Chapter 627

Cheryl nodded.

When the car reached the entrance of Cheryl’s parents’ residential compound, Benny decided not to go in. He pulled over near the gate and cut the engine.

“Thanks for the ride. I’ll get going now,” Cheryl said.

“Hey, kiddo. It’s really time you told your parents about your daughter!”

Cheryl’s hand on the car door handle froze mid-motion. She hadn’t figured out how to break the news about her daughter to her family. Especially at a time like this, if she told Cathy, Cathy might collapse from shock.

Benny said, “Didn’t you say you got pregnant because you were with the wrong guy? Your parents love you no matter what. When they find out, they’ll feel for you, not blame you. Just relax.”

Cheryl paused for a few seconds before finally murmuring, “I… I’ll think about it some more…” With that, she stepped out of the car.

Benny gazed at Cheryl’s retreating figure, wiping her tears as she walked away. In his eyes surfaced a trace of tenderness he wasn’t even aware of.

Back home, Cheryl fixed Werner with a gaze full of resentment and disappointment, refusing to exchange another word with him.

Werner was doomed to suffer his children’s lifelong contempt. He felt utterly ashamed of his failure as a father.

Now that Donald and Cheryl knew about the divorce, Cathy busied herself packing up, emptying her wardrobe of clothes and belongings.

Werner stared blankly at the empty house. From now on, he’d be living here all alone. It felt as if he was doomed to grow old in solitude.

Cathy was staying at a hotel temporarily, saying she planned to find a place of her own to rent.

Cheryl said softly, “Mom, why don’t you go stay with Catherine or Cecilia for a while? They both feel so bad for you.”

Cathy shook her head. “How could I keep bothering them forever? They’ve been kind enough to take me in for a few days, but they have their own families too.”

Cheryl pursed her lips, steeling herself to finally tell Cathy that she had a daughter. But seeing how physically and emotionally drained Cathy was from the divorce, she decided to put off telling her about Serena.

On Donald’s side, he hoped Cathy would move in with him and Jennifer. “Mom, Jennifer, and I don’t have kids yet, so we’ve got two guest bedrooms. Feel free to take whichever you like.”

Cathy refused. She wanted to live alone, pottering around with her flowers and plants. In an ideal world, she’d have her own small villa in Soronfield.

Donald looked at her with mixed emotions. “Mom, why don’t you just move in with Jennifer and me? I really can’t rest easy knowing you’re living alone, and our neighborhood is actually quite nice.”

Cathy still refused.

Seeing how adamant Cathy was, Donald didn’t press the matter further.

These past two days had been hard for Donald. He had always known about Werner’s visits to prostitutes. He’d assumed that was why Cathy divorced him. But the real shocker was that Sanford was Werner’s son.

It was only when Cheryl stormed out that Cathy finally revealed this shocking and absurd truth. It wasn’t just Donald; Jennifer’s face was a whirlwind of emotions too, flashing shock, disbelief, and utter confusion.

This whole ordeal kept Donald from work. He’d called in sick for two days and barely slept. The scruffy stubble on his chin made him look haggard and worn out.

Cathy had made Donald promise to break the news about Sanford to Cheryl when the time was right.

For now, Cheryl only knew about Werner’s affair, but remained completely unaware of the whole truth about Sanford.

After helping Cathy move, Cheryl wasn’t naive. As they were leaving, she pulled Donald aside and asked, “Who exactly did Dad cheat with? Do I know her?”

“Never mind, Cheryl. Even if I told you, you wouldn’t know her.”

“Come on, spill it. You have to tell me. Your face says it all. This has to be something really serious, right? Don’t tell me Dad was cheating with a bunch of women?” Cheryl pressed, unable to hide her urgency.

Donald remained silent, his jaw clenched tightly. Under Cheryl’s relentless questioning, he finally relented and spoke, his voice strained. “Cheryl, listen to me. You need to brace yourself for this.”

Cheryl demanded, “Come on, spill it. Was Dad really sleeping around with a bunch of women?”

Donald sighed. “Well, it’s true that Dad used to pay for sex. And he even has a son with another woman.” Bracing himself against the pain and turmoil, he finally revealed the truth about Sanford to Cheryl.

Cheryl was just as devastated as Donald. She burst into tears, utterly devastated to learn she had a half-brother, Sanford.

Donald gently patted Cheryl on the shoulder and said, “I’m so sorry. This is all on me. I should’ve told you sooner.”

“This isn’t your fault. How could Dad do this? Why, why would he? Paying for sex, cheating, even fathering a child with another woman… Is he out of his mind? I’ll never forgive him!”

To make matters even worse, Sanford was actually several years older than Donald.

Cheryl could only console herself by pretending that Werner had simply been divorced, and that Sanford was just his son from a previous marriage. Only by thinking this way could she barely make herself feel a little better.

Cheryl pressed Donald, “Is there anything else you’ve been keeping from me? If there is, just spill it all out today. I can take it!”

“That’s all, really. Mom just didn’t know how to break the news herself, so she asked me to tell you.”

“Mom…” Cheryl murmured, her voice trembling with emotion. Her heart broke for Cathy. Cathy must have endured so much, yet she knew nothing about it. If she told Cathy about Serena, the shock might be too much.

Donald suggested, “Let’s take turns keeping Mom company during this time.”

“Yeah, absolutely!” Cheryl nodded vigorously, eager to agree.

At the police station in Shaville, Sanford walked out with a bright smile. He’d completely transformed himself. He’d even gone specifically for the name change, sporting a fresh haircut.

Sanford tapped on the window of the Maybach parked by the roadside, grinning as he called out, “Jonathan!” Then he handed his temporary ID over to Jonathan. “The new ID card will take about two weeks to process. They can courier it to me.”

“Gary Thomas,” Jonathan read out Sanford’s new name, and in that instant, its meaning clicked for him. He glanced at Sanford, a subtle quirk playing on his lips. “Nice name. It sounds way better than your old one.”

Jonathan motioned for Gary to get in the car, planning to treat him to a meal before heading back to Nareigh. Jonathan asked, “So, what’s next?”

“I’d like to head back to Nareigh, too. Once I’ve spent some time there, I’ll travel the world.”

“So, you’ve got any unfinished business in Nareigh?”

Gary paused and said, “Well, I don’t really have any unfinished business, it’s just that…”