Perhaps because the memory was too painful and excruciating, Leonhart's breathing slowed, as he continued. "I always remember the scene of her leaving me. Suddenly, in front of me, she hugged another man's arm and told me that she was going to marry that person."
"That scene has always been a thorn in my heart. I felt betrayed, and I hated your mother overnight. But that's where my stupidity lies, I didn't realize that the man she was hugging was her cousin. I only found out when your mother died."
That one memory was so deep that Leonhart's heart felt as if it got eroded and tormented by it.
"How did you learn the news of her death?"
Right now, Leonard's mood is anything but calm, and as he asked in a deep voice, his eyes fixed on the tombstone.
For a story that had been hidden for decades, he vaguely had a three-dimensional sensory impression of his birth mother from his father's statement.
At first, his mother was a cheerful and dedicated individual, but it seemed that she did not want her father to suffer and be humiliated, so she chose to leave the person she loved.
Even if her loved one misunderstood, even if she was hated, she valiantly walked alone, all for the sake of 'love'.
Hearing Leonard's question, Leonhart slowly stood up from the ground. He looked sideways at Leonard and said, "After half a year we broke up, her cousin came to see me half a month before I got married. That's when I realized that she gave birth to a son, who was none other than my own flesh and blood."
"But your mother's condition at that time wasn't good, and since she was pregnant out of wedlock, she was reproached and ostracized by the people in her hometown. Just because she didn't want to abort her pregnancy, her life was in trouble. So her cousin came to see me, explained everything, and told me frankly that if I didn't want you, he would give you to someone else."
"Leonard, I never thought that a misunderstanding would cause your mother to leave me. Even though I hated her back then, I never thought of letting her die. I thought she had betrayed our feelings, but it seems she was just obeying your grandfather's arrangements."
"When I learned all this, I was almost crushed by despair and regret. But I have nowhere to go. I don't love Michelle, but our marriage was there, and I didn't have the ability to stand against your grandfather or even the entire Adler family."
"I'm young and frivolous, but I don't know how high the sky is, and I've been wrong since the beginning of this life. If I hadn't met your mother, all these tragedies probably wouldn't have happened. But if I hadn't met her, I wouldn't have had the happiest two years of my life."
"I took her on a trip through the mountains and we stayed in the old house like an ordinary couple living in harmony day and night. I taught her all the knowledge I had, and every day I saw her studying hard until she fell asleep hugging her textbook. I even remembered the song that was playing on the radio as we looked up at the sky and talked about our childhood."
Speaking of this, Leonhart's voice was choked and hoarse. He swallowed the bitter truth and slowly closed his eyes. "Leonard, I will always remember all the memories of your mother. Now, can you understand why I support you and Mellisa?"
"Because I don't want Mellisa to experience the same pain as Clarissa, and to bear the consequence of the mistakes I've made. I even thought Mellisa was a commoner, but I was still willing to help her and train her. As long as you really like her, as your father, I am willing to perfect the woman you like at all costs."
"I've wasted half my life and become the man in charge of the entire Adler family. Nothing can stop me from wanting to do anything. I have missed my chance and can only regret it for the rest of my life. But you don't have to, because you are my and Clarissa's son."
Leonhart's deep voice echoed the love in his heart, and made Leonard's eyes glow.
His father's love in this world, even though he wasn't good at showing it, he still gave everything to him.
Leonard's breath slightly choked, his lips pursed, and then he comforted in a low voice "Father, it's all over."
He knows how unforgettable his father's pain is.
A few months ago, Melissa left Villa Lakeside at night without a word. His father knew exactly what he felt when sitting alone wondering where she was until dawn.
Fortunately, it was all over.
At this time, Leonhart sighed heavily. When he opened his eyes, he looked at Leonard in front of him. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"
Leonard pondered over and over again, and asked a little hesitantly, "Since you've been hiding it from me for so long, why did you just tell me today? Since I'm not my mother's (Michelle) child, does she also know my origin? Do you... love her?"
Hearing that, Leonhart shook his head and sighed slightly. He took out a box of cigarettes from his trouser pocket.
He took out two cigarettes, handed one to Leonard, his dull eyes staring at the lit cigarette. "In this life, perhaps a man can only give his heart once, and all that I gave to Clarissa."
"Seeing the person you love the most leave with someone else, how many people can just turn around and love someone else in half a month? For the sake of your adoptive mother, I gave her the responsibility and obligation as a husband. Besides, I can't give you anything else."
"Maybe you think it's unfair to her, but you should know that humans are selfish. Before marriage, I frankly told her everything about you."
"Even if she can't accept you, someone else will, and it doesn't have to be her. It's also my responsibility as the successor of the Adler family. You could say… I no longer have a heart to give out to, and all the sparks have disappeared, so it doesn't matter who's laying on my bed."
"You asked why I told you today, huh? Actually, I want you to be mentally prepared first. In one month, I will finalize the divorce with Michelle. As for the future of the Adlers, I will take care of you and Melisa, and when you return, that's when I'll step back."
Leonard couldn't help but look at Leonhart in shock. "Father… You want a divorce?"
"Well, this matter didn't just happen. I already have this plan after you return to Bandung. You have great respect for her in your heart, I always knew that."
"But I couldn't tolerate the child I cared about the most to be manipulated by her over the years. This happens to your wedding plans, and the same applies when you leave Bandung."
"Leonard, you may think I'm cold-blooded, but everyone has to pay for what they do. Apart from not being able to give her love, besides, I never owed her anything. If she hadn't promised that she'd take good care of you, her current position wouldn't fall to her hands."
Hearing this, Leonard did not speak long. He suddenly felt that his father's heavy feeling was pressed against his shoulders like a mountain.
This was the first time he clearly felt that he was in his father's heart.
After half a minute, Leonard calmed his emotions, and watched Leonhart's suffocating smoke with a worried expression on his face. "If you divorce her, what will Lyle do?"
His younger brother, whom his parents had loved so much since he was a child, was also the fifth young master of the Adler family that no one dared to provoke. He had always thought that his father's favorite child was Lyle, not that he was the heir to the family.
Although he has been envious and jealous for years because of being neglected, Lyle is his own brother, he will not do anything that will harm him.
It was only under his accumulated depression that he had an urgent desire to leave the prison that is this mansion.
Therefore, Michelle shouldn't take all the blame when he left Bandung to become a police officer in Jakarta.
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