?


    "Yes." A sudden silence washed over Francine. She became contemtive, and said, "You two aren''t just ipatible. There are many obstacles that will keep on tormenting you. It''s a good thing you broke up with her early."


    "Mom, are you aware of something too?" Stefan asked. He suddenly looked up to stare deeply at his mother.


    Stefan had discovered something, and learned that he could never be with Renee for the rest of his life. Hence, he suppressed his reluctance and pain. He would rather bear the me for abandoning his family to break up with Renee, but he was uncertain if Francine was aware of the same discovery.


    "What am I supposed to know?" Francineughed, sounding ambiguous. "I''ve seen and experienced a lot of things. Maybe it''s a big issue for you, but I might find it insignificant."


    "It''s about..." After a pause, Stefan continued, "It''s about Renee''s brother."


    Francine was stunned. She panicked as guilt gripped her, then quickly shook her head and said, "I don''t know what you''re talking about. It''s better if you don''t know too much. If you do, you''ll feel more pain and won''t be happy."


    "Will it disappear if I don''t know anything about it?" Stefan sneered. His expression suddenly turned fierce and cold. "Nothing can be kept a secret forever. Things that have happened won''t disappear with time. One day, when all the sins hidden in the dark get exposed in broad daylight, it''ll be the time for all wonderful things to be ruined. It''ll be more painful at that time."


    "Yes, you''re right. You''re better than me in handling such things. I''ll support you unconditionally, regardless of your choice. You''re not as cold and heartless as people say. On the contrary, you''re passionate and care deeply about your romance. You''d rather bear all the pain and criticisms to make the people you care about happy," Francine said.


    At that time, she seemed to have understood what her son wanted to say. Despite that, she didn''t expose anything.


    Suddenly, she understood why he was so conflicted and in such great paintely. She felt terribly sorry for him. "I''m sorry, Stefan. Your dad and I did evil, and it affected your love life. I need to apologize to you."


    Francine stepped forward and hugged him, her eyes turning red.


    "You don''t have to apologize to me," Stefan said.


    He stood there in a daze, his face cold.


    "You should apologize to Renee and Quinton instead, but you''d better stop getting in touch with them. As long as we''re away from them, they''ll be happy. It''s better to keep something between us. We shouldn''t tell anyone else."Content ? copyrighted by N?velDrama.Org.


    "Yes, I understand." Francine closed her eyes, and let herself cry.


    She recalled the things that happened in her youth. The images kept appearing in her mind and felt like they were another lifetime away, as if they were but a dream.


    Yet, Stefan was right. Things that had happened wouldn''t simply disappear with time. The harm they had caused would remain forever. The only thing they could do was to keep it a secret from others and create an illusion of harmony.


    Only then could it maximize happiness for more people.


    "Okay, it''s gettingte. You should turn in early," Stefan said.


    He patted his mother''s shoulders, and tried tofort her softly.


    "I don''t me you. I know you and Daddy have woes you can''t talk about. Outsiders could always be objective, but only those involved would know how difficult it is to make a choice. I''m being punished now, but I believe everything will improve from now on."