Chapter 33
Evelyn's eyes widened slightly in surprise at the unexpected information before she quickly composed herself
"I'm sure it doesn') matter to them whether or not you were adopted. You're their real son and all they see when
they look at you is their son," Evelyn tried in reassure hien,
"No. I'm not their real son," he insisted and Evelyn looked at him with a confused frown as she waited for him to
explain himself since he seemed like he had something else to say.
Knowing he was not going to be able to eat anymore, Derek packed what was left of his lunch and pushed it
aside while Evelyn waited patiently,
"After they adopted| went hto an already prepared room. There were toys, clothes, and everything a
boy of my age and size should have, waiting for me. Even sbooks and awards in the name, of Derek Stone,"
he said and Evelyn's eyes widened again as realization dawned on her but she shook her head not wanting to
believe it was what she was thinking.
"| was too young at the tto understand what was going on. When they cand said my nwas going to
be Derek Stone henceforth, | accepted it happily Living there was far better than being at the orphanage after
all," he said and Evelyn's heart ached for him as she listened to
him
1 was made to learn every single thing on those awards. The awards and certificates were not originally mine,
but | earned them all by working hard. | becDerek Stone in every sense of the word. | becthe son they
lost, Derek said, confirming her suspicion.
"Oh, Derek," she whispered.
Looking into his eyes. Evelyn could feel the pain and vulnerability that was evident in his voice, and her hands
itched to reach across the table and touch his in comfort.
Now she understood what she meant when he said he wondered if he was the one his parents saw when they
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtlooked at him.
"When | was in high school | was searching for something and | saw a picture of a litle boy. The original Derek
Stone. It was then that | realized the reason | was adopted. We had similar features. The sbrown hair and
blue eyes. The closest they could get to their son," Derek said and this tshe reached across the table and
squeezed his hand
"Tim so sorry," she murmured.
"Don't be." Derek said with a wry smile as he looked down at their hands. "Tim glad they adopted me. | mean,
who knows how my life would have turned out had they not! They've shownnothing but love even though
sometimes | think all they see when they look atis their son and not me. | feel like I'm not living for myself. |
feel like I'm living for them. Or perhaps their son is living through me," Derek said with a sigh.
"Did you ever ask them?" She asked, and he nodded.
"At first | tried to keep it away from them, but my Mother could tell something was wrong, so she asked until |
opened up. It was after that tthat | stopped joining the family for interviews. | was willing to be their son, but
| didn't want to stand in front of any more cameras pretending to be who | was not." Derek said and Evelyn
finally understood why he refused to grant interviews.
"That was why you wantedto spend tgetting to know you for who you really are," she said, and Derek
nodded.
"Yeah. That and the other reasons," he said, and Evelyn sighed deeply.
"What about your biological parents? Have you ever tried to find them?" she asked and he shook his head.
"There was no need to. My parents said they were told my biological parents died in an accident hence | ended
up at the orphanage, he explained.
"Do you remember them? How old were you when you were adopted?" she asked and he shook his head.
"I was seven. | don't remember anything from before | ended up at the orphanage," he said and Evelyn sighed
deeply as she tried to let go of his hand, but he held on to her hand.
her heart fluttered.
"You should know that you're the first person I'm talking to about this. The only person I'm going to tell this to,"
Derek said holding her gaze, and
"Why did you tellthis?" she asked and he shrugged
I'm sure you know why," he said as he let go of her hand.
Evelyn placed her hands on her thigh and clasped them together as she looked at him. She realized now that
there was more depth she thought. She felt sorry for him and at the stime, she respected him.
nth to the
mam than
"Why did you agree to the interview? You don't have to do it if you..."
"I'm putting my trust in you, Eve, | need you to do a good job. | expect the interview to be about me. The real
me." he said, cutting her off,
Chapter 33
Evelyn feh a lump in her throat as she
q " q 2
gave him a nod. "| promisegive:
this yess. Terk for trusting
g on 3 3
Derek a genuine smile for once. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
Derek smiled back. "It wasn't so hard, was it?" He asked and she raised a brow.
"What" She asked in confusion.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm"Dropping the honorific and callingDerek like you did earlier," he said, and she felt a blush creep up her face.
|
Please, don't go back to the whole Mr
: | Fn [1
Stone thing. It's Sr uy Rfeasied)
piped Gih m hesitantly for a
oment before giving him a nod. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!
Her new knowledge about his
background had sort of changed the
way she looked at Nrandshe!
belieyedNHat by sharing his story
with her, they ad crossed ssort
3 q f
of line and maybe it wouldn't hurt to
be a little more friendly with him. The
content is on novelenglish.net! Read
the latest chapter there!