When Silas and Lisa saw , their expressions shifted from surprise to delight..
Upon spotting Jones behind , their smiles took on a complex nuance.
"Eliana, you...." Lisa moved forward, grasping my hand with her usual tender affection, "you’re here too?"
"Yeah, I’ve settled down here." I was surprised that Damon hadn’t told Silas and Lisa that we then lived in the sa city.
"He ntioned you and Jones were together, and you had two kids. But he didn’t say you were here. That’s wonderful. It’s been too long since we’ve seen you." Lisa’s joy was genuine, and her eyes radiated warmth.
That warmth was my motivation to intervene. Knowing that I was with Jones and had kids, and she was still happy for , I couldn’t just stand by.
I had never denied that Silas and Lisa had always been good to . They were truly wonderful in- laws.
"I moved here with my parents, and Jones found work here," I answered briefly before glancing at the man on the ground. "Lisa, you can’t compensate him. He wasn’t injured. You didn’t hit him.""
"What are you talking about?" The man beca agitated. "I was nearly run over. Don’t interfere with sothing that’s none of your business!"
I pulled out my phone and showed a video I had taken for Serena and Brandon. It had captured the accident from a corner. The car hadn’t even touched the man. He had simply fallen to the ground on his own.
After I showed him the slowed-down footage, he fell silent. He sprang up from the ground, shot us a glare, and walked away.
Silas and Lisa exhaled in relief and thanked . "Eliana, we really owe you one. We don’t have the energy to deal with con n like him. We’d have had to fork over money."
"Don’t ntion it. Weren’t you on your way sowhere? You should get going!" I replied, my smile neither warm nor cold.
"We were going to..." Lisa began but hesitated. She saw the stroller Jones was pushing and moved closer, peering at the two little ones inside. She froze.
I knew she must have been shocked by Brandon’s resemblance to Damon.
My heart clenched as Jones spoke up. "They’re twins. Our daughter is Serena, and our son is Brandon.""
"Oh... is that so?" Lisa seed a bit slow to react. Silas also ca over and was similarly taken aback.
"This little guy looks..." Silas couldn’t stop himself from pointing at Brandon.
"Looks like Damon, right?" Jones was calm. He laughed and bent down to play with Brandon. "I was surprised myself. Even doubted it. We got a paternity test just to be sure."
The words "paternity test" caused Silas and Lisa’s expressions to change.
Their shock and suspicion turned into disappointnt and resignation.
Lisa reached into her bag and pulled out a thick wad of cash, placing it in the stroller. "Eliana, we’ve always thought of you as a daughter. So we are your children’s grandparents. This is a little sothing for their first eting. You can bring them to Springvale, to our place, anyti. Stay as long as you like."
Her words left a bitter taste in my mouth. The love and tenderness in Lisa’s eyes when looking at Serena and Brandon were as genuine as my mother’s. She was Serena and Brandon’s biological grandmother. She would have been overjoyed if she knew the children were part of the Coleman family.
But I couldn’t tell her. There was no possibility left for and Damon. I couldn’t fight with them over the children.
"Thank you," I managed a smile. "Serena, Brandon, say thank you to your grandparents."
Serena and Brandon seed to sense Silas and Lisa’s emotions, breaking into an adorable smile. What a coincidence.
Lisa was delighted. She handed her bag to Silas. "I want to hold them. They’re too cute. How can they be this cute?"
She picked up Serena, looking at her from every angle, unable to take her eyes off her. Her love and affection were obvious.
Then she picked up Brandon. His resemblance to Damon added a touch of regret to her gaze. Finally, she kissed Brandon’s cheek and put him back in the stroller.
"Do you want to hold them?" Lisa asked Silas.
Silas had been watching the twins all that ti. His eyes were warm and loving..
But n tend to restrain themselves more.
He shook his head and said, "No need. Let’s not delay Eliana any longer."
"All right. Eliana, we might be staying here for a while. Could I co to visit you and the kids? Or maybe we could have lunch, and do so shopping together?" Lisa asked.
"Sure, that’s fine." I didn’t have the heart to refuse Lisa. Her affection for went beyond typical mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relations.
Seeing my agreent, Lisa looked thrilled. "Great, what’s your number? Let have it."
I had changed my number and didn’t tell Lisa, so we hadn’t been in contact for a while. Since she then asked, I gave it to her.
After exchanging numbers, Silas and Lisa left. Jones and I continued our walk with the kids, planning to head ho.
I sensed Jones’s mood had dropped sowhat. Glancing at him, I saw him pushing the stroller, his head slightly bowed, his face expressionless, lost in thought.
"Is everything all right? Were you taken aback by seeing them?" I asked.
"Hmm, they’re good to you, and they’re great with the kids too." Jones glanced at , a slight smile on his lips. "If Damon had ssed up that badly in the past, would you give him another shot for the sake of his parents?"
I knew Jones was worried. He was worried that with the arrival of Silas and Lisa, I might have gotten entangled with Damon again.
His concern wasn’t unwarranted, but I knew my own heart. I wouldn’t have given anyone another chance to hurt .
Because in this world, there are no what-ifs.
Jones paused, then nodded, dispelling the hint of worry on his face. "All right, we won’t bring up the past. We’ll only focus on what’s ahead."
I responded with a simple "Hmm," and took the stroller from his hands. "Let push for a while. It’s almost ti to get dinner on the table."
"Let’s not dredge up the past," I simply replied.
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