The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman)

Anastasia figured Cynthia and Colton had finally let Gianna go. But then, it hit her-Gianna's trial was coming up next month.

Colton's visit was surely about Gianna. Anastasia decided not to see him, telling the nanny to turn him away, saying she wasn't home. She already knew what Colton would say, so there was no point in meeting him. The nanny told Colton, "Mrs. Young isn't home, Mr. Smith. Maybe you should come back another time."

"Is Salma here, then? I really need to speak with her. Could you please let her know?" Colton asked earnestly.

The nanny, having worked there for ages, knew exactly what was going on. Anastasia's absence was her way of saying no.

"Mr. Smith, please, just go. The young miss can't speak, and what mother could accept that? Even if you're here to plead, it won't change anything," the nanny explained.

Colton realized it wasn't that Anastasia wasn't home; she just didn't want to see him. He sighed, "I admit, I haven't done a great job raising my daughter, and I'm ashamed. Please, could you tell Anastasia I need to see her? It's about Pattie's biological father, not about pleading for Gianna."

The nanny hesitated but then said, "Wait here. I'll ask again."

"Thank you, thank you so much," Colton replied, remaining polite.

The nanny was willing to pass on the message because Colton seemed genuinely nice, unlike Cynthia, who always acted like she was above everyone else.

Just as Anastasia was about to relax, the nanny came in, "Mrs. Young, Mr. Smith insists on seeing you. He says it's about Pattie's biological father."

Anastasia's expression shifted, and she quickly said, "Let him in."

The question of Pattie's biological father had always lingered in Anastasia's mind. All she had was a vague story from Melinda about a Mr. Winchester from Shandong.

She was hesitant to dig deeper, worried that any new information might disturb her life and hurt both Pattie and Herman.

Her memory of that part of her life was still foggy, and she wasn't ready to face it.

After Colton was shown into the sitting room and given some tea, the nanny left the room, respecting the family's privacy.

Anastasia soon came down and got straight to the point, "Uncle, what do you know about Pattie, and how did you find out?"

She was curious why Colton seemed to know things she herself wasn't sure of.

Colton confessed, "It wasn't me who knew but your aunt. I only heard bits and pieces from her recently. Ana, I really regret what happened to Pattie. I didn't do a good job raising my cousin, and look at the terrible thing she did."

"Your aunt knows?" Anastasia asked, even more intrigued, "How would she know?"

She purposely ignored Colton's attempt to plead for Gianna.

Colton sighed, "That, I don't know. But from the way your aunt talked, she seemed to know something. Ana, you know why I'm here. Gianna is still young, and her life is already such a mess. Jail is certain, but I beg you, could you ask the court for some leniency? Two years, three, five-I'd accept any of those. Your aunt and I aren't in great health, and we don't have any children to support us. We can't bear the thought of outliving our child."noveldrama

Anastasia understood Colton didn't actually know about Pattie's biological father; it was just an excuse to see her and plead for Gianna.

If Colton was clueless, then Cynthia must really know something.

Suddenly, Anastasia remembered an incident a few months ago when Cynthia had come over and yanked some of Pattie's hair, leaving her scalp red.

Cynthia's purpose for taking Pattie's hair was clear-DNA testing.