Debbie put her doubts behind her, and joined Carlos to make arrangements for Douglas' funeral. What else could she do? She had no answers, and no one would give her any. In the dead of the night, Carlos pulled Debbie close, tears streaming down his face. He started pouring out his feelings about his grandpa.
It was the first time that she had seen him cry. His voice was choked with emotion.
Her heart broke. She tried to comfort him by stroking his head and kissing his cheeks. In a soft voice, she said, "Grandpa passed away, but you still have us. Honey, please stop crying. Grandpa's watching you from heaven. I'm sure he wants you to be happy."
Carlos held Debbie tighter for a second, his eyes closed. He took in her unique fragrance, and finally relaxed. By her side, he was a king. She could always make him feel better.
After what seemed like forever, he finally got a hold of himself. Then he whispered a shocking secret in her ear.
She stared at him, eyes wide and mouth agape. He nodded at her with firm eyes.
It turned out that her joke was actually reality.
She still remembered her first visit to the Huo family's residence. Carlos' father had thrown a thick book at him. She had once asked James and Valerie whether they were really Carlos' family.
Now Valerie was truly Carlos' grandma, but James was not his biological father.
No wonder James didn't act much like a father to Carlos.
No wonder Miranda was always nice to Debbie, but uncaring toward Lewis. Actually, Miranda was Carlos' biological mother and Debbie's real mother-in-law.
Instead of James and Tabitha, Wade and Miranda were Carlos' biological parents. That was the secret that the Huo family had kept all these years.
Valerie had once exposed that Lewis was not Miranda and Wade's biological son. Actually, Lewis was James and Tabitha's son.
Everything made sense to Debbie now.
Carlos was cold and aloof, just like Miranda.
Lewis was unfaithful like James and cowardly like Tabitha.
More than twenty years ago, Wade and Miranda had two sons, Frasier and Brooks. James and Tabitha had been married for several years, but produced no offspring.
James and Tabitha went to a fertility doctor to find out why. The doctor told them that James was afflicted with low sperm motility—his sperm wasn't healthy. Unable to accept the truth, James always threw tantrums for no reason and Tabitha cried every day.
Then Miranda got pregnant again. She went to the hospital and the doctor told her the infant was a boy. Valerie asked Miranda, who already had two sons, to give the baby to James and Tabitha after giving birth.
Miranda, of course, refused at first. But Valerie and Tabitha always cried in front of her, and Miranda felt sorry for them.
The Huo family members lived under the same roof. If Miranda gave the baby to James and Tabitha, she could still see her son every day. Despite her reluctance, she gave the boy to James and Tabitha after he was born. That boy, of course, was none other than Carlos.
Unexpectedly, when Carlos was a year old, Tabitha got pregnant.
James had beaten her after he found out, and insisted she must have cheated on him. During the third trimester, she underwent a paternity test, and it proved the baby was James'.
They had raised Carlos for a year and gotten quite attached. They were not willing to return him to Wade and Miranda. Valerie intervened in it again, and James and Tabitha gave their new born boy to Wade and Miranda instead. That boy was Lewis.
Then the two boys grew up.
Carlos became a successful businessman, yet Lewis was a playboy and spendthrift. Their parents kept this from the two men all this time.
Douglas had admitted all this to Carlos before his death. And now Carlos told Debbie. But none of the other family members knew that Carlos had been informed.
That was when Debbie remembered what Miranda had told her at the hospital. She guessed that Miranda knew Douglas would tell Carlos the truth.
After a couple of days, Carlos took Douglas' ashes back to Y City and poured them in the river in front of the Huo family's old house.
This was the so-called "fallen leaves returning to the roots."
Although the Huo family members had spent awhile preparing for Douglas' death, they still couldn't accept it. Valerie fell ill and remained in bed. When Carlos took Douglas' ashes back to Y City, Debbie stayed in New York to take care of Valerie. She didn't leave the city until she had to go to England for exams.
Everything seemed to go back to normal. Half a month passed, and it would be Curtis and Colleen's wedding soon.
Staring at the calendar, Debbie mused, 'Curtis and Colleen's wedding is in a week. So when should I fly back? I miss Carlos so much.'
After they separated, Carlos called her from time to time. But she was too proud to tell him how much she missed him. But she still cared for him. She called Emmett to ask about Carlos' health. She felt relieved after knowing that Carlos had recovered.
Before long, some bad news came from Y City. This was urgent. She immediately packed her belongings and flew back.
Kasie had been in a car accident.
It was a hit-and-run, and Kasie was still in a coma.
The moment she stepped off the plane, Debbie hailed a taxi and went directly to the hospital where Kasie was recuperating.
Kasie's mother, Mia Fu, who used to be bright and bubbly, was a changed woman. She sat beside the bed, weeping quietly.
Kasie's father, Mason Zheng, sat on the couch with a deep frown marring his features.
When she saw Debbie, Mia Fu wiped her tears and forced a smile. "Hi Debbie! When did you fly back?"
Debbie dropped her suitcase and came over to them. "Hi Uncle Mason, Aunt Mia. I just got off the plane. How's Kasie?"
Mason Zheng stood up to his feet and sighed, "She's not well. Kasie is still in a coma. She had a broken rib, a broken left leg and a slight concussion…"
Debbie's heart broke at his words. Tears welled in her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. Her world got darker. She stood beside the bed and looked at the girl.
There were scratches on her face. Her forehead was swathed in bandage. Her leg was in a plaster cast. She looked pretty bad.
Debbie didn't even dare to touch her friend. In a choked voice, she asked Kasie's parents, "What happened? How did she get like this?"
"She was hit by a car when she was out for a walk. The driver took off," Mason Zheng said through gritted teeth. "Once I find out who did this, I'll kill him with my bare hands."
A hit-and-run accident? Debbie's heart skipped a beat. "That bastard! We need to find him! Where did she get hit? Did you call the police?"
"Yes, we called the police. She got hit on Poplar Road. The CCTV camera was broken, though, so we don't have footage. The case is still under investigation."
