Read Novel Full Chapter 757: Burden
Chapter 757: Chapter 757: Burden
Unable to control herself any longer, she collapsed onto the sofa and burst into tears.
Surprisingly… Eric didn’t comfort her immediately.
Instead, he quietly nodded. “I understand.”
His calm response caught Gwen completely off guard. “From your perspective, perhaps she does deserve to die.”
The moment those words reached her ears, Gwen suddenly froze. Her tears slowly stopped. ‘Deserve to die? What… what did I just say?’
Even she couldn’t believe the words that had escaped her mouth in anger. Eric carefully observed the subtle change in her expression.
Then he continued speaking. “So what if she took one man away from you?”
His voice remained perfectly calm. “There are billions of men in this world. Was Felix really the only one?”
Gwen immediately clenched her fists. “There may be countless men but Felix was different.”
Her voice became hoarse. “He was my first love.”
She lowered her head. “Do you have any idea, how much I loved him?”
Eric chuckled softly. “Did you really love him?”
His question stunned her.
“Or…” He leaned forward slightly. “…did you simply love the version of him who constantly chased after you?”
Silence filled the room. Eric continued.
“When you met him again, did you honestly feel that you couldn’t live without him?”
Gwen subconsciously lowered her gaze. She carefully recalled the moment she reunited with Felix.
The first thing she had imagined wasn’t building a family together.
Instead, she imagined living comfortably inside the Silvy Base.
The realization made her heart tremble. Eric quietly watched every subtle change in her expression.
Then he asked another question. “Tell me honestly. Are you upset because Annie became Felix’s girlfriend?”
He paused deliberately. “Or are you upset because Annie is living the life that you could’ve had?”
His words pierced straight through her heart. For several long seconds, Gwen couldn’t answer.
Because deep inside, she already knew the truth. She wasn’t simply jealous of Annie. She envied her.
She hated watching another woman live the future that she herself had thrown away because of her own arrogance.
Seeing her silence, Eric gently continued.
“You probably don’t know this. When Felix first met Annie, he had absolutely no romantic feelings for her. They only became close after spending a long time together. Only then did he gradually fall in love.”
Gwen immediately looked away. “So what?”
Her voice sounded unusually weak. “That has nothing to do with me.”
Eric slowly nodded.
“You’re right. It doesn’t. But understand something. Even if you had accepted Felix’s confession back then, there’s no guarantee you would’ve become his wife. You might’ve only become his girlfriend.”
Gwen instantly stood up. “What kind of psychiatrist are you?”
Her voice echoed angrily throughout the room. “How can you possibly say something like that to a patient?”
Eric remained completely calm. He looked directly into her eyes. “Are you truly a patient?”
Those simple words caused Gwen’s entire body to tremble.
For the first time, she felt as though someone had completely seen through her disguise.
Eric slowly stood up. “I’ve seen enough for today.”
He looked toward Eddie. “I’ll come back later.”
After leaving the room, Eddie immediately followed him. “What happened?”
His face was filled with worry. “Does she have some kind of psychological trauma?”
Eric quietly shook his head.
“The reality…” He sighed softly. “…is far more complicated.”
He didn’t expose Gwen’s secret. Instead, he chose his words carefully.
“She’s consumed by hatred. More importantly she’s using her current condition to seek attention.”
Eric remembered how, if he hadn’t intervened, Gwen would’ve continued asking her father to call Felix over again and again.
She acted aggressively. She cried. She threatened suicide.
However, deep inside, she simply refused to admit defeat. Taking a deep breath, Eric finally left.
Meanwhile, inside the house, Gwen sat frozen on the sofa.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably. She had never expected someone to see through her so easily.
What frightened her even more was the possibility that Eric would reveal everything to her father.
Fortunately, he didn’t. Only then did she secretly let out a sigh of relief.
During the following week, Eric continued visiting the house.
This time, Gwen deliberately cooperated.
She answered his questions. She stopped throwing tantrums. She even pretended to show steady signs of improvement.
Gradually, Eddie finally relaxed. Seeing that everything appeared stable, Eric eventually announced,
“I’ll be visiting Annie tomorrow.”
The moment Gwen heard that, her expression changed. Before she could create another scene, Eric looked at her seriously.
“Gwen.”
His voice became firm. “If you create another incident, I’ll have no choice but to tell your father the truth.”
Those words immediately silenced her.
She simply lowered her head without saying another word.
The following day, Eddie arrived outside Annie’s residence.
As he stepped through the front gate, he noticed Annie chatting happily with her younger adoptive brother while the two of them walked toward the entrance together.
Beside them stood Felix, who was talking with Annie. His eyes were filled with tenderness.
He quietly followed behind them when an odd sensation suddenly crept over him, making him feel as though someone was standing right behind them.
A chill ran down his spine, and he instinctively turned around. The moment he saw Eddie, his entire face lit up with joy.
“Mr. Uncle Eddie! What are you doing here?” Felix exclaimed excitedly as he rushed toward him.
When Annie turned around and saw Eddie, she froze in place.
Even though she and Eddie did not share any obvious resemblance, she could not explain the strange familiarity that washed over her the instant their eyes met.
It was the same indescribable feeling she always experienced whenever she stood beside Gwen. It felt as though an invisible thread connected all three of them.
‘So… this is him…’
In that instant, Annie finally understood. This uncle was undoubtedly her biological father.
For a brief moment, her mind went completely blank. She had imagined this meeting countless times, yet now that it was actually happening, she had absolutely no idea how she was supposed to behave.
Her younger adoptive brother immediately understood her hesitation. Without giving her time to think, he gently pushed her toward Eddie.
“Go,” he encouraged with a bright smile. “Go meet him.”
Annie frowned before shooting him an annoyed glare, but before she could react further, Eddie rushed forward and tightly embraced her.
“Finally… finally I’ve found my daughter,” Eddie choked out as his entire body trembled violently. “It has been so many years… I almost believed you had died.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, he completely broke down, his sobs echoing through the quiet surroundings.
This was the very first time Felix and Gwen had ever seen Eddie cry.
Throughout more than half of his life, Eddie had always been an incredibly stern man.
Most of the time, he either scolded others or carried an expression that made it seem as though the entire world owed him something.
No one had ever imagined seeing such an iron-hearted man lose control of his emotions like this.
Annie stood there awkwardly. She slowly lifted her trembling hand and gently patted his back.
“It’s all right… everything is all right now,” she whispered softly.
Hearing those comforting words only made Eddie cry even harder.
“Annie…” he choked, struggling to breathe between sobs. “If only I had found you earlier… if only I had been there… you wouldn’t have suffered through such a terrible childhood.”
As he spoke, he gently caressed her head with trembling hands, his touch unbelievably careful, as though she were the most fragile treasure in the world.
When Gwen witnessed this scene, jealousy instantly surged within her. After all these years, her own father had never treated her with such tenderness.
At most, he would patiently guide her whenever she made the wrong decision, but he had never shown such overwhelming affection.
‘Why…? Why does Annie get all of his love?’
Just as those thoughts filled her heart, she suddenly felt someone lightly tugging on her sleeve.
She turned around with an irritated expression.
“What do you want?” Gwen snapped coldly.
Annie’s adoptive brother simply smiled at her.
“You must be Annie’s biological sister,” he said warmly. “Since Annie is my sister, then you’re my sister too. Don’t worry. From now on, I’ll protect both of you.”
Hearing those sincere words, Gwen almost laughed mockingly.
However, when she noticed the absolute sincerity in his bright eyes, her expression froze.
For a split second, an unfamiliar warmth spread through her heart.
‘How long has it been since someone said those words to me…?’
The last person who had ever promised to protect her was probably Felix. Almost unconsciously, she glanced toward Felix.
However, Felix’s attention was completely fixed on Annie. His eyes overflowed with nothing but warmth and happiness as he watched the father and daughter reunite.
The tiny spark of warmth that had appeared inside Gwen’s heart disappeared without a trace.
Her gaze instantly turned cold again. Looking back at Annie’s adoptive brother, she spoke with obvious hostility.
“You are the burden raised by Annie, aren’t you?”