Chapter 339 In person

Agnes felt she it was cruel enough that she had abandoned her daughter, Alana, all those years ago; she couldn’t possibly destroy her daughter’s happiness as well.

Darla smiled. “No? Why not? Don’t you treat me like your own daughter? Why won’t you grant the request of your own daughter? At the end of the day, I suppose I’m still not as close to you as your own biological daughter!”

Agnes hurried to explain, “No, you’re both my daughters, and I don’t want either of you to get hurt! Besides, I want you two to get along...”

Darla sneered, “That sounds better in theory than in practice. She stole the man I love, and you still want me to get along with her? She’s just a woman from the countryside, someone who can’t hold her own in polite society. What gives you the right to expect me to treat her as an equal and get along with her? Is she even worthy?”

Agnes was at a loss for words. “I...”

Darla cut her off bluntly, “You can only choose one of us. If you choose me, help me make sure she breaks up with Stephan immediately. If you choose her, get out of the Gordon family right now!”

Agnes was torn. “Darla, don’t be like this...”

Darla coldly cut her off. “Aunt Agnes, I’m simply informing you: if you choose me, you cannot choose her; if you choose her, you cannot choose me! Of course, if you choose her, I won’t let her off easily either.”

“I’m telling you this to give you some face. After all, you’ve looked after me for so many years. I’m not the kind of person who’d be heartless. Do you want to talk her out of it yourself, or do you want me to deal with her directly? The choice is yours.”

“Of course, if I were to deal with her myself, your daughter wouldn’t stand a chance against me. After all, with my abilities, crushing her would be easier than crushing an ant.”

It was both a warning and a threat.

Agnes’ lips trembled, and her face turned pale.

Darla smiled. “Aunt Agnes, I’ve made myself perfectly clear. I think you know exactly what choice to make.”

Agnes said nothing, her whole body trembling.

Darla raised an eyebrow. “Speak up. I’m still waiting to hear your decision.”

“Darla, we’ve known each other for so many years, and I’ve even treated your own daughter like my own. How could you...”

Darla sneered, showing Agnes no mercy. “You won’t choose, is that it? Then I’ll choose for you. How about I deal with your daughter?”

Agnes’ breath caught. “No, I’ll agree to your terms.”

Darla laughed derisively. “Aunt Agnes, I knew you’d choose me. I’ll be waiting for your good news.”

With that, she turned and walked away.

Agnes’ legs gave way, and she collapsed onto the sofa.

To this day, she still couldn’t understand why things had to turn out this way.

Was this heaven’s punishment for her?

Was it punishment for abandoning her daughter all those years ago, and now, was it cruelly tearing her daughter’s happiness apart as well?

She never imagined she’d have to see Alana again in this lifetime.

Even though they had run into each other a few times before, she avoided her whenever she could.

Not wanting to face this daughter meant not wanting to face the cruel, selfish person she once was.

But now...

Heaven has truly played a cruel joke on her.

******************

The next day, Alana came to the hospital as usual to visit her grandmother.

But when she saw the woman standing outside her grandmother’s hospital room, she was so shocked she couldn’t speak.

The woman turned around and, seeing the disbelief on Alana’s face, a flicker of guilt crossed her eyes.

“Alana, I’m sorry it took me so long to come see you and your grandmother.”

The woman standing before her was none other than Agnes.

She hadn’t slept a wink last night, so she had come to the hospital first thing in the morning.

She knew exactly which ward the old lady was in, so once she arrived, she simply waited there, certain that Alana would eventually show up.

Alana’s expression shifted from shock and bewilderment to calm.

She never imagined there would come a day when she’d see Agnes again.

Agnes’ face was well-preserved; it didn’t look much different from how it had looked over a decade ago.

Alana’s emotions settled quickly. Upon seeing Agnes again, she realized she wasn’t as emotional as she’d imagined; on the contrary, she felt quite calm.

She accepted her presence calmly.

And she accepted her departure just as calmly.

And judging by the way she was dressed, it seemed she’d been doing quite well all these years.

“You only need to come see Grandma; there’s no need to see me.”

Agnes had never imagined that meeting her daughter would turn out this way.

She had imagined that Alana would be shocked to see her, that she would weep bitterly.

She’d demand to know why she’d abandoned her all those years ago.

And why she hadn’t come back to see her even once all these years? But she never imagined Alana would be so calm, as if she were looking at a complete stranger.

Agnes felt a sharp pain in her chest and wanted to say something to salvage their mother-daughter relationship.

But in the end, she realized that no matter what she said, it would seem hollow and powerless.

Before coming, she had prepared so many things to say, wanting to ask Alana in person. But when the words reached her lips, not a single one came out.

Agnes looked at Alana with a complex expression. “How is your grandmother doing?”

“If you want to know, you can go in and see for yourself.”

“I don’t feel comfortable going in to see her.’I’m afraid if she sees me, she’ll get too emotional and her body won’t be able to handle it.”

Alana’s face remained expressionless. “If you don’t go see her, how do you know her body can’t handle it?”

Agnes was momentarily at a loss for words; she couldn’t argue with that.

Besides, her main reason for coming today wasn’t to see the old lady, but the daughter standing before her.

But now that she was already here, she decided to go see her after all.

Agnes asked, “So, should I go in?”

“Mm-hmm.” Alana still sounded cold and distant.

Agnes felt hurt. “Lana, are you blaming me in your heart?”

Alana’s voice remained flat, “No.”

Agnes sighed.

She didn’t believe Alana didn’t harbor even a shred of resentment toward her. Acting so indifferent was just a way of pretending she didn’t care.

“Lana, I’m sorry.”

Alana remained unmoved at her words.

“Aren’t you going in to see Grandma?”

Agnes asked, “Do you want to come with me?”

“No, thanks.”

Agnes sighed again, then pushed open the door and walked into the ward.

Alana didn’t follow her in, but waited outside the room.

Agnes went in to see the woman. For the two older women who hadn’t seen each other in over a decade, a tearful, emotional reunion was bound to happen.

She couldn’t bear to witness such a tear-jerking scene, so she decided not to go in.

Agnes walked into the hospital room and, looking at the frail elderly woman in the bed, couldn’t help but feel a lump in her throat.

“Mom.”

Her grandmother glanced at Agnes, her expression calm.

“You still call me that? I can remember someone telling me I wasn’t their real mother.”

“I’m so sorry, Mom...” Agnes’ legs gave way, and she knelt right by the bed.

Grandma closed her eyes for a moment, a lump forming in her throat.

She simply couldn’t bear to see her like this. “Stand up. Let’s talk properly.”

Lately, Agnes had been sneaking into the hospital room late at night to see her, Grandma knew every detail.

She had only resented her for not having the courage to visit her openly.

Now that Agnes was here, every trace of resentment had vanished from her heart.

Agnes’ eyes were red from crying. “Mom, I’ve been such an unfilial daughter. All these years, I never came back to see you.”

Actually, she had come back before, but she hadn’t dared to disturb her.