Chapter 202

Lydia let Zinnia pull her down to sit. “It doesn’t hurt,” she said. Zinnia carefully sprinkled medicine powder over her wound and then gently wrapped gauze around it.

Perhaps the poison had taken effect—Bonnie curled up on the bed with her eyes closed, still clutching her rag doll tightly.

“You’re bleeding. I know it must hurt,” Zinnia said disapprovingly. She wrapped the gauze twice and tied it off with a neat bow.

Lydia looked at Zinnia, her voice tinged with worry. “Zinnia, do you know how my mom got poisoned? Our lives are so ordinary and uneventful. How could she be poisoned by something as vicious as mind-eroding powder?”

Pursing her lips, Zinnia said, “Someone must have transferred the poison to her.”

“Through what means?” A cold glint flickered in Lydia’s eyes.

“Through… sex,” Zinnia said in a low voice. “Only when two people truly love each other can the transfer succeed.”

The mind-eroding powder truly devours the mind. Forced to watch helplessly as your beloved suffers and descends into madness, even the strongest love cannot endure such torment over time. In the end, couples who once loved each other deeply are driven apart. That’s precisely what makes this poison so vicious.

Lydia suddenly grabbed the armrest of the chair, so hard that her knuckles clicked. “It must be that man. He actually used my mom,” a frigid storm raged in her eyes as she thought.

Back then, Bonnie found that man badly wounded at their doorstep. She took him in, tended to his injuries, and cared for him tirelessly. Eventually, the two of them fell in love. But in the end, it turned out he had only been taking advantage of Bonnie all along.

“But Bonnie must have taken a partial antidote,” Zinnia continued. “That’s the only reason she’s managed to survive for over a decade. Normally, no ordinary person could endure such bone-deep pain—most would die within a year.”

Lydia pressed her lips together in silence for a moment before speaking, “Zinnia, I want to take my mom home to care for her.” Her gaze drifted to the figure lying on the hospital bed.

After an exhausting time at the hospital, they returned to the apartment complex where Lydia lived. She lived alone in a tidy two-bedroom apartment, its most prominent feature being the sheer number of books neatly arranged throughout.

Bonnie was still unconscious, so Lydia and Zinnia wheeled her home in a wheelchair and put her to bed. Fortunately, Lydia was on break, which meant she could devote herself fully to caring for Bonnie.

Zinnia stepped out of the room and flopped onto the couch. It was already past three in the afternoon, and she was feeling pretty worn out. She stifled a small yawn, realizing she was starting to get hungry.

After tucking Bonnie in, Lydia stepped out of the room. Seeing how tired Zinnia looked, she felt a bit sorry. With her delicate features glowing with tenderness, she said softly, “Zinnia, thank you for helping me. What would you like to eat? I’ll cook for you.”

“You must be tired too. Let’s just order in,” Zinnia said, waving her hand. Compared to herself, Lydia was actually the more exhausted one.

“Takeout isn’t healthy. Let me cook for you,” Lydia said gently. “While I’m at it, I’ll make some soup for my mom so she can have some when she wakes up.”

“Whatever’s easiest then,” Zinnia conceded, not wanting to refuse her.

“Okay,” Lydia smiled softly and went into the kitchen. She soon returned. “Zinnia, here’s some beef jerky I made a couple of days ago, and these strawberries are already washed. Have some to tide you over while I cook.”

Chapter 202

One plate held beef jerky—since Zinnia couldn’t eat store-bought ones, Lydia made it herself. The other plate was filled with egrabentes.

“Thanks, Lydia,” Zinnia said. She was genuinely hungry, and her eyes lit up at the sight of the beef jerky.

Lydia turned back into the kitchen, her slender figure busy at work. Meanwhile, Zinnia pulled out her phone to scroll through videos, nibbling strawberries and beef jerky as she waited for Bonnie to wake up; she needed to check on her before heading home.

When Lydia came out, she found Zinnia had fallen asleep on the couch, her head resting against the armrest—exhausted after hours of busy work. Watching her sleep, Lydia tiptoed over, gently picked up the blanket from the sofa, and draped it over her. Her gaze softened with indescribable tenderness.

Zinnia was lured awake by the delicious smell of food. As she opened her eyes, she saw Lydia just stepping out of the kitchen with freshly cooked dishes.

“Lydia,” Zinnia murmured as she sat up, the blanket slipping from her shoulders.

“Food’s ready. Let’s eat,” Lydia said, noticing Zinnia was awake. She put down the dishes, walked over, picked up the blanket that had slipped to the floor, folded it neatly, and set it aside on the sofa.

“Okay,” Zinnia replied.

The two of them sat down at the dining table. “Has Bonnie woken up yet?” Zinnia asked, wondering how long she’d been asleep.

“Not yet,” Lydia shook her head. “The medicine makes people drowsy—some sleep longer, some less. Let’s eat first. I made some soup for her and will feed her when she wakes up.”

Turning to Zinnia, she added softly, “You shouldn’t eat too much meat, so I only made some beef today. Next time, I’ll make you something else delicious.”

Zinnia enjoyed the beef. Lydia served three dishes: pepper beef, roasted vegetables, and chickpea salad. “Okay,” Zinnia nodded.

After being on a restricted diet for so long, she was used to having just one meat dish per meal. Even if there were several on the table, she never needed reminding—she wouldn’t eat more meat.

After the meal, it was already a little past four. With autumn setting in, dusk came early and the sun had already set. Suddenly, there was a noise in the room.

Lydia hurried toward the room, with Zinnia close behind.

As they entered, Bonnie stared wide-eyed at the unfamiliar room, terror etched across her face. “My baby! My baby!” she cried, frantically rummaging around. “Baby, where are you?”

She flung the quilt off the bed onto the floor, crawling desperately over the mattress. Seeing the door open, Bonnie curled into a defensive ball on the bed, watching them warily with frightened eyes.

“Mom,” Lydia approached the bedside and called softly.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Bonnie stared at them, wary and defensive, her voice trembling with fear. “My baby, where is my baby? Did you see her? Please, give my baby back to me.”

In the next instant, she scrambled off the bed and rushed toward Lydia, desperately clutching her hand, her voice frantic and pleading as she begged.

The antidote is taking effect—the mind-eroding powder in her system is gradually dissolving, and her memories are gradually changing. It will take at least two full days for her to completely forget everything.

“Mom, your doll’s here. Let me find it for you, okay?” Lydia comforted as she bent down to look for the doll. They had brought it back, and when Bonnie was asleep, Lydia had tucked it into her arms.

“Okay, please help me find my doll. Find my baby.” Bonnie was no longer as frantic as before. She was starting to listen and understand.

Chapter 202

Zinnia bent down, retrieved the doll from under the bed, and said, “Here it is.”

“My doll. My baby. I’m so sorry, Mommy didn’t mean to. Please forgive Mommy, okay?” Bonnie snatched the doll from Zinnia, tenderly stroking it as she sank back into her own world.

Zinnia explained, “Her memories will gradually fade, and in two days, she’ll completely forget what happened before. These next two days, her emotions may be unstable.”

“Lydia, don’t forget to burn the calming candle I gave you in her room—it’ll help her rest. Tomorrow, I’ll prepare a health-building diet to help her recuperate.”

“Okay,” Lydia said softly. “Thank you so much, Zinnia.”