“Stop saying these things, Cameron,” I held back my tears. “It’s true, if it weren’t for The Lynch Family taking me in for the past fifteen years, I might have starved to death on the streets. I will never forget The Lynch Family’s kindness towards me…”
“I’m talking about me and you now, not The Lynch Family!” Cameron’s eyes were red.
“Yes, me and you,” I looked at him. “Let me tell you now, me and you will never be on the same path. I loved you for over a decade, but that feeling ended three years ago.”
“Cameron, I want to let myself go… I also beg you to let me go!”
Cameron’s grip gradually loosened. I felt relieved, yet also in pain.
I walked to the door, turning my back to him. I didn’t know what expression he wore, what he was thinking, whether he cried or laughed… I only knew that we were drifting further apart, separated by the greatest distance in the world.
However, when the door opened, I was stunned.
Elsa stood outside, staring at me in shock. It seemed like she was about to run away, but unfortunately, she was too late and collided with me.
“Elsa…”
I was about to speak, but she panicked and ran away.
I was frightened too.
During my time at the company, she was the only one I could talk to, but I could never figure her out. Unlike Holly, she was younger but more experienced. The more seemingly innocent someone was, the more cautious we should be.
As expected, rumors spread throughout the company.
Almost everyone knew about my status as the adopted daughter of The Lynch Family.
Whether it was in the break room, restroom, office, or cafeteria, I became the hot topic. They were all discussing me, “So that Laura is the chairman’s adopted daughter.”
“So her relationship with The Lynch Family is so complicated.”
“So she doesn’t have any real skills, she just relied on this relationship to rise to the top!”
I didn’t know what sins I committed in my past life, but why was it so difficult to live a good life in this life!
Back home, I slipped off my high heels and sank into the sofa.
I called Holly, hoping she could come over and have a drink with me, but her phone was unreachable.
Feeling dejected, I lowered my head. Just then, the doorbell rang. I was surprised to see a deliveryman with a polite smile.
“Miss Laura?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
He handed me a large package. “Your delivery, please sign here.”
The package was quite big and heavy. I hadn’t ordered anything recently, so who could have sent this to me? I chuckled nervously as I cut open the tape. Inside were several sets of work clothes, along with a pair of flat shoes to match.
The clothes and shoes were all in my size, and the colors and styles were simple and elegant, which are my favorite.
Underneath the clothes, there was another layer in the box, with dry ice padding the bottom. On top of the dry ice were several boxes of frozen crabs.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and I couldn’t help but let them fall…
In the following days, the relationship between Cameron and me became even more complicated.
I didn’t initiate contact with him, and he didn’t bother me either, but he would send me messages every day.
Sometimes they were empty, sometimes just a single emoji.
My home received frequent deliveries, ranging from frozen crabs to freshly steamed ones, as well as small desserts like red velvet cake-all things I loved to eat.
My refrigerator was now overflowing with crabs.
And little by little, Cameron was breaking down my defenses.
I no longer understood what kind of feelings I harbored for Cameron. Despite saying I didn’t want any contact with him, my heart was moving in the opposite direction…
One day, I was rushing to deliver some documents in the office when I accidentally bumped into someone.
When I looked up, to my surprise, it was Ethan!
After a moment of astonishment, I awkwardly addressed him, “Chairman…”
Ethan nodded with the same aloof and distant gaze as Cameron.
“Are you busy?” he asked.
“I have some documents to deliver,” I replied.
With a gesture, one of the people accompanying Ethan stepped forward and took the documents from my hands.
“Take Miss Campbell’s documents to their destination,” he instructed. Then he turned to me and said, “Laura, come to my office.”
My heart raced, and my feelings were a mixture of anxiety and complexity.
Ethan’s office was on the top floor of the building. It was elegantly decorated and offered a spacious view of the bustling scenery of Jerez State’s financial district through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
He gestured for me to sit down.
Gradually, I began to calm down, and my anxiety subsided. I observed the man before me. Despite his age, he looked well-preserved and exuded an air of sophistication, appearing to be only in his forties.
As Ethan sat across from me, he spoke in a low, hoarse voice, “What did you call me just now?”
I hesitated for a moment, then lowered my head and said, “Chairman.”
“Laura, there are no outsiders here,” he said, locking his gaze onto mine.
I was at a loss.
His expression softened a bit as he continued, “You were adopted by The Lynch Family for fifteen years, and you were once Carter’s wife… ”
I twisted my fingers tightly.
“I know some of the things that happened between you, Cameron, and Carter,” he said, tapping his fingers on the desk. “Whatever happened in the past is just that-the past. You’ve returned after studying abroad for three years, and I hope you understand how to get along with them.”
“I understand,” I said softly.
After a pause, I looked up at him and, with difficulty, uttered, “Father…”
He nodded, and there was a fleeting expression of tenderness in his eyes.
“I know I don’t deserve to call you that,” I said. “My biological father brought great harm to The Lynch Family, and yet I benefited from The Lynch Family’s kindness… I feel unworthy… I haven’t forgotten the kindness of The Lynch Family’s upbringing. Now, I am fully dedicated to my work, also wanting to make up for the guilt in my heart.”
“You don’t owe us anything, Laura,” Ethan smiled, “You’ve been a well-behaved and sensible girl. Thanks to your meticulous care for your mother over the years at The Lynch Family, otherwise, she might not have made it this far.”
I lowered my head, feeling my breath becoming difficult.
Although Stella and I weren’t biologically related, we still had an emotional bond. She had been kind to me when she was in sane.
“How is she?” I cautiously inquired. “My mother, I mean.”
“She’s still in the sanatorium.”
“The psychiatric sanatorium?”
“Yes, the North Wing Sanatorium, psychiatric department.”
I fell silent.
“Laura,” Ethan sighed lightly, “Your mother… she’s been thinking about you all the time. Sometimes, when her mind is unclear, she mistakes you for Anne. But when she’s lucid, she calls out your name.”
“Laura, I’m not forcing you. If you’re willing, go and see her. To be honest, she’s quite pitiful now. She’s lost most of her memory, often lapses into confusion, sometimes babbles nonsensically, and at times, even hits the doctors and nurses… Her mental state is poor, and it’s seriously affecting her physical condition. Many of her organs are already failing prematurely…”
I took a deep breath. I didn’t hear much of what he said afterward.
My ears were buzzing.
I should go see her. She’s nearing the end of her life, and who knows when she’ll leave this world forever.
Regardless of any grievances or right or wrong, I should put them aside for now… After all, she’s the mother who raised me for fifteen years. Morally and emotionally, I shouldn’t leave her alone in that cold psychiatric sanatorium.
I got the address from Ethan, and went alone to the North Wing Sanatorium on the weekend.
It was the best psychiatric sanatorium in Jerez State, with professional medical skills and exorbitant fees. Located amidst mountains and facing the sea, the surroundings were serene, which was conducive to the recovery of patients.
But as I stepped into the sanatorium, I couldn’t shake off the eerie feeling. Despite the luxurious decor, it felt like nothing more than a gilded cage to me. Strange sounds echoed through the corridors of the ward-cries, laughter, screams… My heart raced, and I hastened to follow the nurse’s footsteps, arriving at Stella’s ward.
The rooms for psychiatric patients were specially designed, with iron cages outside the windows to prevent them from escaping. The nurse entered first with medication, while I hesitated at the door, but then I heard the voice of a stranger.
“My dear sister, it must be difficult to endure taking medication and injections every day, right?”