The next morning, Charles Chase didn’t go to the office. He waited for Cecilia to get up so they could go to the hospital together to bring Ye Jing home.
Cecilia made an effort to wake up a bit earlier than usual. The thought of going to pick up her mother filled her with a strange kind of nervousness.
She rummaged through her closet and finally settled on a white dress, layering a soft goose-yellow cardigan on top.
She checked her reflection in the mirror. Her complexion looked pretty good, and her long hair hung down her back, making her look particularly neat and gentle.
Her bump was getting harder to hide, a little rounded mound showing beneath her sweater.
Cecilia gently patted her belly. “Baby, you’re going to meet Grandma Rivers today.”
After getting ready, she went downstairs to have breakfast.
Charles Chase had already finished eating and was, as always, unshakably absorbed in his newspaper.
She’d barely taken a couple of sips of her porridge when noises came from outside and the front door swung open.
Lao San—Old Third—came in, directing his men as they carried several exquisitely wrapped gift boxes inside.
“Madam,” he called upon seeing Cecilia Ye, waving his hand with a wide grin breaking out on his typically fierce face. “The boss asked me to bring these gifts for you.”
Cecilia blinked, a bit surprised, but got up and walked over. Charles Chase also set down his newspaper and headed for the door.
The gift boxes were placed neatly on the living room table—a dozen or so light blue boxes, each with a delicate string of English letters embossed in gold on top.
At a glance, Cecilia recognized her favorite pajamas brand.
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Before she could ask, Lao San explained, “Madam, the boss had these delivered to the hospital yesterday. He told me to bring them straight over to you myself. I’m not sure what’s inside—maybe some clothes for you?”
Cecilia certainly couldn’t admit they were pajamas and answered awkwardly, “Mm, just some clothes.”
Lao San didn’t think much of it, rubbing his hands together. “Alright then, we’ll be heading out.”
He took a few steps toward the door, then came to a sudden stop and turned around.
“Oh, right—Madam, the boss wanted me to tell you something. He said, not every girl likes pink, and that you look beautiful in any color.”
“Pfft.” Cecilia couldn’t help laughing. She’d never noticed before how jealous Fu Zhichen could be.
Next to her, Charles Chase realized what was going on and his teeth ground together audibly.
So he was implying that the room Charles Chase decorated for Cecilia was ugly?
That’s practically a declaration of war! Fu Zhichen, that shameless dog!
After Lao San and his men left, Cecilia and Charles Chase set out as well.
Sitting in the car, Cecilia’s nerves lingered. What would she say to her mother when they met?
Would her mom like this version of her?
And the baby… She placed a hand over her bump, suddenly feeling grateful that she and Zhichen had decided to start over.
If it had been any sooner, back when she was still a mess, how could she have faced her mother?
“Don’t be nervous. Your mom is a very gentle person.”
Charles Chase caught her anxious expression and offered some comfort.
“Mm, I just… don’t know what to say to her. Brother, do you think she’ll like me?”
Her porcelain-white teeth bit down on her lower lip, her voice barely more than a whisper.
“Of course she’ll like you. Our Cecilia is beautiful, kind, sweet, and talented at painting—you’re wonderful at everything.”
He kept praising her all the way, and before long the little lady was so embarrassed she forgot to be nervous at all.
They arrived at the hospital’s twelfth floor just as the doctor was finishing Ye Jing’s checkup. Her recovery had been excellent—after all, she’d been looked after by the best specialists and had access to top-notch facilities.
A nurse had already helped her into her own clothes. She sat at the edge of the bed looking much more energetic than before.
Because Fu Zhichen’s hospital was farther away, Cecilia hadn’t been to see her mom in several days.
As Charles Chase and Cecilia entered the room one after the other, Ye Jing greeted them: “Mr. Chen.”
Her gaze, though, lingered on Cecilia. This was her daughter—the daughter she hadn’t seen in over twenty years, the daughter she thought she’d lost forever.
Cecilia had always been a beautiful child, and she’d only grown lovelier as she got older.
The room still held the doctor and Charles Chase, but Ye Jing tried her best to keep her emotions in check.
Cecilia stared right back at her mother, both of their eyes brimming with tears.
At last, Ye Jing couldn’t hold back and reached to wipe the wetness from her eyes.
Sensing it, Charles Chase quietly signaled for the doctor to leave, and soon it was just mother and daughter in the room.
One sitting, one standing. After a long pause, Ye Jing trembled, then beckoned with her hand and parted her lips to speak.
“Cecilia, come here… come to Mom.”
Ye Jing was just as nervous. She’d abandoned her tiny daughter at an orphanage—of course Cecilia would blame her.
Slowly, Cecilia walked over to the bed, step by step, and sat down on the chair across from Ye Jing.
Ye Jing reached out, taking the girl’s small hand in her own, and opened her mouth, but tears just spilled down uncontrollably.
“I’m sorry, Cecilia…
“It’s Mom’s fault. It’s all Mom’s fault…”
Her tears fell in big, hot drops onto Cecilia’s hand.
Her little girl, after all these years, who knew how much she had suffered, away from her mother’s eyes?
Had anyone bullied her? Had she eaten enough? Stayed warm?
Regret crushed Ye Jing as she beat her own chest in pain, her words broken by choking sobs.
“Mom… Mommy’s so sorry, Cecilia…”
All she could do was apologize—every word heavy with remorse and self-blame.
Cecilia’s own tears were already streaming down. She bit her lip to stifle the sobs, not sure what else to do. Her chest ached so much that all she could do was reach out, wiping her mother’s tears with shaky hands.
Her small white hands gently brushed Ye Jing’s cheeks, wiping away her tears even as she herself wept.
“Mommy, don’t cry… please, don’t cry, okay?” Her voice was raw from crying, soft and trembling with panic. “When you cry, I feel terrible too.”
Hearing her call her “Mommy,” Ye Jing froze, speechless, tears pouring faster.
Shaking, she bent down and hugged her daughter tightly. She’d spent twenty years trying to atone for her mistake, but what had her little girl ever done wrong?
How could fate have given her a mother like this? Ye Jing’s heart ached with guilt and regret.
Held in that warm embrace, Cecilia realized for the first time what a mother’s hug was really like—so warm, so gentle. It made her feel as if, no matter what happened, as long as she could hide in her mom’s arms, nothing could ever scare her again.
Ye Jing gently patted Cecilia’s back, again and again, as if lulling a little child. No matter how old her daughter got, she would always be Mom’s precious little baby.
They hugged for a long time before the tears finally stopped. Ye Jing, regaining control over her emotions, let go and looked at her daughter with infinite tenderness, worried she might have scared her.
She fished out a tissue to gently wipe the tears from Cecilia’s face, her voice hoarse: “No more crying now. Our Cecilia mustn’t cry anymore.”
“It’s all Mommy’s fault. How could I leave you behind like that?”
“Mommy will never leave you again, never ever.”
Cecilia shook her head. She didn’t really know the full story of the past, but her brother had explained that their mother had her own reasons and had only wanted to protect her.
Once they’d finally dried their faces, Charles Chase knocked at the door. From outside, he’d heard the sound of their weeping and had been deeply moved.
But in the room, one woman was recently recovered from illness and the other was pregnant—neither could afford to get too emotional.
Cecilia turned her head and sniffled. “Brother…”
He smiled, “Come on, let’s go home and pick this up again later. We don’t want to monopolize the hospital room and get chased out by the nurses.”
His little joke lightened the air in the room.
Supporting Ye Jing, the three of them left the hospital together, making their way back to the Chase family’s old home.