women who deeply loved him. Do you know my last name was something my mom insisted on keeping? She said it was something she had promised Mike." Luann's words were calm, recounting things from long ago with a nostalgic tone, but there was deep sadness. "But the Mike she always loved was the very person who wanted her dead."
Luann closed her eyes, her expression pained. After a while, she opened them again, now cold. "Go to the hospital."
Myron frowned, worried. "In your current state, it's not a good idea to see him. How about tomorrow..."
Luann interrupted him, "I'm fine. Besides, this will be the last time I see him. Drive."
Luann knew that after today, she and Mike would have no more ties.
