Chapter 1696:
“Alright,” Elwood said with a nod.
After the meal, they parted ways, each heading to their respective vehicles.
Once Carola completed her IV treatment for the day, she left the hospital with Kylee and settled into the car.
“Mom, please stop being silent! Just tell me what’s wrong,” Kylee said, unable to contain her concern any longer.
From the moment she returned to the treatment room until now, Carola hadn’t said a word, leaving Kylee uneasy. At Kylee’s question, Carola turned to face her.
Finally, she spoke. “How did you come to know Elwood?”
Kylee had anticipated this question and had carefully rehearsed her answer.
“He’s the father of my friend, Zaria. You’ve met her, Mom, remember? Zaria brought me to her family’s place here in Owathe, and that’s how I met Mr. Wright.”
Carola’s memory clicked at the mention of Zaria—Elwood’s daughter. The name Zaria hit her like a weight, her breath growing heavy.
Her mind drifted to old conversations…
“Carola, I’ve made up my mind. If we have a child, we’ll call her Zaria—Zaria…”
“Wright. What do you think?”
“Do you have any other names you like?”
“Maybe Zara Wright or Zoe Wright?”
“Forget it, let’s stick with Zaria Wright.”
“Perfect! Zaria Wright it is.”
Thinking about this, Carola let out a bitter chuckle. Elwood had built a new family and had a child with someone else, yet still named his daughter Zaria. Was this some cruel jab meant to twist the knife?
ᗰσ𝓇𝑒 υ𝐩𝓭𝑎𝓉𝑒𝓈 ι𝐧 ɢ𝒶𝐥𝓷𝑜𝐯𝑒𝓁𝓈.𝒸𝑜𝓂
Composing herself, Carola turned to Kylee again. “You told Elwood I was here, right?”
Kylee’s breath hitched, and after a few rapid blinks, she hurriedly replied, “No, I didn’t!”
Carola said nothing, her steady gaze fixed on Kylee.
Unable to hold out, Kylee relented, biting her lip with a trace of guilt. “I’m sorry, Mom. I was wrong…”
She went on to explain, “Mr. Wright called me. He said he had something urgent to discuss with you and asked for my help. I didn’t think it was a big deal, so I agreed.”
Carola listened in silence, offering no response.
Hesitantly, Kylee spoke again. “Mom, were you and Mr. Wright… close, before?”
“I don’t know him!” Carola responded without a second’s pause.
