Chapter 406 Deserved Consequences
And so, she would not forgive. Not now, not ever.
The car door slowly closed, and the vehicle pulled away, leaving Alice standing alone, dazed as she watched it disappear into the distance.
“I deserve this. I don’t deserve your forgiveness. But… I really don’t have much time left. I just wanted to hear you call me ‘Mom‘ one more time before I die.”
It was as if every ounce of strength had left Alice’s body. She staggered violently, nearly collapsing.
Suddenly, a hand reached out and steadied her.
Alice looked up to see Elliot’s concerned eyes.
“Mom, are you okay?”
Alice shook her head. “I’m fine.”
Elliot had just been released after serving a ten–year prison sentence.
Ten years behind bars had worn away all of his pride.
And strangely, he found prison life oddly familiar.
He couldn’t explain it. It was his first time in prison, yet everything felt eerily recognizable.
He was haunted by recurring nightmares.
In his dreams, he constantly tormented his own sister–yelling at her, beating her. Even though Willow’s performances were always so clumsy, it was as if the whole family had been blind, unable to see the truth.
In every dream, he was hurting his real sister.
The nightmares had gone on for ten years, tormenting him the entire time.
He didn’t understand why he kept dreaming those things–until after his release, when he told his mother.
Only then did she reveal the truth.
They weren’t just dreams. Everything he saw had truly happened.
In a past life, his biological sister had been so badly abused by their family that she became disabled.
No wonder the guilt had eaten at him every night. He had done far too much wrong.
“Mom… Lauren won’t forgive us. What are we supposed to do?”
Alice felt a heavy pressure in her chest. A hot rush of blood surged up from her throat and nose.
She spat a mouthful of blood, her vision going dark.
“Mom!” Elliot shouted in panic.
Alice gave a bitter laugh. “Karma. This is karma.”
Alice slowly regained consciousness. She pulled the IV from her hand and got out of bed, walking to the door.
Just as she was about to open it, she overheard the conversation between the doctor and Elliot.
“Your mother’s in the late stages of stomach cancer. She’s got at most six months left.”
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Chapter 406 Deserved Consequences
“Doctor, please–there must be something you can do.”
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“Sigh. It’s too late. Instead of wasting money on treatments, let her go home and spend the time doing whatever she wants.”
The doctor walked away, leaving Elliot slumped against the wall, completely defeated.
The door opened. Alice stepped out.
Elliot looked up sharply “Mom… you heard?”
Alice nodded. “I heard, I don’t want treatment. Let’s go home.”
“But-
“No buts. At this stage, treatment’s pointless”
Suddenly, she thought of Lauren.
In her past life, during her time in the Bennett household, Lauren had never once had a proper hot meal. Sometimes she went the whole day hungry, only eating the family’s cold leftovers at night.
She never got stomach problems at the orphanage, but after coming to the Bennetts, she did.
Lauren had always acted like she didn’t have stomach issues, but Alice had known.
She just pretended not to see it. She never cared.
She remembered one night when Elliot had a stomachache.
Every time that happened, it was always Lauren who ran around caring for him.
That night was no different–Lauren had stayed up taking care of him.
Alice had gotten up in the middle of the night and accidentally seen Lauren, exhausted, sitting on the couch and secretly taking Elliot’s stomach meds.
Only then did she realize that Lauren had stomach issues too.
Lauren
But she brushed it off Lauren had come from an orphanage–she could handle hardship. A little stomach trouble was nothing.
Only now did she finally understand: being able to endure hardship meant she had endured too much.
In her past life. Lauren had suffered terribly
Now it was her turn to experience what that pain felt like.
“Let’s go home.”
“Mom, you’re this sick.. shouldn’t we tell Lauren? She is your daughter, after all.”
Alice gave a bitter smile. “When Lauren was so sick she couldn’t even get out of bed, no one in the Bennett family cared.”
Elliot fell silent. He had nothing left to say.
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