Mr. CEO, You Look Strangely Familiar

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: The Secret Buried for Many Years (2)

’What else is she hiding from me? Am I really her biological daughter?’

Nora Ainsworth didn’t know how she got back to the hospital room. She sat there quietly, not saying a word.

Mrs. Ainsworth had slipped into a coma again.

Her condition could only be described as extremely poor.

Nora Ainsworth wanted to find a chance to ask her, but there was no opportunity. Perhaps there never would be.

Dwelling on it was emotionally draining. The days passed one by one, and soon it was the fifth of the month.

During the day, her condition was unchanged. She had entered a deep coma.

Nora Ainsworth worried if she would make it through the night.

The illness had returned with a vengeance. Her face was so thin it had become gaunt, and Nora Ainsworth couldn’t help but cry.

Just then, the sound of a ringing phone shattered the silence.

She looked up and saw it was Mrs. Ainsworth’s phone.

It was the first time it had rung since she was admitted to the hospital.

She picked it up and saw that it was a call from Mr. Ainsworth.

She pressed the answer button, her voice cold.

”What is it?”

”Tomorrow is Sharon’s wedding. I hope that, no matter who invites you, you won’t come. You’d be a bad omen.”

Nora Ainsworth didn’t say anything; she just hung up. She gripped the phone tightly, her chest aching with sharp pangs of pain. ’How could he say that to me at a time like this?’

’Marriage is the most important thing in a woman’s life. Choosing wrong is like a game of chess: one wrong move and you lose the entire game.’

Just as she was about to place the phone on Mrs. Ainsworth’s bedside table, she realized her mother was awake.

There was a new clarity in her eyes. She stared intently at her, her voice weak. ”Nora.”

”Mom, I’m here. Is there something you want to tell me?”

Mrs. Ainsworth shook her head slightly. ”No.”

Nora Ainsworth debated whether to bring up the doctor’s question. But thinking it might remain an unsolved mystery forever, she summoned her courage and asked casually, ”Mom, the doctor said something funny today. He actually suspected that I’m not your biological daughter. Isn’t that hilarious? How could I possibly not be your real daughter!”

The color drained from Mrs. Ainsworth’s face before her eyes. She began to tremble violently. To Nora Ainsworth, none of this was normal.

”Mom, what’s wrong? I won’t believe that doctor’s nonsense. Don’t get worked up.”

Mrs. Ainsworth gripped her hand tightly. Even though the grip was painful, Nora didn’t dare say another word.

”Nora, it’s come to this. I’ll tell you everything!” She spoke with a fierce determination, not at all like a cancer patient on the verge of death.

Nora Ainsworth sat on the edge of the hospital bed and didn’t object. ”Mom, no matter what the truth is, you’ll always be my mom. My only mom. And I’ll always be your only daughter. Take your time, don’t rush. I’m listening.”

Her calmness took Mrs. Ainsworth by surprise.

Then, before she could speak, tears began to stream down her face. Mrs. Ainsworth’s eyes filled. ”I made a mistake when I was young. That’s why I wanted you to marry Leon, to make up for what I owe you. I know it’s not enough, not nearly enough, but... Nora, you deserve to know the truth. If I don’t tell you, I won’t be able to die in peace!”

Mrs. Ainsworth’s sobs echoed clearly in the hospital room. Nora Ainsworth was so calm she seemed like an outsider to the story. As she listened, she could picture the events of all those years ago playing out before her eyes.

’If time could turn back, she would rather not know this enormous secret. That way, she could have gone on living her life like a sunflower, fearless and facing the sun.’

When it was over, her face was deathly pale.

She learned from Mrs. Ainsworth’s own lips that she was, indeed, not her biological daughter.

A young Mrs. Ainsworth had been proud and beautiful, with countless suitors. But a young Mr. Ainsworth had been handsome and dashing, with a witty and charming sense of humor that completely captured her heart.