“Today, Edward deliberately left work earlier than his usual schedule. Hurriedly, the tall and sturdy man accelerated his car above the average speed, cutting through the streets of London towards Alexander and Liliana’s residence in Kensington.
As known, Edward had a scheduled meeting with Aunt Sisilia. They had planned in advance to meet Chloe’s biological mother at a certain place.
“So, what’s Mrs. Patricia’s address?” Edward asked as Sisilia got into his car.
“Apartment First Avenue. That’s where the woman lives.”
Edward nodded. While driving, he continued to dig for more information. “Has Aunt known Mrs. Patricia for a long time? Or is there a blood relationship between you?”
“No…” Sisilia shook her head. “We accidentally met. We got to know each other and became close. Until I eventually found out that Patricia has been searching for her child’s whereabouts, whether they were still in the orphanage or have been taken by their biological father.”
“I see,” Edward acknowledged. “I also know about Chloe’s situation when she was placed in an orphanage by her father’s extended family.”
“Oh, really?” Sisilia responded.
“As Aunt might have heard, I instructed someone to gather information about everything related to Chloe, including her birth mother. However, what puzzled me was how Aunt could be sure that the Chloe I’m going to marry is the same Chloe that Mrs. Patricia is looking for?”
Sisilia immediately turned to Edward, who was busy driving. “First, from her name. Patricia once told me her child’s full name. Second, from the birthmark.”
Edward glanced briefly. “Birthmark?”
“Yes, Sir,” Sisilia replied. “During the barbecue event at your mother’s house, I accidentally saw the birthmark on Mrs. Chloe’s elbow. And it matches exactly what Patricia described. From that moment on, I became certain that your wife is indeed the Chloe she has been looking for.”
Without further ado, Edward accelerated his vehicle towards their destination. He couldn’t wait to meet and ask his mother-in-law, whom his wife had been searching for so tirelessly.
Fortunately, the streets of London on the weekend were not too crowded. Edward arrived at their destination precisely 25 minutes, just as Sisilia had predicted earlier.
“Come on, Sir,” Sisilia urged. “Patricia’s unit is on the fifth floor.”
Edward followed Sisilia, who led him into the apartment building towards Patricia’s residence. When they arrived, Sisilia knocked on the door. After a brief pause, a woman who was mature but still exuded beauty answered the door to the apartment unit.
“Sisilia…” greeted the woman politely.
“Patricia…” Sisilia replied. “May I come in? There’s something I want to tell you.”
Patricia nodded and welcomed Sisilia and Edward into her home, inviting them to sit in the living room. The woman smiled warmly. Although not young anymore, her beauty still shone brightly on her face. Edward couldn’t help but think that Chloe must have inherited her beauty from her mother.
Not wanting to waste much time, Sisilia promptly conveyed the purpose of her visit this afternoon.
“I’m sorry to disturb you for a bit. However, I want to introduce you to this man.” Sisilia shifted her gaze to Edward and gently patted his sturdy shoulder. “This is Edward Martin. He is the husband of Chloe Arley, who happens to be your youngest daughter.”
Patricia remained stunned, her eyes scanning Edward’s appearance from head to toe. There was a look of astonishment on her beautiful face. “Chloe’s husband?” she repeated inquisitively. “Have you found my daughter’s whereabouts?”
Here’s the translation into American English:
Sisilia nodded.
“Thank God, your prayers have finally been answered,” she said gratefully, then continued explaining. “So, Mr. Edward here is the son of Mr. Alexander Edgar Martin and Mrs. Liliana Rose, who happen to be my employers at the place where I work. Fortunately, Mr. Edward married your daughter some time ago.”
Patricia’s gaze shifted to Edward. She looked closely at the man’s face, her expression a mix of emotions, unsure whether to show joy or surprise.
“So… You’re my son-in-law?”
Edward smiled politely, leaning slightly forward to give Patricia a warm hug.
“Yes, I am your son-in-law, Chloe Arley’s husband. I’m delighted to finally meet you here, Mom.”
Patricia was taken aback hearing the word ‘Mom’ coming so effortlessly from Edward’s lips. Her first impression of her son-in-law was that he was polite and friendly.
“I never expected to meet you. But…” She paused for a moment, glancing briefly at Sisilia while muttering, “Chloe doesn’t know about this, right? I mean, you haven’t told her about my existence, have you?”
Edward smiled again.
“Chloe doesn’t know anything about this. As per Aunt Sisilia’s instructions, I kept this information a secret.”
Patricia breathed a sigh of relief. She had her reasons for asking Sisilia to hide her whereabouts.
“It’s not yet time for my daughter to know about me.”
This time, Edward frowned in confusion. This was something he wanted to ask since yesterday. Why should they keep this happy news from Chloe? Especially when he knew that Chloe and Nathalie had been searching for her mother’s whereabouts for a long time.
“If I may ask, why can’t Chloe know about her mother?”
“It’s a long story,” the woman replied. “But I’ll tell you a bit of it, so you understand why I have to keep all of this a secret and continue hiding for years.”
“Hiding?” Edward became more puzzled.