Wendy walked over to Chris, her expression kind and understanding. “How could I possibly leave you to deal with this by yourself?” she said softly.
Chris, feeling a sudden surge of guilt, looked away, unable to meet her gaze. Regret washed over him, but now, with everything that had transpired, he realized there was nothing more to be done. The situation had spiraled beyond his control, and all he could do was keep the truth hidden.
Wendy noticed his avoidance but didn’t comment. Instead, she smiled gently and turned her attention to Mrs. Cohen and Guinevere, her tone polite and caring. It was clear to her that this was a situation she needed to handle with understanding and tact.
“Gwen,” Wendy said gently, “If there’s anything that’s made you uncomfortable here, we need to know. We may not have given enough attention to how you’re feeling, and if there’s anything we can do to improve the situation, please tell us. We’ll do our best to make things right.”
Mrs. Cohen’s eyes narrowed, her frustration evident. “What do you mean by that? Are you trying to buy us off with some token gesture and send us on our way?” she demanded, her voice rising in anger.
Her tone remained sharp as she continued, “We’ve raised our daughter with love and care. We don’t expect her to be treated like royalty, but we won’t stand by and watch her be mistreated. All we’re asking for is an explanation. What happened to cause her to be in this state?”
Wendy, though visibly troubled by Mrs. Cohen’s anger, kept her composure. She turned her gaze to Guinevere and spoke sincerely. “Gwen, if we’ve made any mistakes or overlooked something, please let us know. We truly don’t understand why you’ve been feeling this way.”
Wendy paused, her expression softening. “I should have been more mindful. After childbirth, emotions can be more intense, and I focused too much on Zack and not enough on you. Weston has been preoccupied with work, and I realize that I didn’t give you the attention you needed. I’m sorry.”
Wendy reached out, offering Guinevere a comforting hand, but Guinevere instinctively pulled back. It was clear that she wasn’t yet ready to accept such closeness.
After a moment of hesitation, however, Guinevere realized that she would need to live with Wendy moving forward. Her parents no longer had a place for her, and the reality of her situation set in. Reluctantly, she took Wendy’s hand, her voice soft and accepting. “I understand…”
Wendy smiled gently at her, her tone warm. “We’ve always gotten along well, Gwen. You can always talk to me about anything, and I’ll be here for you.”
Mrs. Cohen’s expression softened slightly as she observed the growing rapport between the two women. “We didn’t send our daughter here to suffer,” she said, her tone still tense. “She got pregnant before marriage and gave birth to a child. It’s been hard for us to accept…”
Her voice softened with regret. “If Gwen hadn’t insisted on marrying Weston, we wouldn’t have agreed to this. We would have preferred she had made another choice.”
Mrs. Cohen’s frustration was palpable as she continued, “Getting pregnant before marriage is a stigma, no matter who you are. Yes, we’ve used our family’s influence to keep this quiet, but we’re still not married. If people find out, it will hurt both of our families.”
Her gaze hardened with concern. “The longer this goes on, the worse it will be for Guinevere’s reputation. She may have to live with the consequences of this for the rest of her life. People will say she had a child with Weston but that he didn’t want to marry her. That will damage her standing in society, and it could become a scandal that affects both families.”
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