Chapter 188: Are You Feeling Better?

Seeing his father staring at him like that, Felix Ford felt a little guilty. He jumped off the bed and pushed him toward the door. "Dad, you should go. I want to sleep now."

Samuel Ford didn’t say a word, obediently walking out. He frowned as he looked at the tightly closed door.

’What is he so guilty about? Is he afraid I’ll find out who he was on the phone with?’

Felix Ford pressed his ear against the door. Once he heard the footsteps fade away, he breathed a sigh of relief, locked the door, and slipped into the bathroom with his phone. After charging it for five minutes, he immediately turned it on and dialed Jean Vance’s number.

The call connected in a second. He immediately asked, "Jean, Jean, what did you hear just now?"

Jean Vance turned a page in his book, his expression indifferent. "I didn’t hear anything."

"Huh?" Felix Ford was stunned for a moment. "That can’t be right. I only turned my phone off later. It still had more than half its battery when I sent it down. You should have heard something. It’s not like you’re hard of hearing and couldn’t make out what they were saying."

Jean Vance’s hand paused, and the corner of his mouth twitched. ’He’s the one who’s hard of hearing.’

Taking a deep breath, he said, "Mom was talking with your grandfather in the study."

And they went straight to the study. By the time he heard their voices again, they had already finished their discussion. As for what they discussed, he had no idea.

Glancing at the door, a flicker of worry crossed Jean Vance’s eyes. After a moment of thought, he said, "I have to go."

"No, no, wait! I still don’t know how your mom is doing." Felix Ford hurriedly stopped him. "How is she?"

After a moment of silence, Jean Vance said, "Not great."

She’s been holed up in her room ever since she got back and hasn’t said a word. But from the look on her face when she first returned, something was very wrong. Although she tried her best to act like nothing had happened, she couldn’t fool him.

’Mom is very upset right now.’

’It’s like she received some kind of shock.’

Felix Ford was also at a loss. If they knew what had happened, they could help. But since they knew nothing, there was nothing they could do.

He pursed his lips and said, "Then you should go take care of your mom. Try to cheer her up."

"Mm, I will." ’I would have done that even if he hadn’t said anything.’

After hanging up, Jean Vance walked out, only to find the door to the next room opening at the same time. Amanda Vance emerged from within.

They were both startled to see each other. Amanda Vance was the first to recover, a slight smile gracing her lips as she said, "Jean, let’s go home."

’Home?’ His thoughts stirred as he understood where she meant. He nodded without saying a word.

"Then let’s pack our things."

They had only planned for a short stay, so they hadn’t brought much with them. Within an hour, they had packed everything up.

She wrapped a scarf around Jean Vance’s neck and put a hat on his head. Only then did they pick up their things and leave, managing to carry everything in one trip.

Closing the door, Amanda Vance glanced back at the apartment for a moment, then turned around. "Let’s go."

Jean Vance glanced at her, but unfortunately, he was bundled up so tightly and the brim of his hat blocked his view, so he couldn’t see her expression clearly.

’But he could sense something was wrong with her.’

’Even if he couldn’t sense it, her suddenly wanting to leave didn’t seem like something she’d do if everything were fine.’

’Of course, she had mentioned leaving some time ago. After all, this wasn’t their place, and staying here was inconvenient. The plan had been to leave after buying a house. But now, they were leaving before they had even found one, and right after she had returned from the Ford family’s home.’

’So, the root of the problem must lie with the Ford family.’

’He just didn’t know what exactly had happened.’

’He didn’t dare to ask, afraid of touching a raw nerve. This sense of powerlessness made him feel inexplicably frustrated.’

Once in the car, he looked at the person in the driver’s seat up front. He couldn’t see her expression clearly, only her cold profile. Her eyes in the rearview mirror were as indifferent as ever, as if nothing in the world could catch her interest.

His fingers fidgeted unconsciously. Jean Vance watched her with a probing gaze. ’What on earth did she find out from Felix Ford’s grandfather?’

’Was it related to the Ford family?’

’Thinking back, he remembered that his mom had gone to the Ford family’s place this morning to ask about the Jade Pendant. He guessed that was probably why she had suddenly gone back again in the afternoon.’

’The Jade Pendant, the Ford family, Grandma, Victor Ford, Mr. Sullivan...’

He silently recited these names in his mind, pondering the possible connections between them.

’Could it be because Grandma had some connection to the Ford family?’

’That Jade Pendant belonged to Grandma, so that was the most likely possibility.’

’And then there were Victor Ford’s actions. He had never appeared in Mom’s life, so it was unlikely they had a grudge against each other. If he wanted revenge, it was probably related to Grandma.’

After sorting through these connections, his thoughts became a little clearer, but then he grew confused again. ’How would Grandma and Victor Ford have known each other?’

The past was too difficult to investigate, and Jean Vance couldn’t quite figure it out.

Just as he was lost in thought, a hand suddenly rested on his head. He looked up, stunned, to meet Amanda Vance’s smiling face.

Amanda Vance smiled and said softly, "Don’t overthink it. Mom is fine. I just learned some things today that were a bit shocking, that’s all. Let me sort them out and figure out how to tell you. Don’t worry about me. It’s just some things from the past. I won’t get stuck on them."

’If she let the past hold her back, she wouldn’t be Amanda Vance.’

Jean Vance knew her better than anyone, so of course he understood this. His expression relaxed, and he nodded. "Okay."

’All he had to do was trust his mom.’

She smiled at him, then turned her head forward. Seeing the green light, she released the handbrake and continued driving.

When they got home, they realized it had been a while since they had last stayed there. Amanda Vance quickly tidied up the place and put away the things they had brought back. She glanced at the time; it was almost six o’clock.

She looked at Jean Vance. "Want to eat out?"

"Okay."

As they reached the door, Amanda Vance noticed that he hadn’t changed his clothes. He had only taken off his jacket when they came in. ’So, did he guess all along that I would take him out to eat?’

Amanda Vance raised an eyebrow and couldn’t help but ruffle his hair. When he looked over, she smoothed it back down for him. "Let’s go."

Jean Vance gave her a slow look, mumbled an "oh," and sat on the small stool in the entryway to put on his shoes. He tied a perfect knot, then adjusted the laces on both sides until they were the exact same length. Only then did a look of satisfaction appear on his little face.

Amanda Vance’s shoes were easy to slip on, so she leaned against the wall and watched him. Seeing his meticulous routine, she couldn’t help but let out a little PFFT of laughter.

’I have to admit, it’s been a while since I’ve seen him like this. Seeing it again actually makes me feel a bit nostalgic.’

Hearing her laugh, Jean Vance paused and looked up at her. He knew instantly what she was looking at. ’She must be making fun of my obsessive-compulsive habits again, and she’s probably calling me a little stick-in-the-mud in her head.’

A faint smile touched his lips. He wasn’t angry. Instead, he tilted his head up at her and asked, "Are you feeling a little better now, Mom?"

Seeing the cautious concern in his eyes, Amanda Vance felt a warmth spread through her heart. She took his hand, gave a soft "mm-hmm," and said, "Much better."

’Her relationship with Samuel Ford was something she hadn’t expected. But fortunately, she never had high expectations to begin with, so she couldn’t say she was terribly sad. It was probably more a feeling of melancholy than anything else.’

’According to Mr. Ford, Victor Ford was her biological father. But it was obvious she had no luck when it came to fathers. Her adoptive father wanted to make her life miserable, and her biological father wanted her dead.’

A flicker of faint mockery crossed her eyes as she stroked Jean Vance’s hand. ’So maybe it’s better not to look for a man. What’s the point of getting married? Her life was already like this. What if the person she found was also bad to Jean?’

’He didn’t need to suffer the same hardships she had.’