09:12 Tue, Dec 17

Chapter 367: I’ve Never Blamed You, Dad

Carter shifted his gaze and said, “The mastermind behind it all hasn’t been found yet. We’re still in danger, so let’s hold off on discussing the pregnancy for now.”

“Alright,” I replied.

I knew he was right, but for some reason, I couldn’t shake the feeling of disappointment that settled in my heart.

Time passed quickly in this small town. Three days seemed to fly by. Even though I wanted to stay with Mom and support her through her pregnancy, neither Carter nor I could remain here for long because of our identities.

The night before we were leaving, Mom pulled me aside.

“Chloe, my daughter has returned, right?”

I nodded, then shared the truth with her.

To be honest, I was still worried about Zoey’s soul being unstable after being reborn in someone else’s body, but so far, nothing had gone wrong. I wasn’t sure if it was because her rebirth was at a different time, but she had been out of her body for a few months and hadn’t developed an independent consciousness like I had. She had only entered Janice’s body a month ago.

Could it be that her rebirth was too recent? Or perhaps my soul had already fused with her body, so she didn’t experience the detachment I had? I wasn’t entirely sure about the supernatural side of things, but I decided to cherish the present. After all, no one knew whether tomorrow or an accident would come first.

Mom smiled gently and said, “She’s always been like that. But now, she seems a lot brighter, so I’m relieved.”

“Mom, she won’t do anything foolish again. In the past, she thought she couldn’t go on and wanted to end her life, but it was because she was so fragile. She had to experience a lot of things for herself before she could change. Trust me, this time, she’ll live a truly wonderful life. You need to believe that your child has grown up. A bird learns to spread its wings and fly. As parents, our job is to let go.”

“Thank you, Chloe. You’ve taught us so much.”

I hugged her tightly. “Mom, you’ve given me so much love too. When you go into labor, I’ll try my best to come back.”

“Alright.”

The next morning, Bill woke up early and prepared a lingering breakfast, most of it being Zoey’s favorite foods.

Zoey seemed to sense something was changing. Of course, how could real parents not feel the presence of their daughter?

This time, Bill had arranged for us to travel by helicopter.

Mom smiled and said to Carter, “I’m counting on you to take care of my daughter.”

“Don’t worry,” Carter replied.

I gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, Mom.”

She then turned to Zoey and said, “Janice, I really like you. If you have time, you should visit her more. Soon you’ll have a little brother or sister. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to meet their big sister.”

Zoey tried to hold back her tears, her eyes reddening. “Okay. Be careful when you go to the bathroom at night; your belly is getting bigger.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Your appetite isn’t great, but you need to eat more for the baby.”

“Alright.”

“But don’t overeat. I’ve heard that having a huge baby can make delivery difficult. But don’t worry; if you can’t deliver naturally, a C-section is fine as long as everything is safe.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Mom walked over and gently stroked Zoey’s hair. “Sweetheart, take care of yourself too. You have my number; if you ever feel wronged, you have to call me.”

She was still as gentle as ever. Zoey’s voice was barely audible. “I understand.”

As Zoey couldn’t hold herself together any longer, I interrupted. “Let’s go.”

Zoey took my hand, and we left. Bill was going to send us to the airport, so he didn’t say goodbye and left early to board the plane.

Sensing Mom’s gaze, Zoey whispered to me, “Don’t look back.”

But in the end, just as she was about to board, she turned and locked eyes with Philippa, who was fighting back tears. In that moment, all the tension Zoey had held in all morning broke down. She pulled her hand out of mine, tears streaming down her face as she ran towards Mom. In the final steps, she slowed down, gently embracing Philippa. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

“Silly girl, how could I blame you?”

Philippa stroked her head and said, “Just having you back is the best gift from heaven.”

“Sweetheart, don’t be afraid. Mommy will always support you from behind. Just march forward bravely.”

Seeing this scene, my own tears fell. Philippa recognized her daughter at once, yet when I showed up before my parents, neither of them knew who I was. In that moment, I envied Zoey.

Carter wrapped his arms around me and said, “You still have me.”

“Mm-hmm, having you is enough.”

We boarded the plane, just in time to see Bill wiping his eyes. The moment he saw me, he quickly put on his sunglasses.

“The sun is so bright today,” he said.

I smiled gently and said, “It is quite bright.”

Zoey stayed with Philippa for a few minutes before finally walking toward us. This time, her steps were more determined. From that moment, she was stepping into a new life.

Bill took us to the airport but had to return to stay with Philippa for her delivery. He could only see us off here. Before Zoey left, Bill handed her a small bag, awkwardly passing it to her. He said awkwardly, “I made this raspberry jam myself. Next time, I’ll make some orange jam too.”

Zoey met his eyes and understood what he meant. She reached out to take it. “Actually, I forgot to tell you, besides orange jam, I also love honey grapefruit tea.”

“I’ll raise bees and plant grapefruit trees when I get back,” Bill answered quickly.

Zoey chuckled softly and said, “Alright, Dad.”

Bill froze, his eyes turning slightly red. “W-what did you just call me?”

“No, not that. The other name you called me.”

Zoey’s eyes shimmered with tears as she shyly said, “Dad.”

The next moment, Bill pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

Tears that he had held back for so long began to fall.

“I’m not a good father. I lost you and your mom. I…”

As Zoey listened to his choking voice, she smiled through her tears and said, “Even though you’re a bad dad, you’ll always be my dad. I’ve never blamed you.”

A grown, middle-aged man, like Bill, was crying uncontrollably in the bustling airport lobby. It was Zoey who patted his back and comforted him. “Take good care of Mom.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t hurt her again.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Bill released Zoey, his hand brushing away her tears. He urged, “Tell me if anything happens, okay? Let me make up for it.”

“Alright.”

“Zoey, I never thought you were bad. It was always me, your father, who was the bad one. From now on, live the life you want. Don’t hide your light for anyone. My daughter is the best.”

“Mm-hmm.”

She had waited for years for him to finally see her. Father and daughter exchanged a smile, and the knot between them was finally untied.

“Dad, I’m boarding.”

“Call me when you get to Jaford.”

“Alright.”

We boarded the plane, and Zoey’s emotions slowly settled. “Chloe, I feel like I’m dreaming.”

“Then let’s keep dreaming. The rest of your dreams will be good ones,” I smiled and reassured her.

Ring! Zoey’s phone buzzed with a new message. She opened it to find a large sum of money had been transferred to her account—eighty-eight point two million. Then another notification came through, followed by ten more, each for 80 million. Bill had transferred 800 million to her.

I jokingly remarked from beside her, “I’m so tired of saying, ‘I envy you.’” I was trying to lighten the mood. Zoey quickly responded, “I’ll split it with you.”

“Nah. Dad has already given me so much, and I’m not lacking money.”

Just as I finished saying that, my phone beeped with the same notification—an identical transfer. I received the same amount of money as Zoey did, not a penny less.

“Not envious anymore?”

I laughed and said, “He’s rich and naive. No wonder he’s so easy to fool. Next time, ask for more, so that when he gets older, no one will trick him into spending it on useless health products.”

Zoey linked her arm with mine as we walked onto the plane. “Alright.”