Chapter 26: No Time Left
Why did she apologize?
Didn’t she feel angry at all when she saw her daughter being hit?
Wasn’t she that girl’s mother?
Her own child was hit, so what was the point of her apologizing?
Back in the room, Erika sat on the bed, her eyes fixed on the four-leaf clover in her hand, her mind replaying the events that had just happened.
She seriously doubted now that the little girl named Kassie was not Caroline’s biological daughter—what kind of mother would treat her own child that way…
“Erika, your clothes are filthy. If you want to get into bed, take them off first.”
Suddenly reprimanded, Gladys seemed to have become a lot stricter with Erika lately.
“Hey, Gladys…”
The latter jumped off the bed at once, tilting her head as she asked, “Do you think… that mother and daughter just now, are biologically related?”
“I don’t know.”
Gladys responded promptly, “But the feelings she has for that child are definitely a mother’s feelings.”
“Why?”
Erika didn’t understand. “Her daughter was beaten up, but she wasn’t angry, and she even slapped her child… I think that’s way too much…”
“If you care so much, why don’t you go ask her yourself?”
“That’s not a good idea…”
Erika gave an awkward smile. “I feel like they probably hate me right now.”
“Then take off your clothes, take a bath, and go to sleep.”
“……”
Thinking about it more, Erika still felt uncomfortable. Moreover, that girl named Kassie had run off by herself. As a mother, there’s no way she wouldn’t be worried.
Feeling guilty, Erika blinked at Gladys. “Gladys… I… I’m going out for a bit.”
“Come back early.”
Without stopping her, Gladys just shook her head and replied with a smile.
……
……
When she returned to the room earlier, Erika had deliberately taken note of Caroline’s whereabouts. She knew which room the woman had been helped into.
Following her memory, she quietly made her way over. She just wanted… to apologize. After all, it was true she had made mistakes too.
She arrived at the door to Caroline’s room. It was a dim corridor, and this was the only room at the end.
Sneaking up to the door, Erika noticed that it was half-open, the light inside was on, and she could hear the voices of a woman and an elderly man talking.
Without rushing in, Erika leaned against the wall to eavesdrop.
“You’re too strict with her, Caroline. She’s still a child. You shouldn’t treat her like that.” It was the voice of the old man.
Through the crack in the door, Erika saw that the speaker was the same elderly man who had helped Caroline earlier.
“Father, I thought you would understand me… cough cough…”
After coughing a few times forcefully, Caroline’s face looked pale, her lips dry and cracked—something that surprised Erika.
Come to think of it, Caroline had been coughing a lot earlier while speaking.
After a few more coughs, Caroline shook her head and smiled bitterly. “I’m doing this for Kassie’s sake. Do you know why I held the Midsummer Day event this time?
It’s all for her…
I’m not some great person, not the selfless benefactor everyone sees me as. Money doesn’t grow on trees, and it hurts to spend it freely.
But compared to money, I think Kassie is more important.”
“Then all the more reason not to treat her like this. You even slapped her in front of so many people.”
“Oh… I had no choice, Father… This was the only thing I could do…”
As she spoke, Caroline’s voice began to tremble. She slowly covered her cheeks with her hands, clearly crying.
The old man sighed. “Don’t be like this, Caroline. Take care of your health first.”
“I don’t have time left…” Caroline suddenly replied.
“What?”
“I said I don’t have time left! Father!”
All of a sudden, Caroline’s voice rose sharply, a tremble and a sob in her tone. Her face looked agitated.
The words “no time left” left the old man stunned.
There seemed to be resentment in her voice, but even more so, it was a mother’s helplessness.
“I really don’t have time left, Father. I can’t hold on any longer. Maybe three days… no… maybe one day… or maybe I won’t even last till tomorrow!
I don’t have time to watch Kassie grow up!
I can’t stay with her through life, can’t watch her settle down, can’t see her marry and have children!
She’s still so little! She doesn’t have a single friend! What will she do when I’m gone!?
When I saw her being hit today, it broke my heart. No mother wouldn’t feel heartache for her child!
But I had no choice! I had to hold back!
I must present a perfect image to everyone!
I don’t want people to say Kassie is a girl without a mother after I’m gone!
The whole purpose of today’s event was to help her make friends!
I’m really, really worried about her…”
Caroline was practically shouting.
“Cough cough cough…”
That violent outburst made her cough several more times, and a mouthful of blood gushed out.
Seeing this, the old man quickly took a towel to wipe her mouth and patted her back.
“Don’t get worked up, Caroline. Don’t get worked up. You’ll be okay. Believe me.”
“No…”
Caroline shook her head bitterly, her expression full of desolation. “I know my own body. I went to see a doctor. They told me… at most five days…
And now, it’s already the fourth day…”
“No… child… no, you’ll be fine.”
The old man now looked hopeless too, his withered hand tightly clutching Caroline’s, as if praying for her.
But Caroline gently pushed his hand away. “Don’t worry about me, Father. My fate is already sealed. It can’t be changed.
The only thing I can do now is plan for Kassie’s future…”
……
……
Hearing all this, Erika was stunned.
She had originally come to apologize, but now she didn’t want to interrupt this father and daughter.
So that’s how it was…
Erika was a little moved.
It turned out that the reason Caroline did all this was because… she didn’t have time left… because her life was nearing its end.
Parental love is the gentle thread in a mother’s hand, weaving a child’s dream to soar.
As a mother, the thing she cared about most throughout her life was her child. Everything she did, she first thought of her child.
With a bitter smile at the corner of her mouth, Erika slinked away. She felt ridiculous.
She had even doubted whether Caroline was really Kassie’s biological mother.
Thinking back on what Gladys had said earlier…
Perhaps Gladys had already seen through it—Caroline had always been thinking of her daughter.
“Why are you here?”
Just as she reached the door, Kassie appeared, cheeks puffed up and glaring at Erika, clearly still angry.
Somehow, Erika couldn’t bring herself to be angry at her anymore. Instead, she felt a twinge of guilt.
After all, this cooking contest had been held by Caroline to help Kassie make friends, but it was now ruined because of her.
“About what happened earlier, I’m sorry…”
Pressing her lips together, Erika took the initiative to apologize.
Kassie looked surprised by the apology, though only for a moment. Then an awkward expression appeared on her face.
“Did you… hear something?”