My Mom Walked Away from a Fortune

Still kneeling, Kayla Thorne made an elaborate show of apologizing to Mom.

Tourists visiting the village for the Bloomtide Festival quickly gathered around and pulled out their phones to record.

Mom calmly served her customers their food before stepping outside.

"Don't call me your sister. We're not related by blood. We're slammed today, and I can barely keep up. Can we talk after my shift?"

Kayla inched closer on her knees and gave Mom's apron a gentle tug, looking up at her with pleading eyes.

"You can hate me and blame me all you want. This is all my fault. But Mom and Dad really do care about you. I'll give you as much money as you want, okay? Just please go see them at the hospital."

The tourists had no idea what was going on and were already whispering among themselves.

Mom looked helpless for a moment, then reached down to help Kayla up. But Kayla struggled against her and toppled backward, driving the thorns into her back.

Kayla sucked in a sharp breath. Her face went even paler, but she didn't make a sound.

"Enough!"

A young man strode out of the crowd, his voice cold as he snapped at Mom. "Kayla's a victim too. She tied thorny branches across her back, got down on her knees, and begged you to forgive her just to make things right with you.

"How long are you going to keep making her beg? Do you really care about money so much that you won't even go see your own parents?"

Mom looked genuinely confused. She had no idea who he was or why he thought he had any right to lecture her.

By then, some of the onlookers had figured out who Kayla and the man were.

"Wait, aren't they that couple everyone's obsessed with from that dating show? No wonder they looked so familiar."

"I heard they grew up together. That rich heir only went on the show because he was trying to win her over."

"Then who's this woman? Why is a celebrity on her knees begging her like this?"

Everyone's attention shifted back to Mom.

I ran outside and stood beside Mom, taking her big hand in my little one.

Kayla cut Henry Reyes off before he could defend her any further and stubbornly stayed on her knees.

"Stay out of this. I've had a good life for more than 20 years. Even if I have to stay on my knees here until I drop dead, it'll still be worth it for Mom and Dad."

The crowd still didn't know the full story, but the way they looked at Mom made me uncomfortable.

Kayla was just as annoying as the people who had shown up over the past two days. I pulled my slingshot out from behind my back, ready to teach her a lesson.

Without even looking back, Mom reached over, snatched the slingshot from my hand, and stuffed it into her apron pocket.

Despite all the commotion, she remained perfectly calm.

"Ms. Thorne, I may be the Thorne family's biological daughter, but I've never had any intention of going back and fighting you for anything. You're the one who's spent more than 20 years with them, so you don't need to get worked up over me."

Kayla bit her lip.

"If they're sick, they have doctors to take care of them. I have a diner to run and a child to look after, so I won't be going to the hospital. Please leave."

With that, Mom took my hand and led me back inside the diner.

I looked back at Kayla and made a face at her. She was such a mean woman.

For a moment, Kayla's expression turned vicious. She stayed on her knees for another half hour. Henry had to talk himself hoarse before he finally convinced her to leave.

In that short time, Mom's little diner had gone viral.

The village was already crowded with tourists for the Bloomtide Festival, and now it was absolutely packed.

Mom was sweating from running around nonstop and didn't have a spare second to care what people were saying about her.

Only after the last customer left did she finally let out a sigh of relief and sit down.

She checked her phone and found over 99 messages and missed calls, all from Gordon Thorne, her older brother by blood.

Her phone buzzed again as another call came in. I reached over and tapped "Answer."