When Shannon hadn't heard from Leena for a long time, she grew anxious and couldn't stay still. For this reason, she found herself coming to S City for a visit. Entering her son's apartment, she sought for her daughter-in-law but to no avail. The woman was simply nowhere to be seen.
However, Shannon's presence under his roof surprised Kevin. He hadn't found the right time to tell her about Leena's disappearance yet, and didn't think that he would have to do it some time soon. In fact, he never expected Shannon to come without prior notice. Taken aback, he rushed towards her.
"Mom, what brings you here?" he asked. "You should have called me first." Taking her bags immediately from her shoulder, he carried them to the living room. Luckily, it was the weekend and he was at home.
"Can't I visit my son when I feel like it?" Shannon asked angrily. She had asked about Leena's situation on the phone several times. But Kevin, who was great at deflecting, only told her that Leena had gone to Paris. That was it.
"I didn't mean it that way, Mom," he said, as she sat on the sofa. "Tea or water?" She was one of the few people who wasn't a fan of coffee. Shannon gave him a brief, surprised look before looking away.
"Iced water!" Rolling her eyes, she expected Leena to appear out of nowhere. Despite knowing she wasn't around, she couldn't help but hope to be surprised.
"That doesn't sound like a good idea," said Kevin, frowning. "I'll pour you a glass of warm water." It was freezing cold outside, and Kevin wasn't sure if Shannon was only trying to spite him.
"Where's Leena?" she asked, just before he could leave to fetch the drink. "Has she not come back yet?" she persisted stubbornly. Her eyes roamed across her son's face, never missing a single expression. His hesitance spoke a thousand words she didn't want to hear.
"Uh," he said, "I'll talk about it with you later. Let me make you something to eat first." With his mother coming over by surprise, Kevin was unprepared and couldn't think of the best way to tell her the truth. Worrying her mother was the last thing he wa
. This was exactly what he feared to happen.
"Fine!" snapped Shannon. "Just tell me why Leena suddenly left. I won't... I won't make any more presumptions until you're done." Calming down, she realized that her emotions got the better of her. She took deep breaths, and pursed her lips tightly in anticipation of Kevin's explanation.
"Leena... It's extremely difficult for her to get pregnant," Kevin said, feeling his chest tighten as soon as he mentioned it. If only he'd known about the status of Leena's health from the beginning, he would have refrained from expressing his affection for having children to her. He might have even insisted that he didn't want kids at all. Because of him, Leena probably believed that it was better she left since she couldn't give what he was dying to have. As her husband, Kevin hadn't even noticed that she wasn't herself. He just couldn't forgive himself for it. What an uncaring and incompetent husband he was!
"So?" pressed Shannon. She just couldn't understand why Leena would leave because of it. Unless... She looked at Kevin and asked, "Did you express any regrets because of it?" As Shannon really admired Leena, she couldn't help but side with her as soon as Kevin finished talking. Her son was at a loss for words. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, thinking, 'I'm your son! Yet you act like Leena is your daughter, and I'm just an outsider.'
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