Vivian stubbornly refused to take no for an answer. She walked around to the other side of the bed to plead her case, but she saw that Rachel had clamped her eyes tightly shut. Despite this, tears continued to fall and wet the corners of her pillow.
Vivian was visibly upset by this. Perhaps her mother did have a valid reason why she could not say anything. The younger woman felt guilty and knew that it was wrong to have pushed her thus.
With that in mind, Vivian grabbed some tissue from the side table and squatted down to dry Rachel’s tears. “I’m sorry, Mom. I won’t ask anymore. I’m going to leave now, so rest well.”
Rachel did not open her eyes or answer Vivian. Instead, she lay there in her bed and continued to cry. All Vivian could do was turn around and leave the ward.
Today’s emotional display had left her with a bitter taste in her mouth. The trip back home was one taken in despair, and Vivian felt all of the mixed feelings she had well up near the surface.
Why didn’t Mom even reached out to her child or even looked for her after all these years? The fact remained that she would rather die than seek help from her own child. Vivian could only surmise that there were more secrets to be uncovered behind this. Secrets that likely had to do with her own identity as well.
In the ward, she was so intent on discovering the whereabouts of Rachel’s child just so that they could proceed with the operation. However, Vivian forgot to ask Rachel about herself – Where had she come from and who she was.
She was also so immersed in her thoughts that she had not realized that she’d wandered onto the sidewalk. Without looking, she decided to continue walking and did not even pay attention to the lights at the pedestrian crossing.
A loud horn and the sound of screeching brakes suddenly pulled Vivian back into reality. When she looked up, what she witnessed had given her quite the fright.
A car had swerved out of the way to avoid a collision with her. The angry driver leaned out from his window to yell at Vivian for her carelessness. “What the f*ck are you doing? Do you have a death wish?”
Vivian apologized profusely and hurried over to the other side of the road.
“How about you use your eyes next time?” yelled the driver at her again before he drove off.
Vivian let out the breath she had been holding and patted her chest, thankful for the fact that she was unharmed. It was then that Vivian suddenly remembered something as her face paled in fright.
I am with child! How can I forget something so important?
Holding her stomach, Vivian cursed inwardly. What if I really got hit and put this child in danger? I’m really not fit to be a parent.
After that, Vivian did not dare walk around on the street anymore. She quickly stopped a nearby taxi and told him her destination.
It was only when she reached home that the adrenaline wore off. Vivian suddenly felt mentally and physically exhausted. She collapsed onto the sofa and closed her eyes, recalling every single thing that had happened today. Despite calming down, she could sense that she was in a complete mess and panicked, not knowing what to do.
Vivian then muttered something along the lines of pulling herself together as she shook her head. When she opened her eyes, she noticed a familiar-looking briefcase near the armrest.
Vivian then turned around and also saw that Finnick’s coat was already on the rack. Ah, so he’s back already!
The thought of him being home made her feel a little more spirited. Immediately, Vivian got up and hurried upstairs towards the study.
The door of the study was slightly ajar. Vivian peeked inside and saw Finnick at his desk, poring over documents.
Without realizing it, her tears began to fall again. Too many things have happened today. Now that Finnick is here, I feel more at ease.
Finnick happened to look up and noticed Vivian standing by the door. He frowned when he saw her in tears again and hurriedly walked towards her. “What happened?”
Wordlessly, Vivian threw herself into Finnick’s arms and started crying.
Finnick knew that Vivian went to the hospital today. However, her behavior now indicated that things were not looking up for Rachel at all. With soothing strokes to Vivian’s head, Finnick asked, “What’s wrong? Did something happen to your Mom?”
