8
I took him to a small grave.
I had bought a plot of land and buried her here.
She was my precious child.
In this life, I had been reborn too late. I still couldn’t save her.
I hadn’t allowed myself to think about her all this time,
Now, I could finally let myself grieve,
Lucas fell to his knees, weeping bitterly.
Im so sorry, honey. I failed to protect you and our daughter.
Im the reason our daughter died. I almost got you killed too.”
“Can you ever forgive me? Please don’t divorce me:
2:06 PM J
<
“Give me another chance. Let’s build a good life together from now on.”
I forgave Lucas. In both lifetimes combined, he had always been a victim. How could I blame him?
The true culprits were Martha and Lily. A mere 10 year sentence was far from enough to satisfy my hatred.
I brought Noah to visit Lily in prison.
She stared at him intensely.
“Chloe, Noah is mine. He’s my baby.”
I smiled at her.
“Is that so? But I tell Noah every day that I’m his mother – the mother who loves him most in the world. Do you really think he’ll believe I’m not
his real mom?”
“You know, Lily, Noah said ‘Mama‘ for the first time yesterday. I’ve never felt so happy in my life.”
“By the time you get out of prison, he’ll be all grown up. His teachers, classmates, and everyone else will know me as his mother.”
“Do you really think he’ll accept some ex–con claiming to be his mom? Even with a DNA test, don’t you think having you as a humiliating for him?”
mother
would be
Lily’s face crumpled in despair. She shook her head violently.
“No, that’s not how it’s supposed to be! You should have died from the poison. Lucas should have died in the car crash. We got rid of Wayne too. It was supposed to be me, my mom, and Noah living happily in your house with all your money.”
I laughed coldly.
“Lily Carter, you must be delusional. Only a madwoman would think villains get happy endings.”
She pounded frantically on the glass.
“I’m not crazy! I’m not!”
Later, she truly did go insane.
She called everyone she saw “Noah.”
When Martha learned Lily had lost her mind, she completely broke down and soon died of illness in prison.
Lucas and I took Noah and left the city.
Lucas had managed to find his biological parents.
To our surprise, they turned out to be billionaires in another state.
Now our family of three lives in a luxurious mansion.
Noah gurgles happily in my arms, waving his chubby little fists.
He calls me “Mama” and plants wet kisses all over my face.
Lucas holds us close.
“Honey, when you look at Noah, does it remind you of Martha and Lily? If It’s too painful, we can have him adopted by another family.”
I know the idea of giving up Noah pains Lucas, given his own history of being kidnapped as a child.
I kiss Noah’s forehead gently.
“Not at all. Adults‘ issues have nothing to do with an innocent child. Besides, Noah is such a sweetheart.”
Lucas sighs and hugs us tightly.
We watch over Noah as he grows up day by day.
By the time Noah gets married and has a child of his own, I’m blessed with an adorable little granddaughter.
When I see the tiny butterfly–shaped birthmark on her right ear, I burst into tears.
Eighteen years ago, the little girl in my dreams had the exact same birthmark.
She opens her eyes and gives me a sweet smile.
Noah rests his head on my shoulder.
“Mom, what do you think about naming the baby Tangerine?”
I nod through my tears.
Tangerine was the name I had chosen for my own baby girl.
My precious child has finally returned to me.
