Ch. 1841..1850

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1841-Sophia no longer had any taunts up her sleeve and shot Corinne a fierce glare.

Her eyes were red with jealousy when she saw Corinne and Jeremy standing together. All of a sudden, she cackled manically and clutched her belly as she said, "You're only confident because you've given birth to three of his children!

But you're not the only woman who can give birth, you know! I can do it, too! I'm pregnant with his child now!"

Corinne narrowed her eyes and looked at Sophia's abdomen. ''And how did that happen?"

Sophia gazed at Jeremy lustfully and retorted, "How else? Jeremy made passionate love to me night after night! I'm bound to get pregnant if he keeps filling me up!” Corinne turned and glanced at Jeremy, who remained expressionless. "I’ve never done anything of the sort."

Corinne scoffed softly and directed her attention back to Sophia. "You heard him. How is he supposed to get pregnant if he hasn't done anything with you?

What do you take me for? An idiot? He was wheelchair-bound in all his time with you. Where is he going to get the strength to father a child with you? Even if any physical intimacy did happen between you two, you had to be the one who took the initiative."

Sophia's face stiffened, but she burst out in laughter again. "He was just pretending to be wheelchair-bound! How else could he recover so quickly?"

Corinne crossed her arms and stood her ground. "Yes. I know that he had been pretending to be wheelchair-bound the past few days, but don't you have any idea why he was pretending? Let me refresh your memory. He's been putting on that act because he didn't want you to know! Why would he take the initiative to be intimate with you if he had been hiding that from you?"

"He… Who cares what happened? I'm pregnant with his baby! We can do a blood test if you don't believe me!"

Corinne chuckled. "Are you saying that you received artificial insemination? How sure are you that the child in your belly is Jeremy's? As far as I know, your plans for that day didn't go as you intended."

Sophia's pupils contracted, and she stared at Corinne. "You were there that day?"

Corinne purposefully avoided a direct answer and decided not to entertain Sophia's nonsense any longer. "Give it a rest; stop trying to divide US. If he hasn't fallen for you even after you've brainwashed him and kept him captive for three years, you can be sure he's never going to have feelings for you. Instead of indulging in all these pointless delusions, you're better off focusing on dealing with the tax issues plaguing yourself and your father."

Sophia trembled and began to accuse Corinne, "You?! You're the one who did all this! It's because of you that my father and I can't leave the country!"

Corinne smiled. "I didn't act alone. Jeremy was involved, as was our mutual friend, Lucas."

Enraged and shocked at the revelation, Sophia took a few steps back and pointed at Corinne tremblingly. "You… You're evil!"

"Certainly not as evil as you," Corinne retorted. "All we did was expose your past wrongdoings. You, on the other hand, resorted to all sorts of evil tactics to kidnap someone else's husband! Your father might hold a lot of power in Molomia, but he doesn't have the same influence here. If you don't want to drag him down with you, your only choice is to turn yourself in. You might get some leniency in exchange for revealing the full details of how you violated our country's laws and evaded taxes."

At that moment, Sophia seemed to have lost all her sanity. "Hell no! I’m going to bring you down with me!"

Sophia then lunged at Corinne with outstretched hands, but Jeremy was quick to intervene. He shielded Corinne from the attack and shoved the frenzied Sophia away

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1842-Sophia did the unimaginable after she forced a man who never hit a woman to shove her away so forcefully. Her irrationality took over, and she had gone past the point of no return. She could not bear to see them happily together after losing the one thing she held near and dear to her.

Til ruin you!"

Just as Jeremy was checking to see if Corinne was hurt, Sophia took out what looked like a mineral water bottle from her pocket. Inside the bottle was an unknown liquid, which she tried to splash at Corinne as she unscrewed the bottle cap and screamed at Corinne. It was too late to evade the attack by the

time Jeremy noticed it, and his only recourse was to wrap Corinne in his arms and form a human shield as he rolled down the stairs.

The liquid Sophia spilled on the ground bubbled up in some sort of gas. Since her first attempt had failed, she rushed down the stairs with the remaining half bottle and splashed it at them. All of a sudden, a loud bang echoed in the stairwell as the door was kicked open. The police rushed in and captured Sophia in the nick of time.

"Hands in the air!"

"Put that bottle down on the floor!"

"You're under arrest!"

After the initial scare, Jeremy stood up gently and released his grip on Corinne.

"Are you alright? You're not hurt, are you?"

Corinne had broken into a sweat. She expected that Sophia would attack her, but she never would have expected Sophia to do something as outrageous as splashing acid on them at a public place like the hospital. She was glad that she had the foresight to call the police before she came.

The police restrained Sophia as she continued to yell and swear crazily. She had to be forcibly escorted out to maintain order within the hospital.

A police officer approached Jeremy and Corinne. "I'll need to take both of your statements on this incident. Please come with us to the police station. If Jeremy dusted Corinne's clothes after helping her up and suggested to the police officer, "She's still in shock after what happened. May I have your card?

I'll bring her to the station once she's feeling better."

The officer handed him a business card. "You have three days."

Jeremy took the card and nodded.

After the police officer left, Jeremy gently patted Corinne's back and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "It's fine now."

The pungent smell of acid still lingered in the air. She glanced at Jeremy's arm and noticed that there were several holes in his sleeves as a result of the liquid.

Knowing that the acid might have seeped through and reached his skin, she dragged him to the emergency room right away.

Jeremy had no choice but to go with her, despite his assurances to her that she was fine.

Once the doctor had dressed the wound on Jeremy's arm, Corinne finally breathed a sigh of relief. It was saddening to think that he had to suffer an acid attack just before his legs had healed. Tears welled up in Corinne's eyes as she looked at the wound on his arm.

As Jeremy's clothes were stained with acid and were thus no longer fit to be worn, the doctor provided a hospital gown for him. He was just about to button it up when he felt water droplets trickling down the back of his hand.

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1843-As soon as he looked up, he saw a rare display of emotion on Corinne's usually resilient visage. He felt his heart ache and immediately stood up to wipe her tears away. "Why are you crying? I'm fine. It doesn't hurt. Stop crying, okay?

You wouldn't want your mother to disapprove of me as her son-in-law if she sees that I've made you cry."

Corinne failed to control her tears and said in between sobs, "How can you say that it doesn't hurt? An injury like this is going to be painful…"

Jeremy hugged her. ' Well, it does hurt a little, but it won’t hurt anymore because you're with me. My mood has improved so much with you around."

Corinne pouted and placed his injured arm down as she urged him to stop moving. "You and your sweet-talking! From now on, you'll have to listen to everything I say and make sure your dressing is changed on time!"

Jeremy responded obediently. "Yes, honey. Please stop crying, and help me leave a good impression on your mother."

Corinne raised her arms and wiped away her tears before complaining," What sort of good impression did you think you were going to make when you suddenly announced to her that you were excusing yourself?!"

Jeremy pinched her little nose and asked, "Isn't that your fault?"

"How is it my fault?" Corinne frowned. "Don't try to put the blame on me! I didn't tell you to excuse yourself, did I?"

Jeremy argued, "But you didn't tell me in advance that we were going to meet your mother! It'd be rude to meet her without having any gifts! I went out to make a phone call and ask someone to prepare them for me. I was hoping I'd leave a better impression after that!"

Corinne blinked, and her tear-filled eyes were particularly adorable. Despite feeling slightly awkward, she scoffed at him and asked, "Where are the gifts, then?’ Jeremy sighed. ’I haven't had the time to get them yet because Sophia got in my way. Shall we go together now?"

Corinne nodded. Jeremy then held her hand and brought her to retrieve the gifts he had planned to give Corinne's mother.

Jeremy's subordinates had already prepared them and were waiting in the hospital lobby for him. They were unable to reach his phone, so they decided to just wait there.

As soon as they saw Jeremy and Corinne coming out from the elevator, one of them quickly came over and handed over the gifts. He also explained the benefits of the supplements he had gotten as well as their intended effects, all in the hopes that Jeremy would be able to leave a good impression on Corinne's mother.

In the meantime, Corinne received a call from Lucas, which she answered after moving to one side.

"Corinne, where are you?" Lucas asked, his tone betraying his anxiety.

Corinne replied, "I think you know the answer to that."

Lucas's prompt call following Sophia's attempted attack was an indication that the news had reached him through the grapevine.

Corinne was not surprised, nor did she suspect Lucas of arranging someone to monitor her. If Lucas's men were there, Sophia would have been stopped before she could put Corinne in any danger.

The only plausible explanation was that Lucas knew some people at the police station, and they promptly relayed the information to him after realizing that Corinne was the one who called the police.

Lucas did not try to beat around the bush anymore and asked, "Are you okay?

Can I head there and check if you're alright?"

Corinne assured him. "I'm not hurt. You don't have to go through all the trouble of coming here."

Lucas was frustrated and chastised, "Isn't Jeremy with you right now? Why is it so hard for him to do a good job of protecting you? He's useless!"

Corinne retorted unhappily, "Don't say that about him! It's not like you could've done anything either!"

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1844-Corinne's chastising stopped Lucas from making any further remarks about Jeremy, but he did make a point to tease her, "You're quick to jump to his defense."

Corinne snorted. "Well, he is my husband. Defending him is the right thing to do!"

Corinne's animated response suggested that she was unharmed and that there was nothing for Lucas to worry about. "Fine. I'll praise him for his noble actions.

Are you happy now?” "That's more like it. Don’t you make things difficult for him!" Corinne said.

Lucas felt that he had been wrongly accused. "My dear sister, you overestimate me. I never will and never have made things difficult for him. If anything, he didn't even give me a chance to settle scores with him after what he did."

"That can't be helped," Corinne said. "You still have a long way to go if you want to catch up to him."

Lucas responded in exasperation, "Wow, how ungrateful of you. How could you care more about your man than your brother? Sigh, I won’t argue with you about this anymore. Shall I come over to and offer up some words of comfort to my precious brother-in-law?” Corinne declined. "You can do it another day. I'll choose a time for you to treat him to dinner."

Lucas then said, "Do you have to be so mean to me? Why do I have to go along with your timing when I'm the one treating him to dinner?"

Corinne cocked her eyebrows. "If you don't want to, so be it. We’ll be busy anyway."

Lucas quickly changed his tune. "I never said I didn't want to! I'm super thankful that you've taken the courtesy of choosing a time for me. I'll be at your beck and call."

Corinne smiled and said, "Perfect! You'll hear from me soon.” She then ended the call.

Over at the other end, Lucas could only shake his head helplessly. 'Sigh!

Corinne only has Jeremy's best interests in mind! How ungrateful of her.' Jeremy dismissed his subordinates and approached Corinne with more than a dozen of the highest-quality supplements. "Did Lucas call?"

Corinne nodded. "He knows about what happened earlier. He said he wanted to come over, but I told him no."

Jeremy smiled and followed her to the elevator. "Why not? Isn't it a good thing that he can visit his mother with US?” Corinne frowned. "No."

The elevator door opened.

Jeremy entered with her and asked, "Why?” Since no one else was in the elevator, Corinne pursed her lips and explained, "My mother only wants to meet me. She requested to be transferred to this hospital because she doesn't want to see anyone from the Riveras."

Jeremy roughly understood the situation. "Let's treat your brother to a meal some other day, then. He's been helping me a lot from behind the shadows. r» Corinne nodded. "I told him that too, but I asked him to treat US instead of the other way around."

Jeremy smiled. "You seem to be very protective of me."

Corinne rolled her eyes at him. "If you're not happy about that, I can always tell him that you insist on treating him to a meal."

Jeremy pursed his lips and said, "I'll do whatever you say. If you want me to treat him, I'll be more than happy to do so. If you don't want me to, then I won't spend a single cent."

Amused by his remark, Corinne suddenly remembered that he was carrying a lot of items even though his arms were injured. She reached out to get them and said, "Let me help! You shouldn't strain your injured arm

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1845-Jeremy did not allow Corinne to exert herself and help him, so he sternly replied, "I'm not that weak, you know? Don't worry about me. It's just a minor injury. I want to change your mother's first impression of me."

Corinne smirked. "I'm rooting for you, then. Do your best to win her over!"

"I'll give it my all." Jeremy smiled.

When they returned to Emily's ward, Jeremy once again drew everyone's attention there as he changed into a hospital gown, much to Emily, Melinda, and Lilin's confusion.

Jeremy stepped forward gracefully and placed the gifts down on the bed. "I got these for you, ma'am. I hope you'll like them."

Emily leaned on the bed and looked at the gifts that Jeremy had placed down. It was then that she understood why Jeremy had excused himself earlier-it was to get her some gifts.

"You're so considerate! You didn't have to go through all that trouble, you know?"

"Thank you, and apologies again for earlier," Jeremy answered.

Corinne could not help herself from holding in a chuckle whenever she heard how docile Jeremy was when speaking to Emily. She could never have imagined that Jeremy would have such a well-behaved side. It warmed her heart to think that Jeremy was doing that because of her.

Since Jeremy had bought all the stuff and given it to Emily, she accepted it unequivocally so as not to hurt his feelings. After accepting the gift, she asked, "Why did you change into a hospital gown after going out to get all that stuff?

Did an accident happen?"

Jeremy shook his head and said, "It's nothing serious. Don't worry."

Emily frowned. She was still confused and worried about everything.

Corinne had no intention of hiding it from her mother, and she wanted Melinda and Lilin to know the full details too.

"Something did happen. He got injured."

Emily was visibly worried. "Injured? Right after he walked out? Could you please explain what happened?"

Melinda came over and asked, "Yes, Corinne, please fill US in on what's going on! How did he get himself injured in the hospital?"

Lilin blinked. "How did Zachary injure himself?"

Corinne then began to explain, "He—"

Alas, Jeremy grabbed her hand and interrupted her before she could say another word. He did not want his mother-in-law to worry, and he was also afraid that her mother-in-law would feel that Corinne might be in constant danger around him.

Corinne glanced at Jeremy and said, "It'll be fine. My mom is a reasonable person. Besides, there's no use hiding anything when you're dressed in a hospital gown! She'll be even more worried if we don't tell her the truth, and she'll start having all sorts of random thoughts."

Emily nodded. "She's right. Could you please tell me what happened?"

Corinne finally answered, "We ran into Sophia."

The mention of Sophia prompted Emily to look at Melinda, who was Sophia's stepmother.

Melinda's expression soured slightly, and she was just as curious to know what had happened. "What happened with you and Sophia? Did she hurt you again?

You don't have to be scared about telling me the truth. I'll tell her father to teach her a lesson later."

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1846-Corinne looked at Melinda and explained, "This is no longer about teaching Sophia a lesson. She tried to splash acid on me earlier. I wasn't hurt, but Jeremy got injured trying to protect me. The police have taken her into custody now."

Melinda, Lilin, and Emily gasped in shock.

"How could she do such a thing?" Melinda asked in disbelief. Though she knew that Sophia had done plenty of extreme things before, attempting to splash acid on someone else was by far the worst.

Lilin scoffed resentfully. "She's capable of anything because she's confident she can get away with anything! Dad has been pampering her since she was young,

so this isn't that much of a shock."

Concerned about her daughter and son-in-law, Emily asked, "Are you sure you're fine, Corinne?"

Corinne sat beside Emily and assured her, "I'm not injured. Don't worry, Mom."

Emily then turned her attention to Jeremy and said, "Where did the acid hit you?

Please show it to me."

Jeremy walked over and held up his arm. He then reassured Emily, "It's just a minor injury. I'll be fine."

Emily then held her daughter's hand and said, "All that matters is that you're okay."

Melinda calmed down and took a deep breath before approaching the couple.

She expressed her regret over what happened and said with a deep bow, "Corinne… Zach- I mean, Mister Jeremy… I'm sorry for what my stepdaughter did to you two. I hope you can find it in yourselves to accept my sincere apology."

Corinne immediately got up and held Melinda. "You don't have to bow to us and apologize, but I do hope you won't blame US for how we plan to deal with Sophia later."

Melinda shook her head helplessly and said, "I won't blame you two for your decision. Sophia is beyond redemption. The best outcome would be for her to face legal consequences and turn over a new leaf. Can I trouble you to handle things here and take care of Emily for a bit? I'll have to talk to my husband. I'm sure he'll be very distressed after learning about his precious daughter's arrest.

I'm going to talk him out of making any impulsive or irrational decisions.” "Of course," Corinne said with a nod. "I'll have to trouble you to do the same and take care of my mother as well. Well stay here for now and make sure she's safe."

Melinda wiped her tears and sighed before leaving with Lilin. Corinne had mixed emotions as she watched Melinda leave.

Inside the ward, Emily shook her head and sighed. "Melinda has had it pretty rough the past few years. Trying to control her stepdaughter is difficult, as you've seen, and her husband tends to make the wrong decisions most of the time too."

Corinne turned to her mother and assured her, "Don't worry, Mom. We'll only hold Adam and Sophia accountable for everything. Aunt Melinda and Lilin won't be implicated in this."

Emily nodded in understanding, but she still felt heartbroken for her friend, Melinda. Corinne and Jeremy's approach to the issues was reasonable, but Melinda would feel distressed if anything were to happen to Adam. Then again, it was not like Emily could tell Corinne to just forgive the people who had ruined her life and harmed them.

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1847-Melinda and Lilin hurried to the hotel, where Adam had just received news of Sophia's arrest. He was getting ready to head out and bail his eldest daughter out of jail, but Melinda and Lilin reached just in time to block the doorway.

Adam was startled to see Melinda. "Why are you here? Was your best friend already discharged from the hospital? But never mind that for now. I have some matters to handle right now. I'll be back soon, and I'll explain everything later.

You can wait here with Lilin in the meantime!"

Melinda frowned. "And where are you going? Are you thinking of bailing out your daughter?" "How do you know about that?" Adam asked. He turned to Melinda

and stared at her in surprise.

Melinda snorted, "Why are you even thinking of bailing her out when she committed something so heinous? She'll never learn from her mistakes if you keep doing this, and she'll grow even bolder in the future!"

Adam frowned and said, "Don't be like that, Mel. Sophia might be stubborn, but her attitude isn't as extreme as you're making her out to be. Corinne must've set her up! I have to bail her out."

Melinda sighed helplessly. "Set up? How on earth do you justify that? Your daughter tried to splash a bottle of acid on Corinne! Acid, for goodness' sake!

She did it with the clear intention of harming Corinne. Who in the right mind would want to save her? If you bail her out now, she might take it a step further next time and resort to killing people!"

Adam was left speechless. "But…" "Listen to me," Melinda interrupted, grabbing his arm. "Let her face the consequences of her actions. Let her bear the price of her wrongdoing so she'll finally learn her lesson. You can't keep indulging her like this! Spoil her any further and things will lead to disaster!" 1 After taking a deep breath, Adam closed his eyes and gradually composed himself. "You're right, Mel. I've been enabling her, and I should've taught her better so she doesn't do this sort of thing again."

Melinda patted his arm in the hopes that her husband would be able to see the bigger picture. "There are other things we need to discuss. Let's talk inside."

Adam followed Melinda back into the suite after he had calmed down.

"You can be frank with me now, Mel. I don't think there's anything else I won't be able to handle right now!" Adam sat on the sofa and massaged his temples.

Melinda led Lilin to sit next to him and sighed before saying, "Zachary went back to his home. He regained his memory, and his ability to walk. He's with Corinne now."

Adam was stunned for a moment but not entirely shocked by the news. "I thought as much when Sophia said that he went missing."

Melinda then continued, "Now that Zachary has returned, I'm pretty sure he'll want to settle scores with you and Sophia for everything that he went through in the past three years. You need to be mentally prepared." "Hmph," Adam snorted. "So be it. I'm not afraid of him!"

Melinda looked at her husband with a touch of sympathy, "Zachary is no longer someone you could manipulate. He's the Holdens' scion, and he has what it takes to deal with you! You and Sophia have done some very terrible things to them, and it would be best if you take the initiative to apologize before they come looking for US. Corinne is my savior, and also Em's long-lost daughter.

She might be willing to forgive US for Em's sake." Adam raised an eyebrow, "You want me to apologize to them?"

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1848-Melinda knew her husband's character well, and convincing him to apologize would be an uphill battle. Nonetheless, she was determined to give it her best shot.

"You of all people should be aware that Sophia has been in the wrong for kidnapping Jeremy. He had a family, which Sophia destroyed by separating him from them. Whichever way you put it, our family owes them an apology.

Apologizing to them is the least that we should do."

Adam maintained a stern expression. "Let him settle scores with me if he wants.

To hell if I’ll apologize!"

Melinda felt powerless, "What else am I supposed to say to convince you? Must you make both sides suffer? Em and I are best friends. You're putting me in a tight spot if you insist on your stubborn ways!"

Adam remained silent as he was unable to let go of his ego.

Lilin, who had been standing quietly to one side, approached them and made a clown face at her father. "Blah, blah, blah!"

Adam was bewildered by her reaction and looked at her unhappily. "Are you mocking me?"

Lilin crossed her little arms and shook her head. "I'm not mocking you. I'm looking down on you!" "How dare you?!" Adam frowned even more. "What did you say to me? How dare you look down on me?"

Lilin raised her chin. "I have every right to feel that way when you're a party to Sophia's wrongdoing! I despise you for refusing to lower your ego and refusing to correct your mistakes by apologizing to those you've harmed! You've always told me to be a good person, but you don't even follow your advice! Don't you think I should look down on you for that?"

Adam's face turned sour, and he was left speechless.

Lilin then added, "I've admired you in many ways, Dad, but I can’t respect you when you defend Sophia and lend her your blind support. To be honest, you could even say that I feel some hate toward you! If you don't apologize to Corinne and Zachary for your wrongdoings, I won't ever talk to you from now on!

I won't accept having a father who refuses to pay attention to me and cares more about a daughter who's proven to be a bad person time and time again!" 1 Following that bold statement, Lilin turned and headed for her room.

Adam felt a deep sense of shame that shattered his once resolute heart. He halted her, "Stop!"

Lilin stopped and gruffly replied, "What? Are you going to instill your misguided views in me again?" "Stay here and wait for me with your mother," Adam said after taking a deep breath. "I'll change into a new set of clothes and go with you."

Lilin and Melinda looked at Adam in surprise.

After struggling with his inner thoughts, Adam decided to follow the advice of his wife and daughter. Even so, he had a reluctant appearance and got up to change his clothes. In truth, he had already changed into a fresh set of clothes.

His decision to change again was just a way to buy himself some time to prepare himself mentally.

Lilin ran to her mother and said, "It looks like Dad knows that he's been wrong after all, Mom. I think he's coming with US to apologize to Corinne and Zachary!"

Melinda smiled with relief. Adam had always known his actions were wrong, but his protective instincts for his daughter clouded his judgment. She hoped that Corinne and Jeremy would be a little more understanding and let Adam off the hook.

Adam emerged from his room wearing a suit that was not very different from his initial outfit.

Lilin went up to him and took his hand. "Let's go meet Corinne and Zachary, Dad."

Melinda came up to them and said graciously. "We'll go together." Adam cleared his throat awkwardly and nodded

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1849-Meanwhile, at the hospital, Corinne talked with her mother while Jeremy sat quietly on the side and peeled some apples for them. Despite Corinne's insistence that he should strain his injured arm, he brushed her concerns off and assured her that he was fine. Nonetheless, his arm injury led him to skip work in the afternoon and delegate his tasks to his subordinates.

Evening soon came, and Corinne was contemplating what to order for dinner when a knock was heard on the ward door. Jeremy rose to answer it, and his face turned cold when he saw that Adam had visited them.

Adam's attitude was just as sour. He scrutinized Jeremy from head to toe and seemed to pay a particular focus on his legs before sneering, "Your legs seem just fine. Kudos for putting on that act!"

Jeremy narrowed his eyes and retorted, "I had no reason to be honest with you people."

Adam was about to mock him further when Melinda intervened promptly." Mister Jeremy, I brought him here to apologize to you and Corinne." 'Apologize?' Jeremy thought to himself. He doubted whether Adam truly understood the nature of all those transgressions. He nevertheless nodded at Melinda and went to sit by Corinne's side.

Melinda then led Adam into the ward and closed the door.

Corinne became wary when she saw Adam, and Melinda smiled awkwardly before offering, "We've brought dinner. You and your mother should eat some."

Lilin handed the takeout box to Corinne and said, "Try it. It's delicious."

Corinne took the box and placed it on a nearby cabinet. She then said rigidly, "You came at the right time, Aunt Melinda. I was just thinking about what to order for dinner when you showed up with all this food."

Melinda smiled drily. "You don't need to order takeout, then. Eat it while it's hot! I ordered a few of your mother's favorite dishes since I wasn't sure what you like."

Corinne smiled faintly and remarked, "I'm in no hurry to eat. I'm sure you brought him here for a reason."

Melinda could only nod in response to Corinne's question. "He's here to apologize to you and Mister Jeremy. Our family was responsible for three years' worth of separation from your family. We'd like to apologize." She then turned to Adam and said, "Go on! Apologize to them!"

Adam wore a sullen expression and seemed reluctant to speak. Lilin held his hand and urged him, "Go ahead, Dad! Be a good example for me!"

Adam reluctantly looked at Lilin before turning to Jeremy and Corinne. He then mumbled, "I'm sorry. I've caused your family so much trouble in the past three years. It's entirely my fault, and I apologize for it."

Adam spoke quickly and without much sincerity.

Corinne exchanged a knowing look with Jeremy, then raised her eyebrows and focused on Adam's unapologetic demeanor. She finally turned her gaze to Melinda and said, "Do you expect me to forgive him just like that?"

The Day I Kissed An Older Chapter 1850-Melinda felt extremely embarrassed and bowed her head on behalf of her husband. "I know this isn't remotely enough, but I still hope you'll be more open to accept it. He acted out of desperation to protect his daughter, and I'll make sure he makes amends to you."

Adam frowned when he saw Melinda bowing to someone younger than her. He was about to say something when Lilin intervened by holding his hand and persuading him to remain silent. Adam kept quiet, albeit reluctantly.

Corinne keenly sensed what was going on. She maintained a stoic expression, accompanied by a somewhat ironic smile.

"I’m reminded of a saying, but I'm not sure if you've heard it before," Corinne remarked.

"And what's that?" Melinda asked, somewhat perplexed.

"The law wouldn’t be necessary if apologies had any value."

Melinda mumbled. "Oh…"

Corinne then continued, "I understand that you're my mother's best friend, and you've been taking very good care of her all these years. Your relationship with her is something I'll honor and cherish, but I cannot turn a blind eye to the things your husband did. I can never forgive him. You love your husband, and I love mine.

"I'm lucky that my husband has regained the ability to walk, but that doesn't mean the harm that your husband inflicted on him in the past will just be erased.

As far as I know, my husband was wheelchair-bound because your husband broke his legs. The suffering he endured can never be measured in words, nor can it simply be forgotten.

"And your husband's daughter, Sophia, brainwashed my husband and kidnapped one of my sons. The suffering they endured was even greater than anything. These are facts, and I cannot let your husband off the hook just because you're my mother's best friend. I won't let my husband swallow all this for my sake."

Melinda kept quiet. She had witnessed Jeremy's struggles over the past three years, and she could not deny the harm that her husband had caused to him.

"I hope you'll give him a chance to make it up to you," Melinda pleaded.

Corinne retorted bluntly. "Sorry. I don't need that from him."

Unable to make headway with Corinne, Melinda turned to Emily, who avoided eye contact. She felt conflicted and chose to look away in the end. If that situation happened to her, she might have forgiven Adam for Melinda's sake, but she could not impose such moral expectations on Corinne after the intense hardship Corinne had endured. She felt sorry for Melinda, but at the same time, she could not bring herself to support her request.

"Okay. I understand where you're coming from. Let's leave it at that and pretend I never said anything. Enjoy your meal with your mother and Mister Jeremy while it's still warm. It won't taste as good when it's cold," Melinda conceded.

Corinne nodded. "Thank you for understanding, Aunt Melinda."

Corinne's response made Adam feel as though his earlier apology had been in vain. He turned around to leave, but Lilin chased after her. "Where are you going, Dad?" Lilin asked, grabbing her father's hand.