When fate plays its hand

Chapter 0737

Nelly followed the address from the documents and found Mindy’s current residence. Standing outside the wrought iron gate, she tilted her head to take in the villa before her.

From the outside, the neighborhood seemed ordinary enough, but once inside, it was surprisingly pleasant. Even after ending up in such a small place, her sister was somehow living in a villa.

Nelly’s lips curled into a faint smirk. Her younger sister had always been lucky.

Even as children, when they visited a fortune teller, the lady clasped her hands together and declared Minnie’s destiny to be one of great fortune and prosperity. Meanwhile, Nelly would stand to the side, as invisible as a shadow.

Anywhere Minnie went, all attention seemed to gravitate toward her, leaving Nelly in the background.

As she crossed the garden, Nelly reached the front door, adjusted her expression into a polite smile, and pressed the doorbell.

Lionel answered the door. He was planning to make bread for breakfast after hearing from Mindy’s parents that they preferred plain bread with butter over heavy breakfast.

He had just finished kneading some dough when he heard the doorbell, he wiped his hands and opened the door, finding himself face–to–face with a well–dressed woman radiating an air of arrogance.

“Who are you looking for?” Lionel asked.

*Nelly took a moment to study him. He was tall enough and reasonably good–looking, but his clothes were too

plain. He seemed like he was just an average middle–aged man with no sense of style or charm.

“Are you… Lionel Sutton?” Nelly asked, testing the waters.

“Yes, that’s me. And you are?”

What? Minnie had married someone like this?

Lionel could feel the scrutinizing gaze, tinged with judgment, and it left him feeling distinctly uncomfortable. Seeing her hesitation to answer, he frowned slightly and was about to speak again when Mindy’s voice called from behind him.

“Nelly?”

In the living room, Nelly sat on the sofa while Mindy handed her a cup of warm water.

“I remember you don’t like coffee or tea,” Mindy said with a gentle smile. “I wasn’t sure if that’s changed.”

Before coming here, Nelly had imagined countless possibilities. After more than 20 years of wandering, Nelly thought Minnie should have been worn down by life, stripped of the radiance she once had.

marked with dark spots and wrinkles. But now, sitting across from her, the Minnie of her memories remained

almost entirely intact.

After more than two decades, there was no trace of hardship on her face. She still looked as innocent and charming as ever, even gazing at Nelly with that same familiar, trusting expression…

Could that mean… Minnie didn’t remember what she had done?

The reports did say that Minnie had lost her memory and had wandered into Lumberville.

Lost her memory, huh? Nelly exhaled deeply at the thought. The anxiety that had been gnawing at her eased, replaced by a newfound sense of calm.

Nelly smiled as she asked, “How have you been all these years? We nearly went crazy searching for you, especially Mom and Dad…”

With her usual warm smile, Mindy replied, “I’ve been doing well. You haven’t changed a bit, Nelly.”

“I still remember the day you disappeared. The weather was so nice, and we went out shopping together, and NôvelD(ram)a.ôrg owns this content.

then…”

Nelly cautiously brought up that day, watching Mindy’s blank expression closely. Seeing no signs of recognition, she finally let out a breath of relief.

“Mom and Dad have continued to search for you all these years. They thought you’d been kidnapped and taken abroad, only to find out later you’d been there for decades.

“It’s only recently, by sheer coincidence, that we got news about you and were able to reunite. Truly, the

heavens were watching over us…”

Nelly’s voice trembled with emotion, and tears glistened in her eyes. Meanwhile, Mindy listened on the side and felt her heart aching.

The previous evening, her parents had shared bits and pieces of their struggles over the decades but had glossed over the pain, mentioning only the lighter details.

It was now, through Nelly, that Mindy learned the true extent of the effort and hardship they had endured to

find her–something she couldn’t even begin to quantify.

Seeing the tears welling up in Mindy’s eyes and sensing her guilt and sorrow, Nelly shifted the topic. She spoke of Mindy’s favorite stamps and tins of candy, which were still kept safe in their old home.

“I still remember when we went to Grandma’s house. Every time, you’d save the prettiest and tastiest candies for me. But as your older sister, I failed in my duty. I lost you and took so long to find you again.”

Nelly let out a self–deprecating laugh. It looked as if her expression was heavy with guilt and sadness.

Mindy had no memory of her disappearance; her mind was a blank slate regarding that event. But she couldn’t remain indifferent to Nelly’s apparent remorse

“It’s okay, Nelly. We’re reunited now, aren’t we? There’s no need to blame yourself–it wasn’t your fault…”

To Mindy, being able to see her family again was already the greatest gift.

As Mindy softly reassured her and Nelly subtly wiped at her tears, Aren and Fiona descended the stairs.

2.3

The moment Fiona saw Nelly, she froze, her expression immediately darkening. “What are you doing here?” she asked sharply.

Nelly quickly stood. “Dad, Mom.”

Meanwhile, Aren remained silent.

Fiona, however, walked straight to Mindy. She positioned herself protectively as though shielding her daughter from harm.

Mindy was puzzled by this. “Mom?”

Nelly’s eyes flickered briefly before she forced a smile. “I heard Minnie was found, so I flew over from Elgerson as soon as I could. I didn’t realize you both stayed here last night…”

Mindy nodded. “Yeah, Nelly and I were just reminiscing about old times.”

“Oh? What were you talking about?” Fiona’s smile returned, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. Mindy answered, “We were talking about visiting Grandma’s house and fighting over the candy…” Fiona’s face softened as she listened, her heart warming. A faint smile spread across her face. However, when she glanced at Nelly out of the corner of her eye, noticing her lowered gaze and unreadable expression, her heart sank again.

For reasons she couldn’t explain, Fiona harbored a lingering unease about Nelly. It was an instinct, one she trusted deeply. And her instincts had never been wrong.

Yet, without any concrete evidence to support her suspicions, she had no choice but to suppress them for

now.