“I knew it! You still plan to leave me alone here to be bullied by the others again! If that’s the case, why did you come back? Go away! I don’t want to see you! After all, I’ve gotten used to not having a mother after so many years! Go!”
Why is she thinking of leaving right after she’s back? I only want my mom to stay by my side. It isn’t willful, as it’s only an expectation from a daughter toward her mother.
“I-I’m not! That isn’t what I meant! I wasn’t thinking of leaving. I-I-” Isabelle seemed to be stumped at my words. The once eloquent woman suddenly seemed to have lost her way with words. First, she said that she wouldn’t leave. Then, she said she would leave if I didn’t want to see her. After that, she said she was sorry. It was as if she didn’t know what she was saying at that point. In the end, she shut her mouth. With tears streaming down her face, she just kept apologizing to me.
I could no longer hold myself back anymore, so without caring about anything else, I jumped into her arms and started wailing. “Mom! Mom!”
This is my mom! Even though we had so much conflict back in Anglandur, it only takes one sentence from her for me to brush it off and forget everything.
Tears welled up in her eyes as she patted my back lightly. “I’m sorry. We were facing some problems back then in Anglandur. I was afraid that you might get tangled in our mess, so I didn’t dare to speak more to you. Can you forgive me? How can I not know your father? So I know for sure that you’ve lived a difficult life in the Tanner residence. However, there was someone after us at that time. I was scared that they would target you, so I had no choice.”
“No! I didn’t blame you for any of it. I know that you love me!” Although tears blurred my vision, I could still see her tears and the guilt and devastation in her eyes.
“Yvonne, my darling! Let me have a look at you!”
In the end, I left the party early, following Isabelle into her car. I kept holding her hand the entire time, terrified that I would lose her again once I released my grip. It made me feel like I was a child. As Isabelle sized me up, a proud smile crept onto her face. “You grew up already. The time sure passed in the blink of an eye. Yet, you have always been so young, petite, and obedient in my memory.”
“Yeah! I’m an adult now!” In return, I paid so many prices to grow up. ”Mom, were you fine after the shooting incident? I was so worried about you, but I didn’t know if I should bother you or not.”
With that, I started to examine her thoroughly and was just one step away from touching her with my hands.
“Don’t worry. I’m fine since we prepared in advance. Fortunately, you left that day. I was so scared that you would also face danger when you were with us.” The more she thought about it, the deeper the fear set in. As she caressed my face, I couldn’t help but notice how gentle her touch was. It was very different from Christopher’s.
A moment later, she asked, “Why do you seem thinner than before? Doesn’t your boyfriend take good care of you?”
Since I didn’t want her to know about me getting shot by a shotgun, I quickly explained, “He and his family members treat me well. Moreover, isn’t it good that I got thinner? Many women hope to lose some weight, yet they fail. After all, the society nowadays prefers skinny beauties.”
“I still prefer you to be chubbier. It’s good for your body if you can eat a bit more.” Isabelle then took out her purse, pulled out a photo from it, and started to look at it intently. I leaned closer and found a six-year-old chubby me who beamed while standing in the garden in the photo. She had dressed me up as a princess at that time.
The photo was a tad yellowish, but Isabelle had preserved it so well. Its worn edges showed that its owner had held and caressed it often.
“Look at how cute you were when you were younger. Eve, can you let me take care of you from now on? Regardless of what happened, I’ll forever stand behind you, be your support, and protect you.”
