Mr. CEO's Substitute Bride
Chapter 20. Xiao Li, if you feel it’s tough, then leave.

Chapter 20: 20. Xiao Li, if you feel it’s tough, then leave.

Titus Zane, shouldering her bag, went straight to the staircase, "Mom, I’m heading back to my room."

"Alright, go rest a bit. I’ll call you when the meal is ready."

Ariana Evans responded with a smile. She seemed much more indulgent towards Titus, her eldest daughter, than her younger one.

Ariana Evans personally brewed a pot of tea, placed it on the coffee table, and as she poured the tea into a cup, she said.

"Nathan, please have some tea first. Your Uncle Titus will come down to chat with you after his video conference is over."

Ariana Evans recognized Nathan Moore’s excellence but wasn’t quite satisfied with how he got along with his in-laws.

Whether it was his naturally subdued demeanor or because he was an orphan, even though he had married her daughter, he was not close to his in-laws at all. Nearly a year into their marriage, he still called them ’Uncle’ and ’Aunt,’ which was really discomforting to hear.

"Thank you."

Nathan Moore nodded slightly, his thin lips curling up a bit.

Putting down the teapot, Ariana stood up, "Olivia, keep Nathan company for a bit. I’m going upstairs to check on something."

Olivia replied, "Okay, Mom, you go ahead." Ariana had already headed towards the staircase.

Back in her own room, Titus Zane shut the door, leaned against it, closed her eyes, and her pale face showed her fatigue.

In the past year, Nathan Moore had kept her confined at home; although she didn’t have to work or have restrictions on her movements, she still felt very tired—emotionally exhausted.

She sighed deeply, opened her eyes, just about to lie down on the bed for a rest, when a knock sounded at the door.

"Lily, Mom’s coming in."

Titus Zane turned around, opened the door, and her mother, Ariana Evans, stood in front with a tray in her hands.

"Mom..." All the exhaustion and grievances that she held back, could no longer be concealed in front of her mother. Titus reached out to hook her mother’s neck, burying her face into her mother’s shoulder, closing her eyes in fatigue.

At this moment, she just wanted a shoulder to lean on.

Ariana Evans sighed, patting her daughter’s back with one hand and said with a heartache, "Mom knows, you’ve been wronged."

A statement stark with a mother’s helplessness.

"Mm," a muffled voice came from Ariana’s shoulder. Only in front of her mother did Titus show her most vulnerable side.

"Ah,"

Ariana sighed again, lifting her hand to gently stroke her daughter’s long hair, "Lily, if it’s too hard, just leave."

Although leaving might provoke that man and bring risks to the family, Ariana didn’t want her daughter to suffer.

Titus lifted her head, her pale lips slightly curved, feigning displeasure.

"Mom, I’ve been drifting outside for over ten years, can you really bear to send me away?"

"I can’t bear it, how could Mom bear it?" Ariana said, understanding her daughter’s feelings well. If possible, who would want to be tied down by a man who views them as an enemy?

While they both understood these truths, they were powerless to change them.

Titus linked her arm with her mother’s, and the mother and daughter walked into the bedroom together.

"Lily, scraping the womb is harmful to your body, take more care. Rest in bed more, walk less, after all, you’re still in your postpartum period. Look at you, not even wearing more clothes in this windy weather."

Ariana put the tray on the small round table by the floor-to-ceiling window, unable to help but chide.

"I know, Mom." Titus smiled as she looped her arms around her mother’s neck.

"Alright, such an adult still acting coy, not afraid of being laughed at." Although Ariana spoke thus, her face was filled with a loving expression.

"Mom made you red date soup, drink it while it’s warm, it helps replenish blood."

"Thanks, Mom." Titus smiled and kissed her mother on the cheek.

"This child." Ariana shook her head in resignation.

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