Facade of Love

Chapter 176 Overnight Doorman

Aunt Mary, whose full name was Mary Jenkers, was a close friend of my mother’s from her younger days. Although they did not live in the same city as adults, they stayed in touch. When my mother took me back to her hometown in Lorell to visit relatives, we often visited Mary. She was a very beautiful woman, and it seemed like beautiful women often had challenging fates.

Mary’s life was just like that. As a teenager, she fell in love with a senior from her school and got pregnant early. Being an unmarried teenage mother was particularly unacceptable thirty years ago, especially in a small town. Moreover, the boy she loved was irresponsible.

In order to have her child, Mary dropped out of school early. After breaking ties with her parents, she gave birth to her daughter alone. Later, to support her child, she never considered marriage again. I used to think she would never marry, but surprisingly, she decided to get married in her fifties or sixties.

I nodded at my mother and said, “Go ahead, I’m fine now. But how many days will you be gone?”

After a moment of thought, my mother said, “At least three or four days. Little Sanchez mentioned his hometown is around there, so I thought we could visit together.”

I was a bit surprised and looked at Maxwell. “Your hometown is in Lorrell?”

Maxwell nodded nonchalantly. “I was over ten when I entered the orphanage, so I still remember some things. My parents died in a landslide accident. At that time, the orphanage in Lorrell was overcrowded, so I had to be sent to Lake City. Aunt Deb said she was going, and I thought it would be a good chance to visit.”

A landslide!

I could not help but feel a sudden jolt in my heart. I did not know much about Maxwell’s past, only that my father had sponsored his education. I never asked about other details.

expect him to bring

“Don’t look at me with pity.

casual. “Who’s pitying you? I was thinking about the landslide you mentioned. I seem to remember my

a mountain in Lorrell called Snakehead Mountain that partially collapsed overnight due to tectonic movements. It was a natural disaster, but a tragedy for those who were buried under the

Mountain… the Youngs.

felt a bit

my mind. It was not due to geological movements, but

always so strange. I had never imagined that Maxwell was

176 Ovemight

mining disaster or that his parents were

inexplicable heaviness filled

like me,

go to an orphanage or relying on someone

me, noticing my gaze.

eyes, and forced a smile. “I’m fine. By the way, do you have any relatives left in Lorrell?”

to the orphanage. This trip with Aunt Deb is just