At the thought of George and the baby in her stomach, it was very difficult for her to disregard everything for her sake.
When Edward came downstairs and saw Jeanne alone, with Susan nowhere to be seen, he figured that Jeanne must have told her to leave.
In fact, he could vaguely guess what Jeanne wanted to talk to Susan about when she called the latter over.
Jeanne sending Susan away did not mean that she cared about him, but rather, it meant that she wanted to leave a good impression on Susan for the future, for everyone who was still alive in the family.
Edward walked to Jeanne’s side.
Jeanne turned to look at him and said, “Susan said she’ll be leaving first.”
“Okay.” Edward nodded, acting as if he did not know anything. He said, “My dad called me just now and said he wanted to see you.”
Jeanne looked at Edward.
“My dad is not in good health anymore,” Edward said.
“What’s wrong?” Jeanne asked.
She had heard that Old Master Swan was sick, but she thought that it was just a common illness.
Obviously, Edward’s solemness meant that it was not just a common illness.
“Lung cancer. Late stage,” Edward replied.
Jeanne looked straight at Edward.
“The doctor said he’ll pass on in the next few days.”
Jeanne pursed her lips.
Although she had always known that Edward was hiding a lot of things, she did not know that he had really suffered so much. Edward must have known it for more than a day or two, but he had never told anyone.
With that, she said, “Okay, I’ll go.”
Edward helped Jeanne up from the sofa. Then, Jeanne got into the car that was parked at Bamboo Garden.
That was the first time she had left that courtyard since she returned. After all, to the Swans, she was no longer alive, so she could not enter and leave as she pleased.
At that moment, it was obvious that the area had been cleared because when she arrived at Universal Garden, almost no one was there.
Even when she walked into Old Master Swan’s room, only Wade was there to accompany the old man. The family doctor and the others were not around.
Zachary sat up from his bed when he saw Jeanne, and Wade quickly supported Old Master Swan so that the latter could sit better.
The entire process of lying down and getting up took Old Master Swan at least ten minutes. He was even panting after that.
Jeanne took it all in, and so did Edward.
When Zachary finally sat up, he said, “You guys can go out first. I want to have a few words with Jeanne alone.”
Wade nodded and said to Edward, “Let’s go out and wait.”
Edward glanced at Jeanne before he walked out, leaving only Zachary and Jeanne in the room.
Zachary seemed to smile at Jeanne before he said, “I still vaguely remember how you looked when you came to look for Edward a few years ago.”
Stunned, Jeanne looked at Zachary. She did not expect him to suddenly bring up the past.
“At that time, I really didn’t expect that so much would happen between you and Edward or that you would really be with Edward. I’ve always heard that you and Eden were dating, but I never thought that you would become Edward’s wife one day.”
Jeanne did not expect that either.
Back then, she really did not want to have any interaction with Fourth Master Swan because she still felt that he was beyond her reach. Yet now, she had suddenly become the person closest to her.
“Eden… He’s no longer around is he?” Old Master Swan asked.
Jeanne looked at Old Master Swan and nodded slowly.
Only a few people knew about Eden’s death. Jeanne assumed that Edward had already guessed it but did not say it out loud.
However, Old Master Swan had also guessed it but did not say it out loud. Only at the last moment did he confirm it by receiving an affirmative answer from Jeanne.
Old Master Swan could not help but be a little emotional. He sighed heavily. “I can’t get away from the fact that what became of Eden is my fault. I’ve spent too much time and energy on Edward and basically neglected everyone else in the family. It’s only reasonable for Henry and Eden to target Edward. I really didn’t fulfill my responsibility as a father.”
“You had your own responsibilities,” Jeanne comforted him.
At that moment, Zachary shook his head. “That responsibility has caused Edward to suffer.”
Jeanne did not say anything.
At that moment, she even tacitly agreed.
If Old Master Swan had not promised to give birth to Alex’s biological brother, Edward would not have had to go through so many horrible things.
“Edward has always hated me,” Old Master Swan said. As he spoke, his eyes turned red.
“No,” Jeanne said bluntly. “He has never hated you.”
Old Master Swan chuckled softly. It was obvious that he did not trust her. I’m actually much more relieved now. When I first found out that I was sick, I felt very guilty about Edward. I thought back on my life and wondered what my so-called loyalty left behind in this world.”