Chapter 458: Kinship Endures
Chapter 458: Chapter 458: Kinship Endures
Zachary Preston was deeply moved. He said quickly, "You silly girl, I haven’t done anything for you! And I might have to spend the rest of my life in a wheelchair. That wouldn’t be fair to you!"
"Dad, if you really make me leave, I’ll be a homeless orphan!" Vera Xavier said softly. She hadn’t experienced much warmth in this life or her last, and Zachary Preston was one of the few who had shown her any.
Although she knew Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell were her biological parents, she had never met them. All she knew was that Mr. Caldwell absolutely doted on Susan Caldwell, while Mrs. Caldwell, a weapons expert, seemed to be a strict and aloof person.
Because she didn’t know them, she never expected to receive any warmth from Mr. and Mrs. Caldwell.
She only wanted to expose Susan Caldwell’s true identity and stop her from continuing to abuse her status. She had never considered returning to the Caldwell family.
Since her rebirth, Zachary Preston had taken excellent care of her, and she genuinely wanted to care for him in return. For her, this home—with grandparents who doted on her and Zachary Preston who treated her with true kindness—was enough.
Zachary Preston said quickly, "I’m not trying to drive you away. If you want to, you can still live here at the Preston residence!"
Vera Xavier looked at him and said, "If I’m living in the Preston home, then that makes me your daughter! Or in your heart, am I the same kind of person as Cara Preston?"
Zachary Preston instantly understood what she meant. Neither she nor Cara was his biological daughter. He had raised Cara for eighteen years, yet she had taken everything for granted. In contrast, he had only looked after Vera for a little over half a year, yet she was willing to stay in the Preston home and take care of him.
He murmured, "Of course you and Cara are different, but..."
"There are no buts." Vera Xavier bit her lip and said, "In my heart, you are my father. Kinship can’t be bought with money. Rona Langdon’s whereabouts are unknown, my brother has made it clear he’s siding with her and won’t be taking care of you, Dad, and Cara Preston is gone too. We’re a family now, and we only have each other."
Zachary Preston’s heart swelled with emotion. He never would have imagined that his wife and children would all abandon him, and that the one remaining by his side would be this young woman he had cared for for just over half a year.
He said softly, "Vera, you need to think this through. I’m really just a burden!"
Vera Xavier smiled faintly. "I don’t see it that way. When you’re family, no one is a burden to anyone else. Besides, I believe you can recover, Dad. On my trip to Yulara, I found a remedy that’s very effective for treating the aftereffects of a stroke. As long as you take it consistently, you’ll be well on your way to a full recovery!"
Hearing this, Zachary Preston sighed. To him, her words sounded like nothing more than an attempt to comfort him.
’Even if I make a full recovery, I’ll never get my old job back,’ he thought. ’My position was filled as soon as I fell ill. I’ve always been an upright man, but that job was a lucrative post. Plenty of people have wanted to take my place for a long time.’
’But I don’t need to think about all that right now. I just have to focus on getting better as quickly as possible, so I don’t become a burden to Vera.’
After leaving the military compound, Cara Preston walked down the street, carrying all her money and clothes. She felt a mix of excitement and apprehension. She was excited because she finally had money and could live the life she had always dreamed of.
Her apprehension, however, stemmed from the fact that she had never lived on her own before. From now on, she would have to do everything for herself, like cooking and doing laundry.