Helen‘s POV:
I waited until George had left to take a few deep breaths to calm myself down.
"Mom, George and I won‘t get married," I protested.
"How could you say so? I can tell he‘s gentle, considerate, and kind.He‘s everything a woman can ever
ask for.He can take good care of you.As a mother, I want my daughter to marry a good man," my
mother reasoned out.
She really seemed to like George.She would praise him every time she talked about him.I sighed in
exasperation.
"Mom, you‘ve only met him twice! Do you seriously think that you already know him well? You don‘t
know him at all. How can you be sure that he‘ll be a good husband?"
"Does that even matter?" my mother retorted.
I laughed sarcastically.
"You‘re like this not because you want me to be happy but because you want to take revenge on Libby
and her daughter.Libby took away your husband, so you want me to do the same thing to Jane.Am I
right?"
This was the first time I had spoken to my mother in such a tone.I could not help it.I was livid.I liked
George, but I did not want to be with him for that reason.
If I were to marry him, it should be because I believed he could make me happy and not because I was
forced to do so.My mother held my hand and looked me in the eye.
"Helen, do you really think that I‘m that shallow? Am I someone who‘ll sacrifice my daughter‘s
happiness to take revenge on those wretched people? Come to think of it.Do they deserve my
attention? I may hate them, but I‘m not stupid enough to take advantage of you.In my heart, you‘re the
only one that matters."
"Then why do you insist on bringing us together?"
"Helen, I‘m getting old.I‘m starting to realize things I haven‘t thought before.First, he‘s rich.Money won‘t
ever be a problem between the two of you.Second, I‘ve observed George and saw that he has a good
character.He even takes good care of me.He didn‘t say anything even when I lashed out at him.Only a
few have such patience and attitude.And most importantly, he treats you well.I can see that he likes
you very much.Even if you don‘t love him as much, with his upbringing and family background, he‘ll
never mistreat you.These are the only conditions I have for my future son–in–law.Sure, if the whole
situation could also piss Libby and Jane off, that‘ll be the extra bonus."
My mother spoke slowly yet straight to the point.I, however, remained unmoved.
"Mom, I won‘t disagree with what you‘ve said.But, don‘t you think I can live a good and comfortable life
on my own? My career is on the rise, and it‘ll grow more in the future."
"You can‘t persuade me otherwise.You‘ll never get married? I don‘t think so.I know you can manage on
your own.But have you thought about it this way? Sooner or later I‘ll die, and then you‘ll be all alone in
this world.And that makes me really worried.You‘re my daughter.I know you better than anyone else.No
matter how excellent your career is, you‘ll still need a man to help you with things.Think about it.If your
pipe at home is leaky, the light bulb is busted, or the toilet is blocked, how are you going to handle it
yourself? You can‘t even cook.How are you supposed to live alone? Trust me.You‘ll need a man to take
care of you.Only in that way can I feel at ease."
"Mom, stop talking nonsense.You‘re in good health, and you‘ll get better in the future.You‘ll definitely
live a long and happy life with me! As for the problems you‘ve mentioned, I can find a handyman to
have them repaired.Besides, I don‘t have to cook since I can just order takeout.Restaurants are
offering healthy options now, you know?" I grumbled.
"Helen, haven‘t you heard the news? It‘s dangerous for a girl to live alone.What if a stranger breaks
into your home and do something to you? Can‘t you just listen to me for once? I don‘t know when I‘ll
recover.Even if I do, I‘ll probably have a relapse in the future.I‘m worried about you.George has
promised to marry you, so let‘s do this.I want you to invite him over for dinner before sending me back
to the hospital.While I recuperate there, you two should learn to live with each other as a couple."
Surprisingly, my mother‘s mind was clear and not like that of a mentally ill person.She made a long
speech, and most of it had a point.
In the end, my mother even gave me an advice on how to live my life.How did things come to this
point? Well, my relationship with George had gotten better.
And at last, I was willing to open my heart to him.But it was still too early to even think about marrying
him.
My mother was mentally ill, so I could somehow understand where she was coming.However, why did
George agree with her? Just as I was about to go to bed, I decided to send him a message.
"What did you mean by that?" I asked without thinking.
George replied not long after, but the message contained nothing but a question mark.Was he playing
dumb? Infuriated, I decided to call him.
"My mother was only talking nonsense.She‘s not in her right mind! Are you also out of your mind?!"
I bellowed the instant the call connected.
"Helen, if us being together will make your mother happy, then why don‘t you give it a try? Your mother
is worried about you.Maybe her condition will improve if she sees you happy?"
"Don‘t you think you‘re being ridiculous? I admit, I‘ve been relying on you in the past few days.But you
can‘t take advantage of me."
"Take advantage of you?" George repeated in disbelief.
"Wow.How ungrateful you are." I felt a little guilty.
George never left my side when I needed him, but now I even accused him of being the bad guy who
took advantage of me.
Nevertheless, I was too prideful to take back my words.
"We don‘t really love each other.For sure, a lot of problems will come our way, and we’ll be too weak to
overcome any of them."
"Love can be learned, especially when we‘re married.And Helen, we have all the time in the world."
George‘s attitude was firm, and his tone slightly showed his overbearing side.
Love could be learned? I thought I had misheard him.
Why did I not realize that this man was crazy? I was at a loss for words, so I just hung up the call.I
tossed and turned the whole night.
The memory of when I met George again in New York after years of separation and all the days we‘d
spent together played in my mind over and over again.
In all honesty, I liked him.Very much.
I was not in the right headspace in the past few days, but he was always by my side.I had no idea how
I would be able to get through this if he had not been there.
Marrying him was still something that never crossed my mind, though.
Unable to take it any longer, I went to my mother‘s room and cuddled with her that night.She must have
noticed that I was troubled, so she gave me a piece of advice.
"Helen, I know you are scared, and I also know that you doubt marriage because of your father.But I
assure you, not all men are like him.I don‘t mean to pressure you.It‘s just that I don‘t know if I‘ll ever
recover or not.When I die, how are you going to live on? I know it‘s selfish to ask George to shoulder
the burden with you.But all mothers are selfish.Helen, when I was on the rooftop of the hospital, I was
thinking of plunging to my death.For the first time in years, I was thinking straight.I know that when I
die, everyone‘s live will be much easier.But at the very last moment, something occurred to me.I
thought of you and wondered what would happen to you if I jumped off the roof.It was at that moment
that I told myself I couldn‘t die yet.Helen, don‘t reject such an excellent man like George just because
of Libby, her daughter, or even your father.They had ruined our lives before, we can‘t let them do it
again.The best revenge is living a good life."
Tears streamed down my face.I knew for a fact that my mother lived in misery for years because of
me.She just wanted me to marry a good man and be happy.
Only in this way could she feel at ease.I hugged her tightly.
Now that she had explained her side, my attitude was also softer than it was a while ago.We chatted
for a while until my mother felt sleepy.
I still could not sleep, though.I lay awake until dawn.
The next morning, George appeared in my apartment again.
When I walked out of my bedroom, I saw him in the kitchen with my mother, preparing breakfast.
"Wash up.Breakfast will be ready soon," he said with a smile when he saw me staring at him.
However, I remained unmoved.
My mother looked at me and asked, "Why are you still standing there? Hurry up."
All of a sudden, my phone rang.It was Phil who was calling.
"Helen, today is my uncle‘s last lecture.I save a seat for you.Please attend it later."
Phil‘s uncle was an expert in matters regarding intellectual property rights.I learned a lot from him last
time I went to his lecture.
This was once–in–a–lifetime opportunity.
As I did not have much knowledge about the topic, I decided to grab the chance to learn more from
him.
But if I left, my mother would be alone at home.I wondered if I could take her with me.
"You should eat first.I‘ll drive you there after breakfast.I’m not really busy today, so I‘ll stay at home with
your mother."
That could work, I guessed.I only had a quick and light breakfast.
Once I was done eating, I changed my clothes, put on a light makeup, and headed to the door.
Just as George promised, he drove me to my destination.
However, I was worried about my mother being alone at home, so I asked her to come with me in the
car.
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