Chapter 503: Chapter 503: I Can’t Accept That Everyone Doesn’t Love Me

The night market was lined with food stalls, and you could occasionally spot a stall or two selling jewelry.

These places didn’t hold much appeal for Renee Jennings and Michelle Fuller. A lot of the food smelled wonderful but was actually quite ordinary.

She and Michelle instantly agreed they should go somewhere else.

Michelle found a tavern on her phone, then looked up and asked, "By the way, Addie, are you of age?"

Addie Sutton nodded. "I am."

"Perfect." Michelle waved her phone. "Let’s go for a drink."

Twenty minutes later, Renee Jennings and her friends arrived at the tavern.

The tavern had a great atmosphere, and the house singer was decent enough. The only downside was that pets weren’t allowed inside.

When Goldie heard this, he quickly wagged his tail and said to Renee, "Miss, I won’t go in. I’ll just wait for you all out here."

Renee looked down at his obedient, understanding expression. Her slender brows slowly furrowed as a pang of sympathy welled up in her heart.

’How can this be right?’

Addie Sutton also spoke up, "It’s okay, you all go on in. I’ll stay outside and watch Ducky and Sunny."

"Don’t worry," Renee said, giving her a reassuring look before turning to speak with a staff member. "I see you have a rooftop terrace on the second floor. That’s part of the tavern, right?"

"Yes, ma’am, but we’ll have other guests on the terrace later, so... I’m very sorry."

"How much to rent out the whole terrace?"

"That’s right, we’ll rent it out," Michelle added, leaning in. "Then we can bring our pets, right?"

The moment Zachary Conway heard they wanted to rent the place out, he hurried over, just in time to hear the staff member quote a price. "To rent the terrace for the whole evening is sixty thousand."

"In that case, we’ll take—" Michelle didn’t get to finish before Zachary’s voice cut her off.

"We should find another place."

Michelle whipped her head around to stare at him. "And what if the next place doesn’t allow pets either?"

A mild smile appeared on Zachary’s face. "Then we’ll find one that does."

’Sixty thousand for some rundown terrace? That’s a total ripoff.’

Hilary knew Renee and Michelle were rich, but they couldn’t just throw money away like that. She chimed in, trying to persuade them, "Yeah, let’s just find another place. We could look for some of those camping-style places. They have a nice vibe, too."

Renee was convinced.

’She was right. You could do a lot with sixty thousand.’

Blissfully unaware, Michelle blinked innocently. "It’s no big deal. I’ll just buy one less handbag."

Zachary replied, "You’d be better off saving it for the handbag. At least that’s something you can see and touch."

’Spending it on this rundown terrace would be like flushing it down the toilet.’

Michelle was about to say something else, but then she heard Renee say softly, "Let’s find an open-air spot, then. The fresh air will be nice."

Michelle immediately nodded in agreement. "Good point."

Seeing this, Zachary and Hilary both breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing them about to leave, the staff member quickly changed his tune. "If you’re serious about it, we can still discuss the price."

Hilary immediately pointed a finger at him and said fiercely, "Back! Back! Back!"

It wasn’t her money, but the thought of it still made her heart ache.

Hilary found a new place, a camping-style teahouse along the river. It had an interesting name: "Let’s Jump into the Sea Together."

She called first to confirm they allowed pets, then put the location into her GPS and drove over.

The breeze by the river was cool, and from a short distance away, a girl’s singing drifted on the wind.

On the opposite bank stood a cluster of skyscrapers. One of the buildings was lit up brilliantly, the lights forming seven large words—"I miss you so much in Lyris."

When Michelle saw this, her eyes lit up, and she announced, "We should take a picture with this in the background to remember the moment."

Renee nodded in agreement. "Good idea."

The group found a spot to sit down and ordered drinks. Then, Michelle raised her mirrorless camera and started looking for the right angle for a photo.

After she finished taking pictures, Renee turned to the girl who was looking down, playing with the duck’s feathers. "Addie, do you have any thoughts on what to do?"

Hearing her name, Addie Sutton looked up, her gaze meeting Renee’s clear, gentle eyes. She shook her head, looking lost. "Actually... I don’t know either."

"So what’s going on with Addie?" Michelle asked, propping her chin on her hand with a curious expression. "Is it okay to talk about?"

Renee had only told her they were busy with a case.

Everyone turned to look at Addie Sutton, the same concerned expression in their eyes.

"It’s okay." Addie Sutton nodded and said calmly, "I discovered that after my parents had a second child, they stopped loving me."

She pressed her lips together, her fingers unconsciously stroking Ducky’s feathers. "My grandmother started to hate me too. Then, I accidentally overheard them talking and found out I’m not their biological daughter."

"I stayed out very late that day, torn about whether I should even go back, because it felt like there was no place for me in that house anymore."

Michelle, who had grown up in a family surrounded by love, already had red-rimmed eyes by this point.

Zachary quickly handed her a tissue.

Addie continued, "They didn’t need me anymore, but I couldn’t leave them. I still went back that night..."

She skipped over many of the details, her voice soft and faint. "My dad said that once I go away to college, they can give my room to my little brother. And my grandmother is waiting for me to start earning money to bring home."

"None of that should be a problem, really. They raised me, after all, so I should be grateful and repay their kindness." Addie hung her head in despair. "But I’m too weak. I couldn’t accept the fact that they don’t love me... I... I did something stupid."

"It’s not that you’re weak," Renee comforted her gently. "It’s that they’re cruel."

Michelle, now a sobbing, sniffling mess, asked her, "What stupid thing did you do?"

Hilary was affected by her emotions too, pressing her lips together and crying silently.

Seeing this, Renee pulled a tissue from the dispenser in front of Zachary and handed it to her.

Addie suddenly felt incredibly embarrassed talking about it. The tips of her ears grew hot, and she wished she could bury her face in Ducky’s feathers as she answered in a tiny voice, "I... did it."

"What?" Her voice was so quiet that Michelle couldn’t make out what she’d said.

Renee sighed softly. "She jumped into the river."

Michelle stared blankly at Addie, her lower lip trembling. Then she turned, buried her face in Renee’s arms, and burst into tears. "WAHHH, Addie, you... I feel so, so awful for you!"

Hilary was also deeply moved, covering her mouth as she sobbed quietly.

Although Zachary had seen all sorts of cases in his time, he too was caught up in the girls’ emotions, and his own eyes couldn’t help but turn red.

Even Goldie looked at Addie with great sympathy. He hadn’t realized the girl who jumped in the river had such a sad story.

Addie’s gaze drifted over everyone. Feeling even more lost, her voice took on a slight tremor. "I’m sorry... I-I didn’t mean to..."

"You don’t have to apologize." A flicker of helplessness crossed Renee’s face as she sighed softly. "It’s only natural that Felix Sutton and his wife would love their own child more. But that’s no reason for them to draw a line in the sand and push you away so cruelly."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.