Six Years of Unrequited Foolishness

My emotions boiled over. "Why did you take Leo away? Do you have any idea how much my mom wanted to see him?"

Bella had coaxed me to quit my job when she said she wanted a child, making me take all sorts of supplements to strengthen my body.

Too many mixed medications caused my old injuries to flare up, even affecting my physical functions.

Since then, Bella had begun to avoid sharing a bed with me, staying out all night.

And my son, taken away by her mother, Matilda, when he was only a month old.

They said that as the heir to their family, Leo needed to be well trained and couldn't be influenced by my poverty.

They also said that my mom's luck was incompatible with Leo's, and she would hinder their family's fortune.

We hardly saw Leo a few times a year, and my mom missed him dearly. She finally waited for Bella to agree to let her see Leo, wanting to come and spend a lively anniversary with us.

Unexpectedly...

"I've said it's for the good of both families that Grace doesn't see Leo. If she affected our family's fortune, would you still have the good life you have now? Don't forget that your whole family is living off me."

Bella didn't remember the promise she casually made, and her tone became even more impatient when she recalled it.

Seeing us about to argue again, Sebastian smiled and played the peacemaker.

"It's natural for a grandma to miss her grandson. How about I don't go to the ancestral worship with you guys? Let Ethan and his mom go."

For six years, Bella's family didn't allow me and my mom to appear at any of their public events except for the worship.

It was a tough job. We had to prepare offerings without eating or drinking and even a moment's rest for a whole day.

No one in Bella's family was willing to endure this hardship, so the task naturally fell on my mom and me.

Every time we worked hard for a day, we were sent away without even some water to drink.

Mom was willing to endure such grievance just to catch a glimpse of Leo during the ancestral worship.

Thinking of this, I was overwhelmed by distress.

"No need," I said coldly. "My mom has passed away."