Chapter 499
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Teresa crossed her arms over her chest , lowered her head , and closed her eyes . The room was so quiet , it felt like their breaths were tangled logeme
After a while , Vaughn called out , “ She’s awake . ” His words snapped Jonathan and Teresa out of their daze .
Fiona slowly opened her eyes , but her breathing was barely there , Vaughn sat by her side .
Vaughn turned to Jonathan and said , “ I’m really sorry about last time . My wife was out of line and caused you trouble . ” He looked at Teresa too , but
neither of them seemed to mind .
“ I’ll go get my grandpa . Wait here for me , ” Jonathan said , giving Teresa’s arm a gentle pat .
Teresa nodded . After Jonathan left , Vaughn turned to her and asked , “ Is he really your boyfriend ? ”
Teresa nodded . Since Jonathan had already said so in front of them , there was no point denying it now – especially since she barely knew these people .
Vaughn asked , “ He seems to treat you well . Haven’t you two thought about getting married ? Or having kids ? ”
“ Why do you want to know ? ” Teresa was confused .
“ Don’t get me wrong , I’m just saying it’s better to have kids , like us , ” Vaughn said .
Then Teresa learned that Fiona never had children of her own . The daughter she had was adopted , not biological . Teresa thought , ‘ No wonder Betty is so obsessed with money !’
A weak , raspy voice broke the silence . “ Water . ”
“ Fiona , you’re thirsty ? I’ll get you some water . ” Vaughn left the room , and Teresa looked at Fiona lying in the bed .
If she didn’t have any children , that would mean Irene wasn’t her daughter .
Teresa softly asked Fiona , “ Are you
Fiona ? ”
Fiona took a few seconds to react , then nodded . Teresa’s eyes dimmed . “ Do you have any children ? ”
Fiona nodded , then suddenly shook her head . Teresa couldn’t quite figure out what she meant .
She asked , “ Fiona , do you have a daughter named Irene ? ”
Fiona stared blankly at Teresa , as if she didn’t understand a word .
Teresa didn’t ask any more questions . Feeling disappointed , she walked over to the window and saw a car pulling in . Irene and Heidi got out . Teresa Looked away and left the room .
By the time Vaughn came back with the water , Teresa was already gone. Jonathan stepped into the elevator , about to text her , when her message came through first .
Teresa : [ I’m heading back . ]
Jonathan saw the message and pressed his lips together .
Irene and Heidi were the first to rush into the hospital room . They saw the old lady in the bed , the name “ Fiona ” on the bedside , and her features matching the photo . Heidi quickly said , “ That’s Mom , isn’t it ? ”
Irene didn’t doubt it for a second . The name was right there , and she looked just like the woman in the photo . “ It has to be her .”
“ Mom ! ” Heidi called out first .
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Irene bit her lip . She wanted to call out too , but couldn’t do it as easily as her sister . Fiona just looked around in confusion , not reacting to either of thems
at all .
Gordon , trembling and leaning on his cane , appeared in front of her . Fiona took a few seconds to process , then looked at Gordon , trembling it was flow she was seeing an old friend .
Gordon opened his mouth , staring at Fiona on the bed . She tried to speak but failed .
Fiona was gasping for air through the ventilator . Heidi and Irene asked anxiously , “ What happened ? Weren’t you saying she was fine ? ”
“ She’s already old , and after the car accident , it’s a miracle she’s still conscious . We’ve done everything we can , ” Vaughn explained .
Heidi asked , “ How did it come to this ? ”
Heidi leaned over the bed , crying , “ Mom , we’ve been looking for you for so many years . We finally found you . Look , it’s me and Irene – we’re your daughters ! ”
Fiona was still struggling to breathe , Irene came over and patted Heidi’s shoulder . “ Come on , get up . Don’t lean on Mom ,” she said .
“ Dad’s been searching for you for so long . Please , look at Dad . It’s been so hard for him ,” Heidi sobbed even harder .
Irene used all her strength to pull Heidi up .
A sigh caught their attention . Vaughn introduced himself , “ I’m Vaughn , her son – in – law . ”
“ Did Mom have any other daughters besides me and my sister ? ” Heidi asked , noticing Vaughn .
Vaughn answered honestly , “ Fiona couldn’t have kids . My wife was her adopted daughter . Betty isn’t here today , she’s away on a work trip . ”
“ This has to be Mom , ” Heidi said again . “ She must’ve thought we were dead . She was heartbroken , and never had kids of her own . Then she adopted a kid for comfort . ”
Heidi grabbed Irene’s hand , her voice trembling with excitement . “ Sis , I thought Mom was gone . I can’t believe she’s still alive . It’s a miracle . ”
Irene didn’t doubt it for a second . After decades apart , she believed she had met her mom again , with her mom lying in a hospital bed.
Irene turned to Gordon . “ Dad , look . This is Fiona — the one you’ve been searching for . ”
Gordon just stood there in silence , like a statue , staring blankly at the woman on the bed .
It wasn’t until Irene and Heidi called out several times that Gordon’s cloudy eyes finally moved . “ This isn’t Fiona , ” he said , his voice low .
“ Dad , how could that be ? This is Fiona . Look , her name’s right here , ” Heidi insisted .
“ This isn’t Fiona . ” Gordon’s voice was full of despair .
Jonathan was outside on a call and only came in after a few minutes . Gordon immediately grabbed him , complaining like a isn’t Fiona ! ”
Jonathan frowned , and Irene said , “ Dad , stop making things hard for Jonathan . This is Mom . ”
Heidi looked helpless . “ Dad , we’ve found her for you . Just accept it , okay ? Jonathan brought in the best doctors . Trust me , Mom will wake up soon . ”
Gordon shook his head , still looking at Jonathan with that stubborn , childlike face . “ This isn’t Fiona . ”
Irene and Heidi were both tired , trying over and over to convince Gordon . They even showed him old photos to compare .
They also showed the photos to Vaughn , asking if the woman in the picture looked like Fiona . Vaughn nodded . “ Yeah , she looks a lot like Fiona . ”
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Irene said , “ Dad , you see ? All these years , because you misunderstood her , Mom refused to have kids . She ended up adopting a child . And now , she had a
car accident . ”
As soon as trene finished , Fiona started breathing fast again . The doctors rushed in for more emergency help , and she slipped back into a coma . No one knew when she would wake up .
It was getting late . Irene and Heidi tried to help Gordon leave the hospital , planning to talk about what to do next . But Gordon pushed his daughters away and sat down on the floor . “ That’s not Fiona ! Why won’t anyone believe me ? ”
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