Chapter 291
Charlene and Nadine had just finished setting off some fireworks with Helena and the others when they decided to head out. Their destination was the Starfall Broadcast Tower.
The tower was renowned for offering a spectacular view of the entire Starfall cityscape at night.
On New Year’s Eve, it also hosted dazzling light shows and various performances
By the time they arrived at the tower, a crowd had already gathered, and the air was filled with laughter and chatter.
The light show hadn’t started yet.
Carl had planned to meet up with a few of his classmates at the tower to ring in the New Year together.
Shortly after they arrived, Carl’s friends joined them.
Seeing Charlene and Nadine, Carl’s friends respectfully greeted them and couldn’t help but whisper to Carl, “Your cousin’s really pretty! Super pretty!”
“Of course she is!” Carl replied with a grin.
The group of young people joked around, snapping selfies and recording videos on their phones.
Charlene and Nadine stayed on the sidelines, not wanting to interrupt their fun.
Just then, Charlene’s phone buzzed.
It was a message from Granger: “Are you at the tower for the light show tonight?”
Charlene wasn’t sure why he was asking, but she replied, “We’re already here. What’s up?”
Granger responded quickly: “Daisy and I are on our way there too.”
“Well, what a coincidence,” Charlene thought.
Granger didn’t send any more messages after that.
A little while later, the light show began.
Charlene watched with a smile, captivated by the spectacle, when suddenly she heard a familiar voice, “Ms.
Ross!”
Turning around, she saw Granger and Daisy.
Seeing Charlene look over, Daisy beamed and reached out excitedly.
Charlene took Nadine’s hand and maneuvered through the crowd towards them, pulling Daisy into a warm hug. Daisy wrapped her small arms around Charlene’s neck, eagerly watching the light show and squealing with delight, “Ms. Ross, look!” Charlene chuckled, “Yes, I see it.”
The festive atmosphere was infectious, and Charlene’s smile never wavered.
Granger observed her, concerned she might tire from holding Daisy for too long, and gently took Daisy back into his arms. “Where’s Cloud?” he asked, referring to Carl by his nickname.
“He’s over there,” Charlene pointed to where Carl and his friends were standing, not far away.
As Charlene turned to look, her gaze landed on Henley, Maureen, and Jacques standing together.
Her smile froze and faded.
Henley lovingly tousled Jacques’ hair as the three of them beamed with warmth and joy, epitomizing a happy family scene. The change in Charlene’s expression couldn’t have been more obvious. Granger noticed immediately. Following Charlene’s line of sight, he too saw Henley and his family.
Before he could look away, Jacques spotted them.
Seeing familiar faces on a festive night like this, Jacques waved enthusiastically and called out, “Granger!”
Henley and Maureen turned at the sound of Jacques’ voice.
Their faces lit up at the sight of Granger, only to falter slightly when they noticed Charlene.
Especially Maureen.
Her brows furrowed almost instantly at the sight of Charlene standing beside Granger.
Feeling it was only polite to say hello, Granger hesitated before telling Charlene, “I’m going over to say hi.”
Charlene, her voice cool, replied, “Go ahead.”
Granger, after casting another glance at Charlene’s face, walked away with Daisy.
Nadine had also noticed the shift in Charlene’s demeanor.
While Nadine vaguely knew that her aunt had some history with Henley, she didn’t have many memories of him. But seeing Charlene’s expression change so quickly, her intuition as a perceptive young woman told her all she needed to know about Henley and Maureen’s identities.
Her heart tightened, and she squeezed Charlene’s hand, saying, “Maybe we should head out?”
Charlene didn’t want to spoil Nadine and Carl’s New Year’s celebration. She shook her head, replying, “I’m fine.”
Her sour mood wasn’t because she still had feelings for Henley.
It was just that seeing Maureen and Henley brought back memories of her mother, especially on a night like
this.
Why did they get to be a happy family of three, when her mother-
Oh wait, make that a family of four.
Vesta was likely off on a date with Thorne.
Yes, they were living their best lives, a picture of happiness.
It was laughable how they seemed to be thriving while they had made her mother’s life so miserable.
Nadine held Charlene’s hand tightly, saying nothing.
She had always known, even as a child, that their family was different from others.
For them, holidays were often the hardest times.
Visiting the nursing home to see her aunt brought pain, but not visiting was painful too.
Each visit dragged the past into sharp focus, making it impossible to escape the memories. Letting go was painful, but holding on was equally so.
The Ross family had been getting by, not great but not terrible either.
And then that woman’s daughter reappeared after years, stole her cousin-in-law, and now the whole family had moved to Starfall, adding insult to injury-
Noticing the tension in Charlene and Nadine’s expressions, Carl excused himself from his friends and returned to them.
He didn’t quite understand what was going on and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Charlene was about to speak, but Nadine glanced over to where Henley was standing and said, “The person talking with Granger over there belongs to the Hawkins family.” Carl immediately caught on, his lips pressing into a thin line.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the room, Granger and Henley had just about finished their polite small talk.
As Granger turned around, he noticed that the spot where Charlene and her friends had been standing was now empty.