As the sky brightened in the distance, Eliza Sutton and Woody had already arrived at a small mountain village in Westbank.
Eliza, with Woody in tow, knocked on Mr. Preston’s door.
But after knocking for a long ti, no one ca to open it.
Eventually, a neighbor heard the commotion and ca out.
"You’re here looking for a child, too, aren’t you?"
"Yes. Mr. Preston abducted my son two years ago, and I received a tip that he had brought my son back here." Eliza Sutton pulled out a stack of cash and pressed it into the neighbor’s hand. "This is a photo of my son when he was two weeks old. Sir, could you please try to rember if you’ve seen him?"
Eliza quickly described Theo’s appearance and features.
It was a heartbreaking thought.
Even the description of Theo’s appearance and features she now knew had co from servants of the Sutton Family whom she had bribed. The photo in her hand was also from them.
The neighbor took the money, his attitude becoming serious. He studied the photo carefully. "He does look a bit familiar. Don’t you worry, let think about it."
Overjoyed, Eliza stared at the man with hopeful eyes.
The man shared a few things he rembered about Theo, then called his wife over. "Co take a look. Have you seen this child?"
His wife looked at it for a long while. "I have. He was the smartest child I’ve ever seen, so well-spoken for his age. But he was so thin and small, and he always had bruises and scrapes all over him. You could tell he wasn’t being taken care of at ho."
The wife was rambling on when her husband suddenly tugged her arm. She then said apologetically, "My apologies, I’m talking too much. Please don’t take it to heart."
Her words were apologetic, but her expression was unconcerned. Living next to a human trafficker, she’d seen many children. Most were plump and healthy. He was the only one who seed more miserable than an orphan.
Eliza’s heart felt like it was being sliced by a knife, and the tears in her eyes were about to overflow.
Suppressing the ache in her heart, she asked, "Do you know where he went?"
"I do," the wife said. "Not long after he arrived, the boy ca down with a high fever. He didn’t make it. He died."
Eliza Sutton sat in the passenger seat.
Woody opened the car door and slid into the driver’s seat, looking hesitantly at Eliza.
Eliza asked in a hoarse voice, "What did you find out?"
"Isla..."
"Don’t hide it from . He’s my child. I need to know everything about him."
Woody hesitated for a mont before finally gritting his teeth and saying, "I just looked into it. Theo... he didn’t survive that high fever."
Theo hadn’t survived that high fever.
Theo... was dead.
Every word struck Eliza’s heart like a clap of thunder.
She just sat there, motionless for a long ti, as if she had stopped breathing.
Woody called her na several tis with no response, so he reached out and gave her a gentle push.
As if dealt a devastating blow, Eliza’s mouth opened, and she sprayed a mouthful of blood.
"Isla!"
When Eliza Sutton woke up again, her vision was filled with white, and the air slled of disinfectant.
Woody imdiately walked over, his voice soft. "Isla, you’re awake? How are you feeling? Are you uncomfortable anywhere?"
Eliza didn’t speak, struggling to get out of bed.
"Isla, you haven’t recovered yet. You need to rest," Woody urged anxiously.
But Eliza didn’t even spare him a glance.
Stumbling all the way, Eliza went to the old cetery.
The neighbor woman had told her that after Theo died, Mr. Preston had unceremoniously buried him here.
Eliza had people excavate the old cetery and finally found the small coffin the neighbor had ntioned.
The coffin was of poor quality; though only two years had passed, it was already badly dilapidated.
Eliza arranged for a private plane to transport Theo’s coffin a thousand miles back ho.
She buried Theo next to her mother’s grave.
The day of Theo’s burial, the weather was bleak. A light rain was falling, soaking her clothes.
Eliza didn’t care in the slightest.
She carefully wiped the small headstone with a handkerchief and whispered, "Theo, you have to listen to Grandma, okay? You have to be good."
It pained Woody to watch. "Isla, don’t worry. Your mother will surely take good care of Theo in the afterlife. Theo will be a good boy, too."
Eliza shook her head and said in a raspy voice, "Woody, I don’t want Theo to be a good boy. Don’t you see? Only children who aren’t cherished, who have no one to protect them, have to be good."
Children are the best at reading people’s expressions.
They know better than anyone whether they are loved, whether they are truly being protected.
There’s a saying that proves it—children from poor families mature early.
Hearing this made Woody feel even worse.
He understood Eliza completely. She had finally gotten out, only to find that her only remaining child was gone.
The rain grew heavier, and a fierce wind began to blow.
Swirling leaves filled the sky, each one an embodint of the fury and grief raging in Eliza’s heart.
Woody looked at the sky in the distance. "Isla, we should go back. A storm is coming."
When Eliza didn’t move, Woody tried again. "Isla, if Theo saw his mother so heartbroken and hurting herself, he would be sad too. You love him so much, you wouldn’t want to make him sad, would you?"
Eliza finally reacted. She placed a newly bought pinwheel in front of the grave and started down the path with Woody.
The rain wasn’t heavy yet, but the wind was picking up.
The pinwheel spun wildly, making a WHIRRING sound.
Mixed in with that sound, there seed to be the laughter of a child.
He was holding up the pinwheel, laughing and playing, calling for his mommy again and again.
But her child would never call her "Mommy" again.
Coming down from Spirit Mountain, Eliza Sutton reached her limit and collapsed to the ground.
Eliza Sutton had a beautiful dream.
She dreamt of Leo and Theo.
They were all grown up, surrounding her with pinwheels, laughing and playing.
Eliza was overjoyed. Looking at the lovely children before her, she felt she could live like this forever.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past.
Leo and Theo were swept up by the wind, pinwheels and all.
Startled, Eliza imdiately gave chase.
"Leo! Theo!"
Soon, she caught up to them.
Eliza hugged the two boys tightly. "You scared Mommy to death! I thought you were going to disappear."
"Mommy, we won’t disappear. We’ve been waiting for you." As Leo and Theo spoke, they looked up.
Their little faces appeared before her, and she was stunned to see a face she knew so well.
"Emtt?"
"Mommy! Mommy!"
The sound of breathing in her ear grew louder. Eliza Sutton slowly opened her eyes and saw Emtt Lockwood’s small face.
Emtt Lockwood was ecstatic to see her awake. "Mommy, you’re finally awake! You scared to death."
As Emtt spoke, his eyes turned red, and tears nearly fell.
Shane Lockwood reached out and pulled back Emtt, who was about to throw himself into Eliza’s arms. "Settle down. Can’t you see she’s too weak to hold you right now?"
Emtt quickly apologized, "I’m sorry, Mommy. I was too reckless. I almost hurt you."
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