Ivan's tone sounded joking, but his words pierced Erika's inner thoughts sharply.
Erika couldn't help but be silent.
At this time, Ivan looked at Erika's self-deprecating eyebrows, and reached out and pushed the teacup in front of him. "Erika, do you know why I wanted to bring you back home?"
Erika quivered, turning her head to look at the garden outside the tea room. "Actually, after being away for so long, I really never thought of coming back."
She made a big mistake, and she didn't have the face to go home.
But when she was completely helpless, she was forced to call her older brother to find her a place to live.
Over the years, she had given up her superior identity just to live with Samuel, she had even lost her true self, hurting her parents and the people she knew.
Thinking of this, the emotions in Erika's heart made it hard for her to breathe.
At this moment, Ivan was holding a cup and sipping tea, but his eyes remained fixed on Erika's face.
The two were silent for a while, and after Ivan tasted the tea, Ivan then said with a smile. "Even though you don't want to come back, I still have to bring you back. Erika, after all these years, if you have a good life, all is well. But facts have proven that your life is not very good, I even think of it as very sad!"
"Therefore, I do not hesitate to press anyone who dares to oppose my decision to give you the inheritance rights of the family. I'm doing this so that people know who you really are. I did all this so that I can protect you when the man you call as husband is courageous enough to try to take you back."
"Twenty years have passed, but the things you carry in your suitcase are exactly the same as the things you brought when you left home. You are the only daughter of the Laibahas family, this kind of thing is nothing but abuse and defamation of our family."
"I've investigated the Hiroshi family, it is one of the biggest families in Surabaya. If indeed Samuel married you without knowing who you really are and that he did everything half-hearted, I can understand it because the job of the head of the family is indeed to produce offspring and find a good wife."
"But what about you? Raising a child that isn't yours for him, doing housework for him, being stuck in the house like a bird, even what kind of pathetic ring is that on your finger?! You have done so much for him, what has he given you?"
"Since you are the daughter of the Laibahas family, as the head of the family, I must teach him how despicable his actions are and how high your status really is."
Ivan was not a man who could speak cleverly. But when it came to his only sister, who had been missing for 20 years and lived a miserable life, he couldn't accept it!
This heart-to-heart statement made Erika's eyes widen. "Brother, thank you. I know you treated me well, but you don't have to. I'm glad that you've accepted me back. I haven't done anything for our family in years, but the thing about me being unhappy… that's not true at all. This matter shouldn't leave this house because obviously, it will make people laugh!"
Hearing this, Ivan slowly stood up from the table. "Erika, sometimes it's really hard for me to understand how much you love that man. You have suffered for years and have never fought it at all. If I did not receive your call that day, what would you do?"
Erika looked back at Ivan and smiled. "If that's true, then I might… I'd go to a random small town. Even if I have to work part time, at least I can still eat and find shelter."
Ivan suddenly turned around, the gentle smile of her younger sister never changed. "Ever since you were a child, this stubborn temper of yours hasn't changed! Forget about the past. The important thing is that you're back, so don't talk about disturbing things."
"I called you here now because I wanted to ask you. If Samuel came to Jakarta to find you, are you still planning to go back with him?"
At this moment, Erika shook her head with a light smile. "No!"
Erika answered again in a very simple soft tone, and without any hesitation. "It took me twenty years to get to this point, and now I want to live for myself."
Ivan asked with a serious expression in the same place, "Is all this worth it even though twenty years have passed?"
Hearing the voice, Erika looked at Ivan calmly. "Brother, there's no point in asking like that now. In the past 20 years, my life has not been difficult at all. Although sometimes I feel a little tired, after all, it is all my own choice. I was willing to pay for what I sowed at that time, so I don't regret it at all."
"From the first day I met him, I had fallen in love with him and decided to stand beside him. What's more, during those 20 years I only did my duty as a wife. At that time, Merry was still very small and it took a lot of energy to take care of her. There was no way I could take care of one more child at that time."
"Frankly speaking, I've just realized something that most women probably won't understand. Leaving him and finding new happiness was much easier than making him fall in love with me. So even though this took me 20 years, that feeling of regret is no longer with me."
These words made Ivan's fingertips tremble, his face was flooded full of emotion.
He never thought that Erika's love for Samuel would be so sincere.
But even if she suffered injustice, this younger sister could still face her failure gracefully.
In the end, Erika was his own sister, so even if she smiled in front of him, Ivan still felt pressured.
The man then took a deep breath. "Do you still love him?"
Erika nodded casually and honestly admitted her concern. "My feelings may still tell me not to give up. However, even if he is still in my heart, I have no reason to stay with him anymore."
She loved Samuel since her youth.
But like times, over the years, her feelings were gradually lost…
Erika's love story reminded people of how hard it was to get rid of the imprint one left behind in someone's heart, and it wouldn't be too far-fetched to say that sometimes, it felt like killing oneself over and over again.
The process may be painful, but Erika believes that time will speed things up.
Maybe she still loves him, but she never thought about reuniting with Samuel.
In this life, after twenty years, she was really tired.
After a long time, Ivan adjusted his emotions and said, "Erika, remember every word you said to me today. I've brought you back to our family home. I definitely won't let him take you back, okay?"
"Brother, you don't need to worry. I'm already grateful that you're willing to accept me, I won't leave this place like I used to."
Erika took a sip while holding the teacup, there was firmness and determination hidden in her gentle eyes.
After seeing this, Ivan said, "Then I will believe you. Our family just got the news, it seems Samuel has found your real identity, it is said that he is on his way to our city."
Erika looked nonchalant and nodded. "Jakarta has a nice view, it's a great place for a vacation."
"Do you think he came to spend the holidays?" Ivan asked, slightly amused.
Erika looked at him, and said lightly, "It doesn't matter what he's here for, it has nothing to do with me, right?"
Since she already decided to break up with him, why would she put herself in a dilemma again?!
Her love story was too painful, but feeling this bitterness once was more than enough.
Hearing this, Ivan looked deeply into Erika's cheeks, then spread his eyebrows in relief and smiled.
Perhaps the other party never knew that his sister was the typical gentle on the outside and strong on the inside.. If she said she had given it up, she would never take it again.
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