Chapter 2

Early the next morning, I went to the nursing home to visit my mother, Dahlia Everson.

Yesterday, the doctors told me that she was out of danger, but her situation remained unpromising.

Her health was steadily deteriorating. She couldn't even remember me when her condition flared up, yet she could still remember Nina.

When she saw me, she noticed my swollen cheek and asked, "What happened to your face?"

I touched my face and forced a smile. "It's nothing, Mom. How are you feeling today?"

Mom looked slightly better than before.

She shook her head, then looked behind me.

I knew who she was waiting for.

"Nina's busy. She'll come by to see you when she has time," I told her.

Mom looked away and said quietly, "You always say that. She just doesn't want to see me, doesn't she?"

I opened my mouth, then lowered my head.

The thought of Nina taking on a lawsuit for an outsider while neglecting Mom made my heart ache sharply.

"How about you give her a call? I really want to see her, even if just once."

Mom's pleas weighed heavily on me.

Nina's parents had passed away when she was still very young.

Ever since she married me, Mom doted on Nina as if she were her biological daughter.

Knowing that Nina had a weak stomach and a poor appetite, Mom would wake up early to make a nourishing porridge for her every morning.

Even when Nina came home from work on rainy days, Mom would have drawn a hot bath for her in advance.

Mom had done these things for ten years, but Nina had never once thanked her for them.

Still, Mom understood Nina's personality, so she always advised me to be more tolerant of her.

Nina and I hadn't spoken a single word to each other since yesterday.

We'd both tacitly started giving each other the silent treatment.

However, faced with Mom's expectant gaze, I bit the bullet and called Nina.

When the call connected, all I could hear was background noise.

The call was then disconnected before I could speak.

When I next dialed her number, I was informed that her phone was switched off.

The light in Mom's eyes slowly dimmed.

She sighed and took a bracelet wrapped in red cloth out from under her pillow.

"I still have something I want to give her in person," she revealed.

I recognized that bracelet—it was one of the possessions she'd inherited from her family.

She'd always wanted to give it to Nina, but she'd never had the chance.

Mom forced a smile, patted my hand, and said, "Please help me give it to her next time."

My nose started to sting, and I almost started crying.

Just as I was about to reply, a nurse walked in and announced, "May Ms. Everson's family members please leave for now? It's time for her injections."

I stood up and glanced back at Mom, who waved at me.

After I left, I was still feeling quite down and could only distract myself by immersing myself in housework as soon as I got home.

While cleaning Nina's study, I noticed that her drawer was filled to the brim with cards.

My mind instantly went blank.

Nina would ask me to buy breakfast from Will's shop every day.

I knew that every bag of takeout I bought would come with a card, but I never questioned it because I thought that was normal practice there.

I reached out to take a few of the cards.

After flipping them open and reading the contents, I felt my blood run cold.

"Good morning."

"Make sure to eat your meals."

"I miss you every day."

Hundreds of such cards were piled up before my eyes, causing that last mental straw in my head to snap instantly.

It was only by holding onto the edge of the table that I stopped myself from collapsing on the spot.

I'd thought myself mentally prepared, but when I saw the cards, I still found the situation rather absurd.

Before I could even catch my breath, the caregiver from the nursing home, Martha Wattson, called me.

She wailed in a terror-filled voice, "Mr. Sheppard! Your mother! She committed suicide!"