NovelEnglishChapter 399 The Foster Family The sewing room was shrouded in gloom, heavy curtains shutting out every ray of sunlight. The air inside was thick with a suffocating silence, as if the room itself had given up breathing.
Sean slumped in a chair by the window, his figure gaunt and drawn. His pajamas -once crisp and elegant, always a mark of his refined taste-now hung limply from his thin frame, wrinkled and unkempt.
His eyes were hollow, staring at nothing, as if his soul had quietly slipped away, leaving only an empty shell in its place.
In his hands he clutched a piece of embroidery, *Radiant Beauty*. His long fingers traced the delicate threads again and again, moving with a gentle, absentminded tenderness. It was as if he was searching for a lingering trace of Claire's warmth in the fabric, desperate to hold on to what was lost.
The door creaked softly open. Grace stood on the threshold.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtThe moment she saw Sean-so pale, so haggard her eyes filled with tears.
Her voice trembled with worry and affection as she called quietly, "Master Sean, please cdownstairs for sdinner." But Sean didn't even seem to hear her. He gave no sign that her words had registered.
Grace's heart twisted with anxiety. She opened her mouth, wanting to offer comfort, but her throat felt blocked. A thousand words swirled on her tongue and died there, dissolving into a helpless sigh.
Shaking her head, she turned away, her footsteps heavy with sorrow.
As soon as she stepped into the hallway, she nearly bumped into Mrs. Foster.
The old matriarch, usually so upright and dignified, now moved with a slight stoop. Her eyes were ringed with exhaustion, and it seemed as if she had aged ten years in a single month.
Grace hurried to her, voice urgent. "Ma'am, please will you try talking to Master Sean? He's been like this for over a month now. If he's not drinking, he's sitting here, just staring at Claire's embroidery all day long. I'm worried his body won't hold out much longer." At the mention of Claire, Grace couldn't hold back her tears any longer. They spilled over, her words breaking. Claire was such a good girl-how could she be gone so suddenly? God is so unfair.
Mrs. Foster's eyes filled with tears as well.
Ever since the news of Claire's passing, it felt as if someone had ripped her heart in two. She'd fainted more than once. For over a month now, she couldn't eat, couldn't sleep. Every quiet night brought back memories of Claire's sweet smile, her gentle, thoughtful ways, and each memory made her chest ache as if it might burst.
The pain had only just begun to dull in recent days.
But the dead could not return. The living had to go on.
Mrs. Foster stepped to the doorway of the sewing room, peering inside with a heavy sigh. "Sean..." The silence inside was absolute. Sean didn't move, didn't reply.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"I know how much you miss Claire. Do you think I don't miss her, too? But she's gone, Sean. She wouldn't want to see you like this. You have to find the strength to carry on, for her sake." There was no answer. No matter what she said, Sean remained motionless, lost in his own world.
A wave of helplessness washed over Mrs. Foster, and her knees nearly buckled beneath her. Grace rushed to steady her.
Looking at her grandson-so defeated, so broken-Mrs. Foster could only marvel at the cruelty of fate.
Sean had always been indifferent to
women. Nearly thirty, he'd never so much as shown interest in romance, Ders and at times Mrs. Foster had even wondered if perhaps he preferred men. Then, finally, a good woman had entered his life-and now, she was gone, taken far too soon. With his temperament, Mrs. Foster feared he might never let another woman into his heart.
It wasn't that she was obsessed with the idea of marriage for him; shen that might could accept that he might spend his life alone. But the Foster family had a legacy to uphold, and it couldn't end with Sean. There had to be an heir.
ram She let out a long, weary sigh. "Sean, I don't mean to pressure you. But the Foster family has endured for a century we can't let it end with you. I just want you to have a child, that's all. Boy or girl, it doesn't matter. If you givea grandchild, promise I'll never ask you to marry, no matter what you choose. Is that too much to ask?"
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