Chapter 183: Chapter 183: You Want Me to Be Happy Too, Right?
Jade Coleman spoke as her eyes reddened, "You might not know, but my relationship with your dad has been bad since last year. We only waited until now to divorce to avoid affecting your college entrance exams. My whole life has been for you, yet you don’t have any idea about your mother’s feelings?"
Ariana Grant looked at Jade Coleman’s red eyes, feeling a heavy lump in her heart, deeply uncomfortable.
"Alright, don’t say any more..." Ariana couldn’t be harsh after all, softening her tone, "Pretend I didn’t say those things a moment ago."
As children, very few can truly let go of their parents.
If they can, it’s because they’re not close in the first place.
But before her parents divorced, she was always close to her mom.
That’s why she felt so hurt after the incident with the Hayes Family.
Without love, where does hatred come from?
But now, seeing Jade looking like she’s about to cry, her hatred suddenly faded.
Oh well, as long as her mom treats her like before, she could let bygones be bygones.
There’s no grudge that lasts overnight between father and son, even less between mother and daughter.
"Let’s eat. Didn’t you say you wanted to serve me some food?" Ariana said.
"Oh, oh yes." Jade nodded repeatedly, wiped her teary eyes, and walked to the kitchen while crying and laughing.
Ariana felt even worse, her throat stung.
Maybe she shouldn’t have treated Jade this way.
At least before the divorce, Jade never let her down.
Ariana picked up her chopsticks, instinctively reaching out to grab the spicy stew, and suddenly remembered Ashley Shaw.
Oh no! She forgot Ashley!
Ariana quickly put down the chopsticks, fished out her phone from her pocket, and sent a message to Ashley Shaw.
[Ash darling, my mom is acting normal today and made a table full of dishes. Come up and eat.]
Ashley Shaw’s response came quickly.
[Are you two okay?]
Ariana: [We’re okay, we’re okay. We talked for a while and sorted things out.]
Ashley Shaw: [That’s good. I happen to have some stuff to do, so I won’t come over, and I’m really full from eating at the sushi place. You two have a good chat.]
Ariana: [Huh? What’s up? Do you need me with you?]
Ashley Shaw: [No need, I’ll be back soon.]
Ariana: [Alright, I’ll save you some food, and we’ll eat together tonight. My mom’s cooking skills are top-notch, and she’s a match for you!]
Ashley Shaw: [Looking at your weight, I can tell Auntie’s cooking skills aren’t bad.]
Ariana sent an emoji of a little person holding a giant sword.
Ashley Shaw did not reply again.
She rubbed her sore legs standing up, slowly moved her feet and quietly walked downstairs.
She really didn’t have anything to do, nor did she have anywhere to go.
But since Ariana and her mom have reconciled, she decided not to disturb them, leaving them time and space for the two of them.
There’s such a thing as a third wheel between couples, and it exists between mother and daughter too.
She just wondered how Jade suddenly understood.
Ariana herself said her mom, once she has decided on something, won’t budge, and it’s the same with a person.
Kevin Hayes and Hailey Hayes are still locked up inside, does Jade really not care at all?
Thinking of this, Ashley paused on the stairs.
She thought she might as well sit on the stairs again.
After all, she had nowhere to go, so she’d stay here until Jade left.
If Jade didn’t leave in two hours, she’d get a hotel for the night, giving Ariana and her mom the night to themselves.
...
Inside the house.
Just as Ariana sent the emoji, Jade brought out the food.
She inadvertently glanced at Ariana’s phone screen and asked, "Chatting with Ashley?"
"Yeah." Ariana now had no defenses against Jade, nodded, and replied, "I asked her to come and eat with us, but she said she had stuff to do and couldn’t make it."
"Oh..."
Jade nodded, something flashed in her eyes but was quickly hidden, showing a smile again.
"It’s only right to prioritize engagements. After she’s done, I can cook for you both next time."
Saying that, Jade pointed at the spicy stew.
"You used to love eating this most, didn’t you? Hurry up and eat."
"I don’t eat it anymore; it’s best to eat less of it."
"Why?"
"My digestive system isn’t good; you know that, right?"
Jade asked in surprise, "Your digestive system hasn’t improved yet? You were drinking herbal medicine to regulate it before the college entrance exams."
Ariana frowned, "Digestive regulation doesn’t happen so fast; even Western medicine requires three or four months at least."
"I’ve already cooked it, can’t waste it. Just don’t drink the broth, eat some tripe and duck blood, these things aren’t cheap!"
Ariana watched Jade continually adding tripe soaked in spicy broth to her bowl, feeling a twinge of displeasure.
Because she knew if Ashley were here, she definitely wouldn’t allow her to eat the spicy stew.
Even when eating hotpot, Ashley only allowed her to have the healthy mushroom soup base, let alone such a spicy dish like this?
But her biological mom?
Doesn’t matter if the daughter’s stomach can handle it, just can’t waste the dish.
Ariana furrowed her brow, "Stop adding, do you want me to waste over a month of medication?"
"You’re getting more and more stubborn as you grow. Used to ask you to eat less, you didn’t want to, now offer more, you still don’t want to. If you weren’t my real daughter, I wouldn’t bother with you!"
Hearing "real daughter," Ariana sucked back her annoyance.
Yet she still didn’t touch the spicy stew, taking a new bowl to eat other dishes.
She mostly picked the light dishes, even restrained herself from eating more braised pork.
Seeing this, Jade asked, "What are you doing? Trying to lose weight? Found someone you like?"
Ariana certainly wouldn’t discuss matters of the heart with seniors.
She’d just graduated, still transitioning from being a high schooler.
Talking about these things with adults always felt somehow wrong.
So Ariana replied without even looking up, "No one I like. Didn’t I say? My stomach isn’t well yet, can’t eat overly greasy or spicy foods."
"Oh..."
Jade drew out the sound, her chopsticks poking at the white rice a few times, suddenly said, "Ariana, do you still wish your parents wouldn’t divorce?"
Ariana paused mid-bite, saying, "No, since you couldn’t get along long ago and only stayed because of my exams, now that they’re over, if you can’t get along, why force it?"
"Then do you...think that even if mom divorces, she should remain single forever, not start another family?"
Ariana furrowed her brow, "You’re overthinking it, why would I think that? You are both single now since you’re divorced. So whether it’s you or dad, if you find someone you like, be with them."
"So you really want mom to be happy?"
"Of course."
At this point, Ariana suddenly felt something was off.