Free Web NovelChapter 474: Chapter 474: Driven Out
With the matter of Frank York settled, Melody Summers finally had nothing left to worry about. The next morning, she and her family tidied up their two apartments, shut off the utilities, and covered the furniture with dust cloths. Then, the whole family moved back to the villa.
A light drizzle was still falling outside. Melody Summers silently pulled her raincoat tighter, trying to keep the rain from touching her skin.
In the square, quite a few parents were running in the rain with their children. In the landscaped medians, a few older men and women were braving the downpour to dig in the soil, seemingly sowing vegetable seeds.
It was a scene of burgeoning life.
The Summers family chatted and laughed as they walked back to the villa complex. But as they reached their front door, they were surprised to find a figure waiting for them—
The person was squatting at the Summers’ doorstep, hugging her knees. Her head was buried deep between them, and her body was curled into a ball, like a small, wounded animal.
Seeing this, the members of the Summers family exchanged uncertain glances.
’What’s going on now?’
Melody Summers couldn’t help but frown. ’Don’t tell me this is someone trying to pull a scam,’ she thought.
While the family stood there, confused and unsure of what to do, the person huddled by the door seemed to hear their footsteps and looked up.
The moment their eyes met, Melody Summers’s own eyes widened in surprise—
It was Nina Summers!
Melody Summers took a few quick steps toward Nina Summers and asked in astonishment, "What are you doing here?"
The Nina Summers before her was soaked to the bone, looking as if she had been in the rain for a very long time. Her cheeks were sunken, her lips were pale, and her face was drained of all color. Yet, the corners of her mouth and her cheekbones were covered in dark bruises. She looked absolutely wretched.
Seeing the bruises on Nina’s face, Melody Summers gasped. "What happened to you?" she asked, shocked. "Did someone beat you up?"
Nina Summers steadied herself against the wall and staggered to her feet. "Cousin," she said weakly, "you’re finally back... I’ve been waiting here for two days..."
Nina Summers had been waiting since yesterday. She’d spent the entire night sitting at the villa’s entrance in the pouring rain. The moment she saw Melody, she could no longer contain her pent-up grief. Her lip trembled, and she burst into tears with a loud "WAAAH!"
As Nina’s tears streamed down her face uncontrollably, Melody said quickly, "Don’t cry, don’t cry! Just tell me what happened."
Just then, Grace Sutton, Grandma, and the others came over.
Seeing how utterly distraught Nina was, Grace Sutton’s heart went out to her. "Oh, you poor child," she said gently. "You’re completely soaked. Stop crying now. Let’s get you inside first. We can talk about everything in there."
With that, they all helped Nina into the villa.
The villa had been thoroughly cleaned just a few days prior. The living room was spotless, the windows gleaming, and a faint scent of air freshener lingered in the air.
Nina had run all the way from the city center, and after being caught in the rain all night, she was dripping wet and filthy. She clutched her backpack to her chest and sat gingerly on the edge of the sofa, looking incredibly uncomfortable, as if terrified she would get it dirty.
No one rushed to question her. Instead, they boiled some water and prepared a cup of instant noodles for Nina.
Grace Sutton placed the instant noodles in front of Nina. "You must be starving after waiting outside all night," she said with a comforting smile. "We don’t have much else right now, so eat this to fill your stomach a bit."
Nina had been outside all night and was ravenous. The moment she smelled the fragrant noodles, she couldn’t resist. She eagerly grabbed the cup and began to wolf down the contents.
Instant noodles were once considered ’junk food’ by the masses, but in the wake of the cataclysm, they were a priceless commodity. It had been so long since Nina had tasted such a delicacy that she drank every last drop of the broth.
Seeing how famished Nina was, Melody couldn’t help but frown. "...Did you run away from home again?" she asked.
’Melody remembered it well. Last year, Nina had thrown a fit and run away from home, only to be captured by Flynn Adler’s men and taken to The Crestview Hotel. She’d nearly lost a kidney. Had she really not learned her lesson? Was she pulling the same stunt all over again?’
’That’s a terrible habit to have!’
But unexpectedly, Nina shook her head. Lowering her gaze, she answered in a small voice, "...I... I was kicked out... by my dad..."
"What? How is that possible!" Melody was utterly shocked and blurted out, "What on earth happened?!"
’Melody couldn’t fathom what could have happened. Caleb Summers had always doted on Nina, practically raising her in the palm of his hand. Even if he had a son now, how could things have possibly escalated to the point of him kicking his own daughter out?’
A mix of grief, indignation, and resentment flashed in Nina’s eyes. She kept her head lowered as she spoke in a small voice, "My dad... he adopted a little boy a few days ago. That kid is a demon! He and Zoe Kane team up to bully me every day!"
"...My dad is so biased. Every time they bully me, he just scolds me and calls me immature. Yesterday morning, I argued with him again because of that boy, and he... he just beat me up and told me to get out..."
At this, Nina seemed unable to bear it any longer. She covered her face with her hands and began to sob wretchedly.
Hearing Nina’s story, Melody, her grandmother, and Grace Sutton exchanged bewildered glances. ’Adopted a little boy?’
’Caleb Summers already has his own son, doesn’t he? Why would he need to adopt another?’
Melody said to Nina, "Try to stop crying for a second. Where did this boy come from? Why did your father adopt him? Tell us everything clearly."
Nina managed to compose herself and began to explain the whole story from the beginning...
A few days ago, Zoe Kane had received devastating news. The police informed her that her sister, Zella Kane, had died. Their mother, Zella’s daughter, and Zella’s boyfriend had also perished.
The exact cause of death was unclear, but police suspected they had killed one another over a lack of supplies. All four of the deceased had stab wounds, and the murder weapon only bore the fingerprints of Zella Kane and Forrest Archer.
Of the five people in the group, only Zella Kane’s son, Howard Fletcher, survived.
With no other immediate family, Howard Fletcher was taken in by his aunt, Zoe Kane.
The loss of her family was a devastating blow to Zoe. She clung to her nephew, Howard Fletcher, crying inconsolably, and even fainted several times from the grief.
To console Zoe, Caleb Summers agreed to legally adopt Howard, promising to raise the boy as his own son.
With a new person suddenly in the house, the allocation of resources immediately became an issue.
Influenced by Zoe Kane’s pillow talk, Caleb Summers ordered Nina to give her bedroom to Howard and move into the living room.
Naturally, Nina refused. In response, Caleb accused her of being selfish and not knowing how to give way to her younger brother. He even slapped her twice across the face.
Isolated and helpless, Nina could do nothing but tearfully give up her room.
But Nina’s concession didn’t bring her any peace. Zoe had always considered her husband’s child from his previous marriage an eyesore, so she frequently incited Howard to go and make trouble for Nina.
