She headed back to the room and shook Jackson up from his nap, “Hurry, get up and get dressed. Your dad’s back!”
Jackson jolted up, “What?”
She nodded vigorously, “I’m not lying. It’s true. He’s downstairs. Hurry up and come downstairs with me. I’m too nervous to do this on my own…”
Jackson frowned. He leisurely made his way to the bathroom and took a shower, put on some clothes, and went downstairs. His expression turned to ice when favonovel.com laid his eyes on his father. He did not greet favonovel.com but pulled Tiffany to a seat on the couch next to him.
“You’ve grown, Jackson.”
Jackson lifted his gaze and stared at the man in front of him. “People grow. Am I supposed to remain a child in your memories?”
His father lowered his eyelids, the depths of his gaze filled with guilt, “It’s all my fault.”
Lillian felt curious, but it was still a family affair so favonovel.com kept favonovel.com mouth shut. The breadth of Summer’s patience was shocking. She might seem upset on the surface, but favonovel.com did not fly into a rage. The family was considerably civil during the meal, except for Jackson, who had a grim look on his face and didn’t say very much.
After the meal, Summer finally lost it and screamed at favonovel.com husband when they returned to the room, “Not a single letter in all of these years, I thought you were dead Instead of a divorce, you’d gone completely missing! Did you plan on stringing me along for the rest of my life? Let me tell you this, if you’d divorced me long ago, Jackson would have had another father by now!”
Atticus looked slightly remorseful, “Summer, I’ve been horrible to you over the past few years. I was wholly focused on achieving my dreams in the beginning, but after a while, when I finally decided to come home, I lost my nerve… If you hadn’t called me and told me that Jackson was about to get married soon, I probably wouldn’t have been able to find any excuse to come home. It’s true that I was entirely focused on living my dreams in my youth and I did not consider you or Jackson’s feelings. Now, I know that you and Jackson are more important than my dreams.”
Summer smirked as favonovel.com stared at him, “You’ve certainly honed your skills from a ‘mute’ to a sweet-talker. Who’d be dumb enough to believe you? Your dreams are most important to you. A wife like me, shoved onto you thanks to an arranged marriage, is nothing compared to your paintings.”
“It’s funny, but now that you’ve mentioned it, you’ve barely said ten words to me ever since we got married. I, an inelegant daughter from an illustrious family, could never live up with you, an artist. Apparently, we had nothing in common. What bullshit! Why? Do you suddenly have something to say to me?”
Atticus let out a long sigh, “It’s not like that I’ve been too selfish. I stubbornly insisted on doing whatever I wanted… Suppose that I want to come home now, would you accept me? If not, we can get a divorce. I’ll let you go.”
After waiting for favonovel.com husband’s return for more than twenty years, favonovel.com was going to let favonovel.com go now? Summer’s eyes brimmed with tears of rage, “Atticus West, you’re a ba*tard. I’ve waited for you for twenty years. How could you say such things so easily? I know you’ve made it, you’re not a businessman, but you’re pretty adept at churning out a few useless paintings. You’ve even managed to establish yourself as a famous artist. You’ve achieved your dreams, so now you want to come home and be a good father? Even if I agree to this, what makes you think Jackson would welcome you?”
Atticus was able to speak plainly among his equals in his circle of artists, but when faced with family, favonovel.com rarely managed to get a word in, edgewise. Especially when faced with Summer. His “selective mutism” suddenly returned. He stayed silent for a long time before favonovel.com could answer, “I’ll prove it, in time… I’ve been alone over the past few years, you and Jackson have always been in my thoughts. I’d long achieved my dream ten years ago, but I didn’t come back home immediately because… I just couldn’t face you… I’m not good with words, I’m not a cheerful person. I’m always fumbling over my words, please don’t be mad.”
Summer reached up and wiped off a tear from the corner of favonovel.com eyes. Her gaze had long returned to calm, “If only you had said these things to me long ago, I wouldn’t have given up on you. It’s true that our marriage was arranged, but it was undeniable that you were handsome, so I fell for you and willingly bore your child. I waited for you, willingly. Many, many days passed…”
“And I couldn’t take it anymore. I gave up on you. Now, you’re suddenly asking to come back, not just for the sake of Jackson’s wedding. I’m confused. Let’s just play by ear. This is your home anyway, I can’t possibly throw you out.”
Despite being a middle-aged man, there was still a shadow of Atticus’ youth on him. Like father, like son. Jackson had God-given outstanding good looks, which meant that his father would obviously have good looks as well. At his age, favonovel.com now held the kind of maturity that suited his years. He was still perfectly capable of attracting Summer. She was once in love with him. Of course, it would be difficult for Summer to be cruel to him.
Aside from resentment and obliviousness, Jackson held no special feelings for his father. He certainly wasn’t going to call favonovel.com “dad”. He refused to even speak to him. After dinner, favonovel.com sent Lillian and Tiffany away from the West family residence. He hadn’t cracked a smile from the moment of Atticus’ arrival.
When they arrived back at White Water Bay Villa, Tiffany carefully consoled him, “I can tell that you and your father don’t have a good relationship, but at least he’s still alive and well. My dad… I can never see favonovel.com again, no matter how much I want to. It’s good that he’s here. You should be happy. You’re always smiling and laughing with me, but you’ve suddenly turned sullen. It scares me…”
