Chapter 937 Charles Understands His Own Feelings
After finishing his smoke, Carter crushed the butt in the ashtray.
Charles handed him another one.
He popped the cigarette in his mouth and flicked his lighter, like it was the only thing that could chase away the frustration, depression, and sadness eating at him.
A tall dude in his fifties, his eyes went red the second he lit up the next cigarette.
All his emotions just spilled out, no holding back.
He sniffed hard. "Thinking about all the crap Violet's been through, I just wanna off myself! Why did I let this happen? Why didn't I pick her up and drop her off myself? Why did I let her get into that accident? After her accident, her mom and I didn't even wait for her to come back and had another daughter."
Charles, totally baffled, said, "Aunt Lassie's pregnancy was a blessing. You shouldn't feel guilty about it. Besides, after Shirley was born, she brought you a ton of joy. Thinking like this is unfair to Shirley."
Shirley, full name Shirley Moore.
She was Carter's second daughter.
Patricia had picked the name, hoping Carter would stop living in guilt and move on from losing Violet.
Carter was a mess of emotions.
He felt guilty towards Violet after having Shirley, but thinking about the joy Shirley brought him, he felt he shouldn't feel this way.
These conflicting thoughts had been driving him nuts for years.
He took a deep drag and kept talking, blowing out smoke as he went, "From the coffee shop owner's description, I knew it was Violet! So Lassie and I rushed over with some people. The town was far; it took us ten hours to get there."
He couldn't believe Violet had walked all that way.
No wonder no one found her on the road.
After her accident, the search for her was huge, and even a big reward didn't help.
Who'd think a long-term wanderer, exposed to the elements, was the Moore family's daughter?
At that time, Violet was a mess, and apart from her eyes, her features were unrecognizable.
Even if someone sat face-to-face with her, they wouldn't recognize her as Violet.
Charles had only smoked one cigarette and hadn't lit another.
Hearing this, he felt a weird blockage in his chest and couldn't help but light another one.
Carter continued, "When I found Violet, she didn't recognize me at all! She said she suddenly remembered a string of numbers, and the owner suggested it might be related to her identity, so he let her try calling. During those seven years, she was super timid. Besides staying in the coffee shop, she hardly went out. She spoke cautiously, never daring to look up, afraid someone would hit her."
It was clear she must've taken a lot of beatings during that time; otherwise, why would she be so timid?
Charles took a drag and asked, "Did you do a paternity test?"
Carter nodded. "She didn't remember us at all. Although I was sure she was Violet, I was still scared of making a mistake, so I personally took her for a paternity test."
Hearing Carter's definitive answer, Charles couldn't describe his feelings.
They were complicated.
Violet had been found. But he couldn't feel happy.
Charles continued, "Did you only test the DNA? Did you do any other verification?"
As if guessing what he was thinking, Carter gave a bitter smile, "She looks like her, and the DNA test matches. These two things are enough; what more proof do you need?"
Charles went quiet. 'Yeah, what more proof do I need? Even without the DNA, her face alone says she's Violet.'
Carter kept going, "When we first brought her back, she didn't remember anything—not us, not you. To help her, I hunted down every famous doctor in the country. After a while, she started to remember bits and pieces. But all she remembered was about you!"
Charles asked, "She hasn't remembered you and Aunt Lassie?"
Carter's face twisted in pain as he nodded. "She remembered a little, but just a little! Every time she tries hard to remember, her head hurts like crazy. Lassie and I feel bad for her and don't want to see her in pain, so we stopped pushing her to recover her memory. The past isn't important to us; what's important is that we're happy together as a family in the future."
Charles stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
The ashtray in his hand sizzled with heat.
Carter also stubbed out his cigarette and lit another one.
Carter said, "Actually, when we first found her, we didn't tell your parents! I know you really like Hannah, and I didn't want Violet's appearance to mess up your happy life. But I didn't expect Violet to remember on her own and go to Sunshine Manor to find you. When she went, she gave your parents quite a scare."
Thinking of Martin and Patricia's comical expressions at that time, he felt both amused and bitter.
Charles finally pieced it all together.
Violet had been found. But she had lost her memory.
She didn't remember anyone, except him. And she had no idea he now had a girlfriend.
Charles felt his temples throbbing and reached up to rub them.
He was sure he liked Hannah now.
Since Hannah showed up, he thought of Violet less and less, to the point where he almost never thought of her anymore.
Before Violet reappeared, he wasn't sure about his feelings.
Now he was very sure he only liked Hannah.
His feelings for Hannah were just like his feelings for Violet back then. But now, he couldn't find the same feelings for Violet anymore.
Because of this, he felt he owed Violet.
Back then, Violet was young. Although they hadn't officially confirmed their relationship, everyone knew they would get married in the future.
He was waiting for her to grow up.
When they reached the legal age for marriage, they would get married. But before she could grow up, Violet had an accident.
They didn't even have time to officially end their relationship.
Before they officially broke up, his relationship with Violet still existed, and he had to end it personally.
Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to the three of them.
Carter thought he was troubled by this relationship and patted Charles on the shoulder, comforting him, "Don't worry. I won't let Violet mess things up between you and Hannah. It's been seven years; it's not easy for you to find someone you like. I really hope you can be happy. I can see you really like Hannah! That's why I didn't tell your parents when I first found Violet. You've been held back by Violet for seven years; you should seek your own happiness and not be held back."
His words made Charles feel embarrassed. "Don't say that! Let's wait until Violet's illness is cured."
Carter said with a worried face, "Who knows when that will be."
"It will be. Everything will be fine!" In this situation, besides offering comfort, Charles knew it wasn't right to say anything else.
Even though he felt there was something off, like a fog he couldn't see through, he wanted to walk in and see clearly what secrets were hidden.
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