Alexis sighed and said in a low voice, "I think I'd like to leave him. Mom, time can't heal every pain nor can it be offset by his good treatment of me now. I can't get the bad things he did to me out of my memory.”

Alexis had been forced by her lover to have sex.

She was not turned on at the time, so Leonel had to find a way to make her accept him.

But the more her body enjoyed the extreme pleasure under the influence, the more disgusting she would feel whenever she thought about it later.

Rena didn't try to persuade Alexis to change her mind.

Apart from being her mom, she was also a fellow woman, so she could understand how Alexis felt.

She just stroked her hair and said in a whisper, “Just follow your heart, my dear. Just like your father said, the Fowler family can very well afford to raise thirty children, let alone just three."

Deep in her heart, Rena also hoped that Leonel would be okay, not only for the sake of the three poor kids he had with Alexis, but also for the fact that he was someone whom she had raised when he was a child. He was family.

But she didn't say any of this out loud.

Meanwhile, while all this was going on, Leonel was standing quietly outside. The parlor was not soundproof, so he could overhear what Rena and Alexis were saying.

So far, he had noticed how much the Fowlers were worried about Alexis. They were scared that he would force her and make her suffer.

No one, not even Alexis, really thought for a moment that they could get back together again.

She had just said that she would leave. Even though Leonel had always suspected that this was what she wanted, his heart still ached when he heard her say it.

With a bitter smile on his face, Leonel shook his head sadly and sighed.

He didn't go into the parlor. Instead, he went to an empty corridor and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. With trembling hands, he lit a stick and smoked for a moment. Even as he smoked, his slender fingers were still trembling.

He swallowed hard as he thought about everything.

Even if at the end of her life, Alexis might still not forgive him.

The feeling of autumn was heavy in the air. The freshly planted flowers outside were blooming brightly, which made his face even more dim.

Nevertheless, he finished his cigarette and went back to the parlor to knock on the door.

"Alexis," he called as he knocked.