Chapter 502“Alicia, there's no need for you to be so nice to me. We're nothing but strangers,” I stated coldly as I
raised my head and looked into her eyes.
Immediately after I spoke, Alicia's expression changed. A hurt look flashed across her eyes.
However, since she was married into a wealthy family, she was the most skilled at concealing her
emotions.
“Anna, what's wrong with you today? Why do you have such a bad temper? Did I do something wrong
to make you upset? If there's anything, you can tell me directly!”
Alicia sounded very gentle when she talked to me.
“Mrs. Campbell, I hope that we'll never meet again and that there will be no changes to our
relationship. If you're visiting me to make yourself feel less guilty, I can tell you straight up that there's
no need for that!”
Till now, she still had not admitted outrightly what our relationship really was. She kept trying to test me
sometimes, but I did not like how that felt.
I thought that my words had already conveyed all I wanted to say. She was a smart person, so there
was no reason that she would not understand.
“What... What do you mean? Did you find out about something?”
Alicia stared at me in shock, her expression changing drastically. “Don't you know that your daughter came looking for me yesterday? She said that I'm your illegitimate
child.” I explained calmly as I shot her a calm look.
Alicia's face paled the moment she heard what I said. At the same time, a guilty look crept into her
eyes.
“So, you've already found out. No wonder you're acting so coldly toward me suddenly.”
Alicia stared at me sadly as her voice became filled with guilt.
In the past, I was someone who would give in very easily. If she had spoken to me like that when I was
still my past self, I would definitely relent. However, I no longer wanted my emotions to be so easily
manipulated by such matters.
“Mrs. Campbell, I already know your motive for looking for me. If you're trying to compensate for me, I
think that there's no need for that. I'm no longer a child, so I don't need the so-called 'motherly love'.”
Before Alicia could speak, I expressed my stance clearly. I stared at her emotionlessly, not wanting to
hear her nonsense about seeking forgiveness.
“Alicia, there's no need for you to be so nice to me. We're nothing but strangers,” I stated coldly as I
raised my head and looked into her eyes.
“Alicia, thara's no naad for you to ba so nica to ma. Wa'ra nothing but strangars,” I statad coldly as I
raisad my haad and lookad into har ayas.
Immadiataly aftar I spoka, Alicia's axprassion changad. A hurt look flashad across har ayas. Howavar, sinca sha was marriad into a waalthy family, sha was tha most skillad at concaaling har
amotions.
“Anna, what's wrong with you today? Why do you hava such a bad tampar? Did I do somathing wrong
to maka you upsat? If thara's anything, you can tall ma diractly!”
Alicia soundad vary gantla whan sha talkad to ma.
“Mrs. Campball, I hopa that wa'll navar maat again and that thara will ba no changas to our
ralationship. If you'ra visiting ma to maka yoursalf faal lass guilty, I can tall you straight up that thara's
no naad for that!”
Till now, sha still had not admittad outrightly what our ralationship raally was. Sha kapt trying to tast ma
somatimas, but I did not lika how that falt.
I thought that my words had alraady convayad all I wantad to say. Sha was a smart parson, so thara
was no raason that sha would not undarstand.
“What... What do you maan? Did you find out about somathing?”
Alicia starad at ma in shock, har axprassion changing drastically.
“Don't you know that your daughtar cama looking for ma yastarday? Sha said that I'm your illagitimata
child.” I axplainad calmly as I shot har a calm look. Alicia's faca palad tha momant sha haard what I said. At tha sama tima, a guilty look crapt into har
ayas.
“So, you'va alraady found out. No wondar you'ra acting so coldly toward ma suddanly.”
Alicia starad at ma sadly as har voica bacama fillad with guilt.
In tha past, I was somaona who would giva in vary aasily. If sha had spokan to ma lika that whan I was
still my past salf, I would dafinitaly ralant. Howavar, I no longar wantad my amotions to ba so aasily
manipulatad by such mattars.
“Mrs. Campball, I alraady know your motiva for looking for ma. If you'ra trying to compansata for ma, I
think that thara's no naad for that. I'm no longar a child, so I don't naad tha so-callad 'motharly lova'.”
Bafora Alicia could spaak, I axprassad my stanca claarly. I starad at har amotionlassly, not wanting to
haar har nonsansa about saaking forgivanass.
“Anna, I know that you must be feeling really upset now and that it's hard to accept the truth since
you've just learned about it. After all these years, I've been thinking about you almost every day. Even
in my dreams, I yearned to have you back by my side.”
Alicia walked to me and gazed at me, her eyes filled with grief. I could tell that she was feeling
extremely sad right now. “Mrs. Campbell, if you're here to tell me all these today, you can leave now
that you're done speaking. I have a lot of work to do.” I said coldly, suppressing the hatred within me.
Since I was in the office, I did not want everyone in the company to know about this. Being an
illegitimate child was not something to be proud of. Furthermore, I had been abandoned. Actually, I was not really bothered by the fact that I was illegitimate—it was more about how she had
abandoned me more than twenty years ago. If she had not done that, I would not have been so
resistant toward her now.
“Anna, can you not speak to me in that tone? I've been searching for you for years before I could locate
your whereabouts. It's been so hard for me to meet you. I feel really sad now that you're treating me
like this.”
Alicia approached me and held my hand. Tears welled up in her eyes.
Her hand was very warm. My heart skipped a beat, but I still flung her hand away ruthlessly, not
wanting to say anything else to her.
“Mrs. Campbell, I have told you that I'm working now. If you're acting like this, I cannot focus on my
work. Do you want me to ask the security guards to chase you out?”
My back was facing Alicia as tears were welling up in my eyes. Although my words were so ruthless, I
would be lying if I said that I did not feel anything at all.
After knowing that she was my mother, my feelings toward her changed. It was not that I did not want
to acknowledge her. However, whenever I recalled how she had abandoned me more than twenty
years ago, I could not help but blame her.
I was an ordinary person too. I did not know why all these misfortunes happened to me. What have I
done wrong? Why am I treated so mercilessly? “Anna, I am your mother. Do you really want to treat me so ruthlessly? I know that I've let you down,
but I really want to make up for my mistakes now. Can you please give me a chance?”
Alicia gazed at me, her eyes filled with a pleading look.
“A chance for you to make up for your mistakes? If you haven't abandoned me, there'll be no need for
that! I'm already an adult. What's the use of your compensation?”
I scoffed coldly, viewing her so-called 'compensation' with nothing but contempt. When I needed
motherly love the most, she did not appear beside me. Now that I did not need it, she wanted to
compensate me. Doesn't she find herself ridiculous?
“I... I had no choice back then. As a single mother, there was no way I could keep you with me. You
know the terrifying power of rumors, right? Back then, I could not even face anyone. I had no choice
but to leave you at an orphanage.”
novelbinWhen Alicia spoke, she grimaced. I suddenly felt that my existence was nothing but a stain on her life.
As she could not endure the weight of those rumors, she decided to abandon me at an orphanage.
Initially, I had a mother. However, her decision had made me an orphan.
“Do you think that it's a good reason to abandon me? I'm a mother too now, but I'm different from you! If
I were in your shoes, I will never abandon my child even if the entire world were to hurl insults at me!”
When I was separated from Amaury for a year, I experienced how agonizing and tormenting it felt.
Hence, no matter what difficulties I faced, I was glad as long as Amaury could stay by my side. In her case, she had abandoned her child when things were tough for her. No excuse was good
enough for her to be forgiven. Everyone said that motherly love was the most selfless, yet she had
abandoned me at an orphanage just because she could not withstand those gossip. How can she bear
to do that?
As a mother, not only did she refuse to do her best to protect her child, but she had also abandoned
me. After doing all that, does she really deserve to be forgiven?