Chapter221
Menu
Years later, Vivian was as stunning and haughty as Ashley remembered. Therefore, her lecture, unlike the typical honeyed words of a stepmother, felt genuine, and surprisingly persuasive. Someone as haughty as Vivian wouldn’t bother with petty conflicts with a stepdaughter; any friction would be the stepdaughter’s fault.
Vivian asserted that her relationship with Ashley’s mother and Yonnie didn’t affect Yonnie and Grandma Lin’s feelings for Ashley.
Children crave parental love, especially after a divorce. Ashley, only eight or nine at the time, ved both parents and couldn’t bear to choose. But she leaned towards her mother, pitying her plight. During the custody battle, even with Steve’s mental instability, Ashley, ignoring Yonnie and Grandma Lin’s pleas, chose to stay with her mother.
Even then, she still cared about Yonnie and Grandma Lin. But to avoid upsetting Steve, she didn’t show it.
Over a year after the divorce, Grandma Lin, visiting the capital, secretly contacted Ashley, wanting to see her. Ashley, missing her grandmother, secretly met her, unaware that Tanya would also be there. Grandma Lin insisted they were sisters and should get along. Ashley refused, and Grandma Lin’s reproachful gaze, accusing her of being just like her mother, made her question if she was a selfish child.
