Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 239: Chapter 239
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Bonnie's expression darkened as soon as she heard my words.
She furrowed her brows slightly. "Do you want to acknowledge Isaac?"
I didn't answer. I just looked at her in silence.
Just as I had suspected, Maddox had no idea I existed.
Back then, my mother had spent her entire life hiding from him, terrified that he would find me.
She was afraid that I would end up like Isaac—sent back to the Parks family.
Even though she had no means to support me and couldn't even protect herself, she still insisted on keeping me by her side.
"Do you hate your mother?" Bonnie asked suddenly after a moment of silence.
"If she had sent you back to the Parks family, maybe you wouldn't have had to suffer with her."
She sighed heavily after speaking.
I shook my head and said in a low voice, "She knew the Parks family was ruthless, which is why she hid my identity all these years. But now, there's no way to keep it a secret anymore."
Bonnie's expression turned even more grim. She gripped my hands tightly. "Laurel, what happened? Did the Parks family find you?"
I hadn't even spoken yet when her face was already filled with panic.
She continued, "The Shepherd family is full of terrible people. Don't be afraid. You're married to Alex now. At least you have some support."
I froze for a moment. It seemed my mother had always known that the Parks family would eventually find me.
That would explain why she had been so eager for me to marry Alex.
Something didn't feel right. I grabbed Bonnie's hand tightly.
"The Parks family hasn't found me yet," I said, frowning.
"My mom took me and hid for years because she was afraid they would. I understand that.
"But she had plenty of chances to marry someone else and deny that I was Maddox's daughter. Yet, she never did. It wasn't because she didn't want to—it was because she was afraid she would drag someone else into danger, wasn't it?"
Bonnie was stunned for a moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. "Laurel, do you know why your mother agreed to your marriage with Alex?"
I shook my head, though deep down, I had always suspected something. My mother never believed Alex's ridiculous story about love at first sight and a years-long crush.
She was always a rational woman. She never thought the way other people did.
"It's because Alex promised her that no matter what danger you faced, he would protect you at all costs."
Bonnie's words left me stunned. My heart clenched.
So that was why... That was why he took that bullet for me.
So, it wasn't for me. It was for the promise he made to my mother.
I should have known. A man who refused to let me keep our child could never truly risk his life for me. It had never been about love. It was about fulfilling his word.
"Aunt Bonnie, I want to know why my mom divorced Maddox back then. If she really hated him, why did she still give me his last name?"
Bonnie let out a soft sigh, her anxious expression easing slightly. "Maddox moved to Westgate Street when he was a junior in high school. Back then, he wasn't valued by the Parks family.
"After all, he wasn't their only heir. He had two older brothers ahead of him.
"And they were both outstanding. One got into the police academy, and the other studied at a top medical school.
"Honestly, everything that happened was fate. The Parks family wanted your grandfather to tutor Maddox, but you know how stubborn your grandfather was.
"He would never agree to privately tutor some rich family's son. If they wanted to learn from him, they had to follow his rules.
"Maddox wanted to get into a good college, so he had no choice but to set aside his pride. He had his driver take him to your grandfather's house for lessons."
As Bonnie spoke, I couldn't help but picture it in my mind—a young girl falling for a wealthy heir who seemed to have stepped right out of a novel. It was inevitable that she would lose herself in him.
There was no denying that Maddox must have been incredibly attractive in his younger years, easily catching the eye of many wealthy young women.
Otherwise, the heiress of the Shepherd family wouldn't have set her sights on a married man with a child.
"Your grandfather had many students, but the one he admired the most was Maddox."
I was momentarily stunned. My grandfather was extremely strict, and very few people ever earned his approval.
But I knew him too well. No matter how much he admired someone, they would never be good enough to marry his daughter.
When I was young, he would often lecture me about love and marriage.
He always said, "Dating is just dating. Marriage is marriage. The two are completely different."
Looking at it now, he was right. Love could be passionate and intense, but when it came to marriage, people rarely ended up with the person they once loved so deeply.
To my grandfather, social status was important.
It wasn't just about money or family background.
The real issue was the fundamental gap between people—a gap that was impossible to bridge.
He was born into wealth and privilege, never knowing a day of struggle. What he spent in a single day could easily exceed what an average family lived on for an entire year.
To someone like that, money was just a number—something they could spend without a second thought.
But for those from ordinary families, that money came from their parents' hard work, earned through years of sacrifice.
They grew up in different environments, received different educations, and even developed completely different values.
Bonnie took a deep breath and continued, "When your grandfather found out your mother was with Maddox, he was completely against it."
I looked at her, seeing the way she seemed lost in old memories. With a sigh, I muttered, "I never thought my mother, who was always so timid, would actually go against Grandpa's wishes.
"That's exactly why she never went back home all these years."
I sighed. It seemed that being blind when it came to men was something I inherited from my mother.
"But even if Maddox moved on to someone else, did he really have to destroy her completely?" My heart ached for my mother.
She left everything behind for him, followed him without hesitation, and in the end, she got nothing.
Bonnie's eyes darkened, her expression turning grave.
"Your mother was forced out by Melody back then," she said, anger flaring in her eyes.
"She had the Shepherd family behind her, so she demanded your mother leave with nothing. Otherwise, she wouldn't let your brother go."
The moment I heard that, I knew Melody was just trying to scare my mother.
If something had happened to Isaac, the eldest grandson of the Parks family, right after Melody married in, everyone would have suspected her.
Bonnie's gaze fell on me, her voice laced with concern. "Laurel, your mother never wished for you to be rich and powerful.
"All she ever wanted was for you to live a safe and peaceful life. The Parks family is far too complicated..."
"Aunt Bonnie, just because I back down doesn't mean Kailyn will let me go so easily."
She furrowed her brows slightly. "Do you want to acknowledge Isaac?"
I didn't answer. I just looked at her in silence.
Just as I had suspected, Maddox had no idea I existed.
Back then, my mother had spent her entire life hiding from him, terrified that he would find me.
She was afraid that I would end up like Isaac—sent back to the Parks family.
Even though she had no means to support me and couldn't even protect herself, she still insisted on keeping me by her side.
"Do you hate your mother?" Bonnie asked suddenly after a moment of silence.
"If she had sent you back to the Parks family, maybe you wouldn't have had to suffer with her."
She sighed heavily after speaking.
I shook my head and said in a low voice, "She knew the Parks family was ruthless, which is why she hid my identity all these years. But now, there's no way to keep it a secret anymore."
Bonnie's expression turned even more grim. She gripped my hands tightly. "Laurel, what happened? Did the Parks family find you?"
I hadn't even spoken yet when her face was already filled with panic.
She continued, "The Shepherd family is full of terrible people. Don't be afraid. You're married to Alex now. At least you have some support."
I froze for a moment. It seemed my mother had always known that the Parks family would eventually find me.
That would explain why she had been so eager for me to marry Alex.
Something didn't feel right. I grabbed Bonnie's hand tightly.
"The Parks family hasn't found me yet," I said, frowning.
"My mom took me and hid for years because she was afraid they would. I understand that.
"But she had plenty of chances to marry someone else and deny that I was Maddox's daughter. Yet, she never did. It wasn't because she didn't want to—it was because she was afraid she would drag someone else into danger, wasn't it?"
Bonnie was stunned for a moment. Then, slowly, she nodded. "Laurel, do you know why your mother agreed to your marriage with Alex?"
I shook my head, though deep down, I had always suspected something. My mother never believed Alex's ridiculous story about love at first sight and a years-long crush.
She was always a rational woman. She never thought the way other people did.
"It's because Alex promised her that no matter what danger you faced, he would protect you at all costs."
Bonnie's words left me stunned. My heart clenched.
So that was why... That was why he took that bullet for me.
So, it wasn't for me. It was for the promise he made to my mother.
I should have known. A man who refused to let me keep our child could never truly risk his life for me. It had never been about love. It was about fulfilling his word.
"Aunt Bonnie, I want to know why my mom divorced Maddox back then. If she really hated him, why did she still give me his last name?"
Bonnie let out a soft sigh, her anxious expression easing slightly. "Maddox moved to Westgate Street when he was a junior in high school. Back then, he wasn't valued by the Parks family.
"After all, he wasn't their only heir. He had two older brothers ahead of him.
"And they were both outstanding. One got into the police academy, and the other studied at a top medical school.
"Honestly, everything that happened was fate. The Parks family wanted your grandfather to tutor Maddox, but you know how stubborn your grandfather was.
"He would never agree to privately tutor some rich family's son. If they wanted to learn from him, they had to follow his rules.
"Maddox wanted to get into a good college, so he had no choice but to set aside his pride. He had his driver take him to your grandfather's house for lessons."
As Bonnie spoke, I couldn't help but picture it in my mind—a young girl falling for a wealthy heir who seemed to have stepped right out of a novel. It was inevitable that she would lose herself in him.
There was no denying that Maddox must have been incredibly attractive in his younger years, easily catching the eye of many wealthy young women.
Otherwise, the heiress of the Shepherd family wouldn't have set her sights on a married man with a child.
"Your grandfather had many students, but the one he admired the most was Maddox."
I was momentarily stunned. My grandfather was extremely strict, and very few people ever earned his approval.
But I knew him too well. No matter how much he admired someone, they would never be good enough to marry his daughter.
When I was young, he would often lecture me about love and marriage.
He always said, "Dating is just dating. Marriage is marriage. The two are completely different."
Looking at it now, he was right. Love could be passionate and intense, but when it came to marriage, people rarely ended up with the person they once loved so deeply.
To my grandfather, social status was important.
It wasn't just about money or family background.
The real issue was the fundamental gap between people—a gap that was impossible to bridge.
He was born into wealth and privilege, never knowing a day of struggle. What he spent in a single day could easily exceed what an average family lived on for an entire year.
To someone like that, money was just a number—something they could spend without a second thought.
But for those from ordinary families, that money came from their parents' hard work, earned through years of sacrifice.
They grew up in different environments, received different educations, and even developed completely different values.
Bonnie took a deep breath and continued, "When your grandfather found out your mother was with Maddox, he was completely against it."
I looked at her, seeing the way she seemed lost in old memories. With a sigh, I muttered, "I never thought my mother, who was always so timid, would actually go against Grandpa's wishes.
"That's exactly why she never went back home all these years."
I sighed. It seemed that being blind when it came to men was something I inherited from my mother.
"But even if Maddox moved on to someone else, did he really have to destroy her completely?" My heart ached for my mother.
She left everything behind for him, followed him without hesitation, and in the end, she got nothing.
Bonnie's eyes darkened, her expression turning grave.
"Your mother was forced out by Melody back then," she said, anger flaring in her eyes.
"She had the Shepherd family behind her, so she demanded your mother leave with nothing. Otherwise, she wouldn't let your brother go."
The moment I heard that, I knew Melody was just trying to scare my mother.
If something had happened to Isaac, the eldest grandson of the Parks family, right after Melody married in, everyone would have suspected her.
Bonnie's gaze fell on me, her voice laced with concern. "Laurel, your mother never wished for you to be rich and powerful.
"All she ever wanted was for you to live a safe and peaceful life. The Parks family is far too complicated..."
"Aunt Bonnie, just because I back down doesn't mean Kailyn will let me go so easily."
End of Falling For My Ex's Uncle Chapter 239. Continue reading Chapter 240 or return to Falling For My Ex's Uncle book page.