"Chris, you..." Lena asked him in a murmur, "What are you saying?"
Chris' heart clenched, but his words could not be taken back. He did not regret revealing the truth—he was just
afraid of seeing the disappointment in Lena's eyes.
That look was as if her unwavering beliefs had collapsed, and the light she had always trusted had suddenly gone
out. She had thought she was not alone in this world, but it was all a joke now.
"Lenny..." Chris licked his dry lips. "I'm sorry, I..."
Under Lena's gaze, he could not even say a complete sentence.
Lena's ears were buzzing. When Renee had exposed her as Nicholas' illegitimate daughter earlier, she had been
angry and afraid—angry that Renee had revealed her secret and afraid that she would lose Lina and Nicholas.
Now, Chris was saying that she was not from the Thompsons.
She felt hopeless. It was like stepping into an abyss. There was nothing left in her world to support her.
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed.
"Lenny!" Chris panicked and reached out to catch her.
Lena went limp as she curled up in his arms as if she had been drained of all her strength. Her eyes lost focus, and
she closed them weakly with a flutter of eyelids.
-
Lena felt like she was walking on an endless road. She was all alone on this journey, facing venomous creatures and
wild beasts, sharp stones cutting her feet, scorching sun and freezing cold. Everything she encountered, she faced
alone.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe thought her heart had become hardened and could withstand anything, but when she saw their faces one by
one—Lina, Chris, Nicholas, Linda, Cordelia, Zephyr, Zuko, and Toph... her heart softened.
She rushed toward them eagerly, but these people instantly disappeared when she got close.
Lena shouted, waving her arms, tears streaming down her face.
Lina stayed by her side, wiping the sweat from her forehead, and looked worriedly at the doctor. "How long will it
take for her to wake up?"
"The reason she fainted suddenly might be due to excessive mental stress," the doctor said. "Let her rest, and she
will recover soon."
Zuko's hand rested on Lina's shoulder, gently squeezing it.
"It'll be okay," he said softly. "Lena is a strong person. She will get through this." Chris sat on the side, watching
Lena's pale face with an aching heart. She only wanted a family...
He covered his face and took a deep breath. He could give her that family, but the family he could provide was
different from the one she wanted. -
As the doctor had said, Lena recovered quickly. However, it seemed like her consciousness was still stuck on the
day her true identity was revealed. She became less talkative and less inclined to smile. She had always been quiet,
to begin with, so now she was even more withdrawn.
Most of the day, she sat quietly in a corner by the window, staring outside without really seeing anything.
She still responded to Chris' careful care, but the feeling of it had changed. She continued to cook and make soup in
the kitchen, still serving him food, but her movements were mechanical as if someone had programmed her to do
these things.
When Chris suggested getting everyone together, she did not say anything, but her eyes showed her refusal.
Lena did not know how to face Lina anymore.
One night, she hid in her room and quietly burned her diary. It seemed that she had been deluding herself. How
could she deserve to be a daughter of the Thompsons?
After a few days, she packed a simple bag and left Centrolis on a moonlit night.
She left behind a short message, saying she had gone to teach in a mountainous area and that her return date was
uncertain.
When Lina saw the letter, she cried and leaned against Zuko's shoulder.
On the other hand, Chris remained calmer than anyone else.
Lena's choice was within his expectations. He understood her. She was slow to warm up and not easily adaptable to
sudden changes.
Lina sent messages to Lena almost every day, but Lena did not reply.
"Why is she ignoring me?!" Lina lamented, her eyes red from frustration. "She was never like this before... She
always considered me her elder sister, and I always thought of her as my younger sister, blood or not!"
Zuko did not know how to comfort her and took her to Chris' house.
Chris' response was that Lena had never texted or called him either.
"But I know she isn't really abandoning us." He smiled confidently.
It was actually very easy for him to find Lena based on his abilities, but he did not track her down. He knew her. She
wanted to be alone, to find some peace. She just needed some time to heal.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
He would let her heal alone. Some people always needed companionship, while others were better off alone. What
he needed to do was respect all of her choices.
If he loved her, he should not disturb her.
"Pammy, don't worry," Chris said with a gentle smile. "Lenny still has us in her heart. She just doesn't know how to
express it. Give her some time, and she'll come back."
Despite that, Lena was still biased toward Chris.
Every day, he would receive a silent call.
The call had no caller ID or displayed location and came every day at exactly 4:00 p.m. Once answered, there
would be no voice on the other end, but Chris could hear faint breathing. He could feel her presence even though
they were thousands of kilometers apart.
He knew it was her.
The first time he received the call, he answered with a racing heart and cautiously asked, "Lenny, is that you?"
There was no response.
"Lenny, don't hang up!" Chris' voice was slightly hoarse. He had so much he wanted to say, but he did not know
where to start.
"Lenny, I... I miss you."
The other end remained silent, but there was a slight sound like a finger tapping the microphone.
Chris teared up, and he smiled with relief.
Later, he would receive Lena's silent calls every day.
She would not hang up and listen to him recount his day, just like how she used to write in her diary. She had written
the diary to talk to her mother, but she no longer had it. Instead, Chris became her storyteller.