They Chose the Nanny, I Chose to Stop Funding Them Chapter 10
My parents were at their wits’ end, but there was nothing they could do about the situation. After all, they were the ones who had adopted Julia in the first place. If word got out, they would only be humiliating themselves.
If my parents mentioned kicking Julia out, she would immediately throw a tantrum by rolling on the floor, crying and screaming at the top of her lungs. “You adopted me, didn’t you? It’s only natural for me to live in your home!
“How dare you throw me out! If you do, I’ll go around the neighborhood telling everyone you abuse your daughter! Then we’ll see if you still have the nerve to continue living here!”
My parents didn’t know what to do anymore and could only sigh in frustration all day.
Julia had turned the house into an absolute mess. There was trash everywhere, and meals were often just makeshift instant boxed meals thrown together. My parents lived like they were walking on eggshells every day) afraid of upsetting her and causing another huge scene.
They looked around at the empty house and at Julia’s ferocious face, and realized that they missed me more than ever. When I was around, the house would always be neat and tidy, and I would always be concerned and caring
about them.
The more they thought of it, the more they regretted it.
One morning, Julia left the house all dolled-up, saying that she was going to go shopping for new clothes. She even grabbed the few hundred dollars Mom had left lying on the table before leaving the house, humming happily under her breath.
My parents stared at her disappearing figure and exchanged glances with each other. They saw the resolute looks in each other’s eyes.
They couldn’t possibly continue living like this. They had to get rid of Julia. If not, they would never have peace for the rest of their lives, and the house might even end up falling into her hands ultimately.
Dad immediately took out his phone and called the locksmith from before, asking him to hurry over and change the locks as quickly as possible. He sounded extremely urgent on the phone, worried sick that Julia was going to come home earlier and catch them in the act.
The locksmith worked quickly, changing the locks in less than half an hour.
My parents were determined to get rid of Julia once and for all. They didn’t think much and just packed a light suitcase, bought train tickets to Berrington, and rode for nearly 12 hours before finally arriving.
They didn’t know my exact address, so they could only ask around. They remembered the name of my company I’d mentioned once in passing, and finally found the office building.
It was December, and the temperature in Berrington had dropped. They were wearing thick layers of clothing, and their faces were worn with exhaustion. They just stood outside the office building, looking like two lost children as they looked around helplessly.
I was just leaving work at that moment when I caught sight of them across the road.
It had only been a few months since I’d last seen them, and they already looked several years older. Their hair also looked much grayer than before. They didn’t look arrogant or confident like they used to either. Instead, it was all replaced with humility and timidness.
I slowed to a stop. There wasn’t even a ripple of emotions in my chest as I looked at them, my expression cold. I had no intention of approaching them at all.
Mom saw me first. Her eyes lit up instantly as she quickly walked over to me, reaching out and taking my hand
Cautiously
Her hands were rough, cold, and trembling slightly. Her voice was also choked with tears
“Jen, we were wrong. We know now that we were wrong in the past. We shouldn’t have listened to Julia les e shouldn’t have treated you so harshly. We shouldn’t have kicked you out of the house. We also shouldn’t have said such harsh words to you. Can’t you please forgive us?”
Dad also came up to me with his head bowed. His tone was humble and even pleading as he said, “I was wrong too. Jen. I shouldn’t have lost my temper, forced you to quit your job, or said that I didn’t want you as my daughter anymore.”
