She reached out, suddenly wanting to touch Evelyn’s wrinkled face, but then hesitated, withdrawing her hand with a self-mocking smile. As she turned to leave, the person in the coma on the bed opened her eyes. Their gazes met; a flicker of emotion crossed Jennifer’s eyes.
Meanwhile, Evelyn emerged from her foggy state, a trace of joy appearing in her eyes as she whispered, “Hannah? Really you, Hannah?” Jennifer pursed her lips, her eyes cold. Evelyn called out, “Hannah, don’t go yet! Come here first—let me take a good look at you.”
Jennifer’s eyes suddenly turned red, her fists clenched. She turned, staring expressionlessly at Evelyn, and asked, “What’s there to look at? Do you care about me? Do you love me? Stop pretending! What have you been doing all these years? Did you ever look for me, even once?”
“I’ve always been searching for you, holding onto the hope that you were still alive. It wasn’t until after Isabel that I accepted you were gone. And now, to find you’re still alive… it’s wonderful news!” Evelyn smiled through her tears, looking at Jennifer with quilt. She reached for Jennifer’s hand, but Jennifer harshly shook it off.
Jennifer said, “Hannah died long ago.” Evelyn was taken aback. Jennifer’s voice dropped even lower as she added, “When she fell off the cliff. After someone saved her, she started a new life.”
“Hannah, how could that happen? Tell me what you’ve been through. I’ll make it up to you,” Evelyn said sadly.
Jennifer sneered. “Make it up to me? With what? I’m already 28, and now you want to make amends? Where were you all this time? During my teenage years, I used the cheapest sanitary pads. Only after I started making money could I buy decent ones. Now, I take care of myself just fine. I don’t need your hypocritical compensation.”
Upon seeing the hatred in Jennifer’s eyes, Evelyn’s heart ached; her eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry. It’s all my fault. You’ve had such a hard time all these years.”
Jennifer let out a cold laugh. “Untimely affection is worthless.”
Evelyn said sadly, “Why do you say that? Why is it worthless? I love you and Teresa, as well as Isabel. You are all my darlings. Now, I’ve fully realized that I only wish for you to live well.”
“Enough! Just shut up!” Jennifer interrupted. “I believe you love your new daughter. But stop pretending to love Teresa and me, okay? If you truly loved Teresa, why didn’t you take her after the divorce? You left her with Grandma and Grandpa—is that your so-called love?”
Evelyn shook her head. “When I divorced Philip, I left with nothing. I didn’t have any money back then. If I had taken Teresa, she would have just suffered with me, wandering from place to place. It was better not to have her; otherwise, she would have endured hardship with me.”
“Hypocrite. You just saw her as a burden, afraid she would hold you back,” Jennifer snapped.
“How could I see my own child as a burden? How could you think that of me? When I earned my first money, I spent it all on Teresa. I sent her to the best schools and bought her branded clothes, a car, and a dowry. After she got married, I stopped meddling in her life and remarried. I don’t owe Teresa anything; I’ve given her all I could. But you—I’ve always felt guilty toward you.” Evelyn coughed weakly.
Jennifer’s steps faltered, but she stood rigidly in place, her fists tightly clenched. She said, “If it weren’t for Teresa telling you about me, I would never have wanted to reconnect with you. Hannah Johnston died when she was five. I’m not part of the Johnston family anymore, and I won’t call you ‘Mom’ either.”
“I hate you, I hate Philip, I hate that awful mistress who used to hit me—I despise all of you! It’s all because of you that I became the damaged and cynical person I am today. I’ll carry this hatred until I die.”
“Don’t think that way! You should live a happy life,” Evelyn persuaded. “It’s okay if you don’t call me Mom. Just live the life you want. Seeing you alive makes me happy.”
After hearing that, a tear rolled down Jennifer’s cheek. She wiped it away casually and returned to her cold demeanor. She said, “I’ve been bearing my disgust, staying in this city that repulses me, because I want to leave with Teresa. When you and Philip used to fight, Teresa and I would cover our ears and huddle together. We promised each other that we would leave that house, leave Naregh, and leave you.”
“Help me persuade Teresa to leave Naregh with you,” Evelyn said. Teresa has always seen you as her mom.
“All right, I got it,” Evelyn replied. “But maybe she’d listen to you, unlike me.”
Every time Evelyn felt Jennifer’s hatred, it pierced her heart. She knew she would always feel guilty toward her and could only try her best to make it up to her.