Chapter 1599
And yet, they had still wronged her gravely, and with both Damien and Dillon thinking that her academic results would bring
shame to the family, they had also failed to defend her due to the fact that their relationship with her wasn't strong at all.
At this moment, Daniel's guilt wracked him. "Nicole, Mom and Dad have really done you dirty..."
Both Sean and Steve too looked at Nicole. "It's because we did not have much time together, and we didn't get to know you
better..."
The time that should have been spent with Nicole back then was stolen by Norah. They were unable to understand Nicole better,
and they did not spend nearly enough time together for the past 6 months either, and that made them feel extremely guilty.
Nicole looked at the display of guilt on the faces of her parents and brothers, and for the first time, she felt quite conflicted. When
she returned home to this family, she knew that they were blood-related. However, she had never expected herself to be as
close to them as family members who had grown up together since they were children. After all, they had been separated for so
many years, and were like strangers who just got to know each other again. Thus, even she could not directly open her heart to
them, much less to these few adult men.
However, Stanley, Spencer and Samuel had tried their best to help her in school already. Both Sean and Steve had graduated
but would treat her well every time they saw her, and she really felt that the Riddles owed her nothing.
Taking a deep breath, Nicole said, with a serious look on her face, "I've never blamed anyone for this. I need time to blend into
the family, and all of you needed time to understand me too. Everything that had happened was normal. If you want to pin the
blame onto something, then blame the time stolen away by Norah."
She too had secretly thought of the time that Norah had taken from them. However, it was also because of the mistakes back
then that had molded her into a strong individual today. That was why she could not blame anyone for it.
The last words Nicole said moved Daniel and the rest of the family.
'Yeah, if we had not mistaken Norah for Nicole back then, we would have definitely continued to look for her.'
If she had come home a little earlier, everyone would have treated her like a princess. It was just that all of the love and
enthusiasm they had was misplaced on Norah instead. As such, they needed time to know and better understand Nicole, and
work hard to integrate her into the family.
Smiling, Sean got up. "You're right. We finally know all that we need to know about you, and from today onwards, no matter what
sort of danger you'll face in the future, you have this big brother standing by your side."
Although Nicole was strong, the danger she faced was something they could never expect.
'I must protect Nicole.'
"Me too! You don't need to live in campus this semester. Well have your back." Steve added with a serious look as he kept his
gaze at Nicole.
"Yeah, I don't think you should stay in campus." Stanley piled on.
"We'll move back home to keep you guarded as well!" Samuel and Spencer decided at once.
Seeing that her five brothers were intending to protect her, unafraid of the danger that might come, Nicole felt warm and
conflicted at the same time.
She had never felt something quite like this before. 'So, this is what it feels like to have a family, a bond...'