It was already late at night when Mr. Gladstone finally returned to the mansion.
The moment he stepped into the bedroom, he loosened his tie tiredly.
The room was dimly lit. Mrs. Gladstone was sitting quietly on the sofa near the window. Her eyes were red, and a cup of tea beside her had already gone cold.
Mr. Gladstone paused.
In all their years of marriage, his wife rarely cried.
"What happened?" he asked softly.
Mrs. Gladstone looked up at him. The moment she saw her husband, the tears she had been holding back all evening suddenly fell again.
Mr. Gladstone sighed quietly and walked over.
"What did Loretta do this time?" he asked helplessly as he sat beside her.
Mrs. Gladstone had called him earlier to inform him that Kevin had brought Loretta back. She complained that Loretta had grown wings and would not listen to her anymore.
Mrs. Gladstone lowered her head and slowly narrated everything that had happened that day.
From Isabella's outburst downstairs...
To the argument in the bedroom...
To the words that had hurt her the most.
Mr. Gladstone listened quietly the entire time.
When he heard Isabella say, "After all, I am not your biological daughter," even he became stunned.
For years, everyone in the family could see how much his wife favored Isabella.
Sometimes even he felt she had gone too far.
Yet Isabella still said such words.
Mrs. Gladstone wiped her tears bitterly.
"Did I really treat her badly?" she asked quietly. "Why would she think of me that way?"
Mr. Gladstone looked at his wife for a long moment before gently patting her hand.
"You spoiled her too much," he said honestly.
This was the first time in over twenty years of marriage that his wife had complained about Isabella.
His wife had gone to great lengths to cover up Isabella's mistakes, yet she still dared to say such hurtful words.
Mrs. Gladstone gave a weak laugh.
"Have I? People say it is difficult to be a stepmother, but I thought that as long as I showed sincerity, she would learn to accept me as a second mother, yet..." Mrs. Gladstone left her words hanging, and the room became quiet for a while.
Mr. Gladstone leaned back against the sofa tiredly.
He had never even put effort into being Loretta's father, yet she had never said such hurtful words to him.
He could only imagine how heartbroken his wife must feel.
To be honest, he also did not think this marriage was a good thing.
The Goodman family was too powerful.
And Kevin Goodman...
That man was too cold.
Moreover, Isabella had almost killed him with her car. He would naturally not have any favorable feelings toward her.
His best bodyguard was still on life support in the hospital. If not for his timely rescue, the one lying unconscious would have been Kevin.
As for the expensive gifts and public attention, they looked glamorous, but Mr. Gladstone did not believe that meant Kevin truly cared about the person who had almost killed him.
If he really valued her, would he have sent her back to the Gladstone Residence?
Would he not have kept her by his side instead?
In Mr. Gladstone's eyes, those gifts were more like a display for outsiders to see.
A way to show the importance of the Goodman family's future bride.
Nothing more.
After all, no matter how beautiful the cage looked, it was still a cage.
Mrs. Gladstone suddenly spoke again.
"Do you think we made the wrong choice?" she asked quietly.
Mr. Gladstone looked at his wife.
For the first time that night, he saw fear and confusion in her eyes.
"There was never a good choice from the beginning," he said honestly. "Do not take Isabella's words to heart. She is childish. Even the blind can see how good you are to her," he comforted.
The room became silent again.
Mrs. Gladstone nodded, but tears still rolled down her face. She could not help but wonder if Isabella had seen all her efforts over the years as nothing but an act.
Seeing his wife in tears, Mr. Gladstone gently pulled her closer.
"Enough," he said softly, wiping away her tears. "Do not cry anymore. At our age, crying this much is bad for your health."
Mrs. Gladstone leaned against him quietly. She felt relieved that her husband could see things clearly.
....
The next morning, when Loretta came downstairs for breakfast, she saw Mr. and Mrs. Gladstone already seated. Benjamin was also at the table.
"Good morning," she said as she took her seat. She did not care whether they answered her or not.
"What kind of attitude is that?" Mrs. Gladstone asked, looking at her daughter with disapproval.
Loretta did not answer. She simply continued serving herself tea as though she was not the one being spoken to.
"You..." Mrs. Gladstone wanted to continue, but her husband stopped her.
"Let us eat," he said. He felt there was no need to start the day with trouble.
Mrs. Gladstone nodded and picked up her cup to take a sip of tea.
"Where is Isabella?" Benjamin asked.
"We called her, but the young lady said she is skipping breakfast," a maid answered.
Benjamin was shocked. "Why? Is my sister sick?" he asked. After all, his sister never skipped meals.
"No," the maid shook her head.
Benjamin turned to his mother.
"Take some breakfast upstairs. She cannot keep skipping meals," Mrs. Gladstone instructed. No matter how hurt she still felt, she could not simply ignore Isabella.
"Yes, ma'am."
The maid was about to leave when Mr. Gladstone stopped her.
"Since she wants to skip meals, no one is to send her food," he said. He was already old enough to recognize that Isabella was using hunger to pressure them.
Everyone was shocked.
"Honey, Isabella is only a child," Mrs. Gladstone spoke up for her.
Loretta, who continued eating quietly, suddenly felt like the food had lost all flavor.
She never thought there could be a mother so unfair.
Mrs. Gladstone did not care about the life and death of her biological daughter, yet she worried that her stepdaughter would go hungry. This should not hurt anymore, but it still did.
Loretta forced the food down her throat and remained quiet.
Mr. Gladstone turned to his wife.
"I know you mean well, but you have spoiled her too much. Now she does not even care about the family."
"But she needs to eat," Mrs. Gladstone argue.
Although deep down she was happy that her husband could see things clearly.
"What is going on?" Benjamin, who was still in the dark, asked.
"Your sister is just acting spoiled," Mr. Gladstone said, feeling somewhat embarrassed by Isabella's behavior.
First, she threw a tantrum about not wanting to marry Kevin.
Now she was throwing another tantrum because she wanted the marriage back.
Even if their family was willing to indulge her, Kevin would never accept it.
The truth about the switched bride must never be spoken of.