47|Human Mind

"Why don't the De Jagers have a relationship with Orlando?" she asked again.

"They resent her," Zukiswa blurted out, blowing Marybeth's mind with her utterances. Why anyone would resent a child, let alone one as loving and pure as Orlando, was unfathomable to her.

Zukiswa must have noticed her shock; she quickly clarified her comment, "I mean, not resent per se. She just reminds them of everything they've lost."

"She's a child," Marybeth whispered. "She's their grandchild and a huge part of Iris."

"But she's also a part of Austin. It's not a secret that the De Jagers hate him. If it wasn't for old man Hawthorne's bullheaded persistence that the two tie the knot, the De Jagers firmly believe their daughter would still be alive today," Liliana said.

Zukiswa picked up the threads of their conversation, painting a rather disturbing picture for Marybeth the longer she spoke. "They never got over losing Iris, and four years on, they still blame Austin for her death. They even told the Haw