The Substitute Bride

The news of Aron's grandma waking up gave Isla mixed feelings as she smiled faintly at Autumn. She was like a drowning man clutching at straws. All of a sudden, the tears from her eyes streamed down her face. Autumn quickly stepped forward to comfort her, "Don't cry, Isla. This is good news. Soon everything will be cleared up. You are innocent. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know. I know, " replied Isla, in a shaky voice. Isla nodded slightly while the tears trickled down her cheeks. She was unable to control her feelings of relief after being treated unjustly for so long. "Autumn, thank you. I am really grateful to you."

"You don't have to thank me. None of this would have been possible without Mr. Gu's help, " said Autumn. She smiled and then continued, "Mr. Gu has taken great pains over this matter. In order to prevent further unnecessary ramifications and to keep it from Becky, he had to hide the truth from you as well. Don't blame him for that, Isla. He had no other options."

Autumn tried to speak on behalf of Aron, after all, she had witnessed all the effort Aron had put in, to overcome all the hardships.

After hearing this, Isla just kept silent, as her lips pressed into a thin line. She never thought that there would be more to this story. "I don't think so. I find it all to be a little too good to be true. You came to me today because your grandma is awake now and you finally found out that I didn't push her down. Aron, if you really believed me then, why didn't you come to explain yourself earlier? Why did you wait until your grandma woke up? Do you take me for a fool? Do you think I am still as stupid as I was before?"

Aron didn't expect Isla to react in that way. He looked at Isla helplessly as he tried to make her understand, "Isla, I really didn't expect you to have such a wrong impression on me. But I still have to tell you that I've trusted you from the very beginning and I knew that you wouldn't hurt my grandma. But I had no chance to say that to you. I called you many times, but you never answered my calls. You always avoided me. I didn't dare to come to you until today, when my grandma finally woke up, but I swear that I've always believed in you, Isla."

"That is enough! Stop talking to me!" Agitated, Isla used both of her hands to close her ears in order to block out what Aron was saying. She sneered and said to him, "Aron, no matter what you say, I won't be foolish enough to trust you anymore. I am happy to hear that your grandma is awake and well and I'm glad that you've already found out who pushed yo

h of them got along very well. Perhaps they shared a similar life experience, which brought them closer and made them appreciate each other. Together they were the outsiders of the Gu Family. "I never expected that the little girl, with a runny nose, who cried all day long would one day turn out to be such a beautiful lady when she grew up, " said Aron and then he jested, "And she even got married before me."

"I am the one who is astonished the most here. What a pleasant surprise! You look so different from when you were just a kid." Autumn looked him up and down carefully, and then curiously asked, "How did you recognize me?"

"I sensed a strange feeling of deja vu when I saw you for the first time in many years, on the day I found out that Yvonne was going to frame you. So I did a little investigation later just to be sure. How have you been all these years?" Indeed, at first, even Aron also had mixed feelings of both shock and relief at the same time.

"Yes, I am fine." Autumn gave him a slight nod, when the door of the elevator opened. "You can go back first, and as for Isla..." Autumn paused for a little while and then continued, "I think you should settle things with Becky first, but be decisive, and don't be careless about it."

"Yes, I know. Thanks a lot." Aron nodded in agreement. "Please help me to look after her for now. She must be really upset."

"I will. I know, and don't worry, " replied Autumn. She still felt overwhelmed even after Aron had left, because she wasn't expecting to see her old childhood friend again after so many years. It was no wonder that Aron tried to help her without any hesitation, when he found out that Yvonne tried to frame her. What a coincidence!"