SWNOVELS Chapter 160
- Mother
“I’m so sorry, Jeremy. I’m sorry I left you at the orphanage. I was blinded by revenge at that time. I thought my life would not be peaceful until I succeeded in punishing those bad guys.”
Vivian’s voice grew hoarse. Her sobs were louder.
“But now, I realize. I handled my emotions in the wrong way. Instead of accepting it and letting it heal, I let the wound fester. Looking at Kara, I envy her. Why wasn’t I as strong as her? She forgives the people who hurt her and only focuses on her children, while I ….”
Vivian took a quick, deep breath. Her back started to bend. Her chest would be tight if she didn’t do so.
“I left my son in order to take revenge. If only I chose to forgive your father, let all the pain he caused go, of course I would have beautiful life watching you grow. I could attend parent meetings at your school, take photos with you at your graduation, and celebrate all your birthdays.”
“I could also cook you a special meal on your first day of work. Or throw a small party to welcome the girl of your choice. But apparently, I didn’t do any of that. I took all those opportunities away from you.”
Suddenly, Vivian laughed sadly. “Do you know how proud I was when Rowan and Frank accepted you? When they said you were qualified to be the CEO’s assistant?”
Vivian raised her eyebrows and smiled faintly. However, the shaking
of her shoulders became more intense.
“Yes, there was a feeling of sadness because you actually deserved a higher position. But, seeing you struggle alone, developing your
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was very
proud. But again, I could only say congratulations. I couldn’t hug or pat you on the back. I couldn’t.”
“A lot of people think I really care about Frank. I often visited his
room, asked how he was doing, and brought him food. But no one knows that actually… I did all that to be able to see you, to hear your voice, to know how you are.”
“Even though I don’t deserve to be called a mother, I still want to show my love.”
Jeremy froze. His heart trembled hearing all those words. Silently, he bowed his head, remembering all the times that had passed.
“You are wrong, Ma’am. There is one person who knows.”
Jeremy’s voice succeeded in freezing Vivian’s tears. Slowly, she straightened her back again and raised her eyebrows. “Who?”
“I know,” Jeremy answered in a soft voice. “I know that all this time, my mother has been secretly watching me.”
Vivian gaped wide. Covering her mouth with one hand, she sighed in disbelief, “You know?”
Jeremy didn’t nod. His neck was too stiff.
“Every time you visited Frank’s office, your eyes glanced at me more often. Every time you asked me how he’s doing, you always asked how I’m doing first. And every time you brought Frank something, you gave it to me too, Mother.”
Vivian flinched. Her eyes trembled for a moment until she got her senses back and burst into tears. Her voice became unclear. “You
called me Mother? Do you still consider me mother?”
Jeremy raised the corner of his lips. “Louis and Emily said that the person who gave birth to us is our mother. Vivian Bell is the person
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wu yar pinty the. Ovuly, you u
une my mouci.
Vivian spontaneously grabbed Jeremy’s hand. Her tight grip showed how much she didn’t want to be separated.
“Thank you, Jeremy. Thank you for considering me your mother. Thank you.”
Compassion flooded Jeremy’s heart. Involuntarily, a teardrop.
escaped from the edge of his eye. “And one more thing you should
know.”
The curve of Vivian’s lips tightened again. Her red eyes looked at Jeremy worriedly. “What?”
“Your case is different from Rowan Harper’s case. The man died in regret along with his pride, without having time to apologize. But you have apologized. You won’t die in loneliness one day.”
Vivian sighed deeply again. Her head moved forward, looking at his son more closely. “Do you forgive me?”
Jeremy smiled even though it felt awkward. “Even Louis and Emily are willing to forgive their cruel great-grandfather. I would be ashamed if I couldn’t forgive you. Let’s make peace, Mother.”
Vivian’s crying was no longer controllable. While hugging Jeremy, expressed her gratitude. To God, to Jeremy, to the twins. The toddle had helped her knock Jeremy’s heart. Without she realized, Susan Martin smiled, pulling the curtain of her window.
***
“Kara, do you know? Jeremy and his mother have reconciled.”
Kara spontaneously turned around. “Really?”
Susan stopped cutting the tomatoes to lean her head towards Kara. They talked on the back porch near my room last night. I overheard it.”
“Wow….” The curve of Kara’s lips widened. “That’s good news. Maybe, that could serve as some consolation for Frank and the
twins.”
“Yes, hopefully. Where are they anyway? Are they awake yet?”
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Kara shook her head as she turned the omelet over. “Maybe they are. tired. They cried too much yesterday. That’s why I chose this menu for breakfast.”
“Turns out, Frank has the same taste with the twins?” Susan raised
an eyebrow.
“Yes, the three of them like sandwiches. Maybe after this, we can add
salad.”
Just as Susan was about to respond, a servant suddenly approached. “Excuse me, Miss Martin. We have an important guest. We tried to call Mister Harper, but there’s no answer. Would you like to wake him up?”
Kara blinked. “Important guest? Who?”
The servant nodded swiftly. “A notary. He wants to read the will of the late Mr. Harper this morning.”
Kara’s mouth suddenly rounded. After turning off the stove and securing the omelet, she took off her cooking apron. “Could you o Jeremy, please? I’ll wake Frank up.”
“Actually, the notary also wants to meet Young Master and Young Lady.”
Kara knitted her eyebrows. “Young Master and Young Lady? Louis and Emily?”
The servant nodded. Wasting no time, they gathered the people.
“Good morning, Mr. Notary,” Louis and Emily greeted when they
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Cmereu une my room.
The man in the suit turned his head. Seeing Kara with the twins followed by the others, he stood up and smiled. “Good morning, Harpers.”
Jeremy and Kara turned awkward. They both felt like they weren’t fully part of the family.
Blinking on the sofa, the twins watched how the notary opened his bag. Their heads and eyelids were actually still heavy. However, they
didn’t want to be left behind.
“What are we going to do, Mr. Notary? Why did you ask us to gather?” Emily asked in her sweet little voice.
The man in the black suit widened his smile. Holding a document, he straightened his back. “I apologize for bothering you so early. I’m Morris Morison, a notary trusted by the late Rowan Harper.”
The twins looked at each other. They had been wondering what a notary was since several minutes ago. Kara’s explanation wasn’t clear enough for them.
“Did Great Grandpa leave a letter for you?” Louis asked with knitted
eyebrows.
Morris nodded. “That’s right. Two days ago, the late Rowan Harper suddenly wanted to revise his will. He requested that this letter be read the day after the funeral, before seven in the morning.”
“Why?” Louis deepened his furrowed brows.
While Kara was gesturing to her son not to ask too many questions, the notary put on a small mysterious smile.