Chapter 394: I Don’t Understand

Chapter 394: Chapter 394: I Don’t Understand

Most people would flinch upon hearing that. They’d instinctively wonder if they were prying and decide to back off.

Sean Donovan was no exception. His heart skipped a beat, but he couldn’t suppress his rampant curiosity and nodded firmly.

"I want to hear it, so just tell me. Go on, tell me. If you do, I’ll give you the global limited-edition figurine I just bought a couple of days ago."

"You can keep the figurine. I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to spread it around. This is another family’s private matter, and you can’t just broadcast it without their permission. Think about your own family’s situation. If those two old geezers hadn’t come to cause a scene, would you be happy having it become gossip fodder at school for everyone to talk about?"

At Arabella Donovan’s words, the siblings’ expressions turned serious. They promised solemnly, "We swear, we won’t tell a soul."

"Their family’s situation is a bit like yours, but not entirely. The main difference is that Miss Griffin’s mother wasn’t an only daughter; she has an older brother. So, her husband didn’t marry into her family. It was a normal marriage."

"Then what’s the part that’s so similar to our family? Don’t tell me..."

Arabella Donovan met Sean Donovan’s questioning gaze and gave a meaningful nod.

The point of similarity between Ruby Griffin’s family and their own was that both women had married husbands who were obsessed with carrying on the family line. And the key was having a son.

Ruby Griffin’s paternal family had an extreme preference for sons over daughters, but to save face, they never admitted it. Ruby Griffin’s mother didn’t realize it at first, not until after she gave birth to Ruby.

"Ruby Griffin’s mother’s family were all state employees with official posts. When Ruby was born, the one-child policy was at its strictest. Given her mother’s position, she could only have one child, regardless of gender. Otherwise, she wouldn’t just lose her own job; it could cause trouble for her entire family."

’Of course, it’s also possible she had noticed the Griffin family’s misogynistic nature. She might have worried that if she had another child and it was a boy, her first daughter would be treated unfairly and suffer terribly.’

"In short, Miss Griffin’s mother was determined to have only one child in her life—Miss Griffin. But the Griffin family wouldn’t have it. Their son was their only son, and they were counting on him to produce a grandson to carry on the family name. So, these people began an eight-year-long plot to murder Miss Griffin."

"Plot to murder?!"

Everyone in the car was shocked. "Sis, you mean all those things that happened to Ruby Griffin before she was eight... were done by her father’s side of the family, all so they could..."

"Kill her or get rid of her. That way, they’d have a reason to make Miss Griffin’s mother have another child."

"But what if the second child was also a daughter?"

Arabella Donovan glanced at Sean Donovan but didn’t answer. In their hearts, however, everyone already knew the answer.

It was because of this that a chill ran down their spines. Many people wouldn’t even dare to kill a chicken, yet these people could spend eight years, day in and day out, plotting to murder their own flesh and blood. It was simply...

"Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own cubs. Are these people even human?"

"Never underestimate human nature. When some people turn bad, they’re worse than beasts. Do you know why Miss Griffin was safe after she turned eight, why she didn’t face those despicable schemes anymore?"

Eloise Donovan’s eyes glinted. "It’s because Mrs. Griffin discovered what they were doing and protected Miss Griffin."

That would explain why Mrs. Griffin had her daughter take a year off from school after she nearly drowned. She even took several months off work to personally take her daughter to her maternal grandparents’ house. Mrs. Griffin must have already sensed her husband’s family’s murderous intent toward her daughter back then.

"That’s one reason. I guess Miss Griffin’s mother must have realized something from that drowning incident and warned the Griffin family, making them realize that their plan to secretly harm Miss Griffin so her mother would have another child wasn’t viable. So, they gave up on that and found another way."

"Another way? What kind of other way?"

"Find another woman on the outside to give him a son."

This was everything Arabella Donovan had read from Ruby Griffin’s face. She could see from Ruby’s features that she had a half-brother on her father’s side who was about seven years old.

Ruby Griffin is sixteen this year. If this brother is seven, he would have been born when she was around nine.

Considering the "accident" when she was eight, her father probably found another woman soon after and had this illegitimate son who could never be publicly acknowledged.

"That’s just too..." Sean Donovan’s face was filled with anger. "No wonder you said our family’s situation is so similar to hers! It’s the same thing—finding another woman to have a son for the sake of so-called ’carrying on the family line.’ Those two old folks at home probably knew all about it, maybe even helped cover it up. It’s unconscionable, completely shameless! They’ve gone too far!"

Compared to her brother’s righteous fury, his sister Iris Donovan seemed much calmer.

Arabella Donovan quickly noticed her unusual composure and asked, puzzled, "What’s wrong?"

"I don’t understand."

"Don’t understand what?"

"If they were so unhappy with their marriage and their child, why didn’t they just end the marriage and start a new one? Why choose such an immoral betrayal instead?

"I get our dad. He always had bad intentions; even approaching Mom in the first place was a calculated move with a hidden agenda. But Ruby Griffin’s father is different. Sis, you just said their family was well off, and that the husband’s family might even be better off than the wife’s. Don’t tell me he was worried his wife would take a share of the family assets in a divorce?"

"That’s true. A big reason many men choose not to divorce is that they don’t want the woman to take away their joint property. Even if the woman works herself to death bearing their children and managing the household, they still feel like they’re being ripped off if she takes even a single penny from them. But in the Griffins’ case, it really wasn’t about the money. What they couldn’t bear to lose were the connections and conveniences the wife’s family could provide."

As Arabella Donovan just mentioned, Ruby Griffin’s mother was a state employee with an official post.

In fact, it wasn’t just her; her parents, along with her brother and sister-in-law, were all in similar positions.

Because of them, the Griffin family gained a lot of advantages. They wanted a son, but they weren’t willing to give up the benefits that Mrs. Griffin’s family provided. So they’d rather keep another woman on the side to have a son than divorce Mrs. Griffin.

From their perspective, it was the best of both worlds. But from the perspective of Mrs. Griffin and her daughter, it was absolutely disgusting.

"In the end, it’s just that they’re too greedy. Most people have to make compromises from the day they’re born, but they only want to take, never to give anything up. So to get what they want and hold on to what benefits them, they’ll stop at nothing and commit all sorts of wicked, immoral acts."

It’s like a gambler betting on a one-in-a-million chance, firmly believing they’ll be the final winner.