Daisy lowered her head and said hoarsely, "Ethan, don’t you think he’s completely changed from before?"
Ethan glanced at her, "But isn’t he still himself?"
Daisy couldn’t find the words.
The four of them had grown up together, and although Ethan now seed to have issues with Edward, there was still affection there.
Daisy didn’t know how to tell him that the Edward of today was undeniably no longer the sa person he used to be.
She lowered her head, hiding her expression in the shadows, and slowly sipped her milk.
After drinking for a while, Daisy stood up and smiled at Ethan, "Ethan, I’m heading back now."
Ethan looked at her complexion, furrowed his brow for so reason, put down the shaker in his hand, and said lightly, "Wait a mont, I’ll go change and take you back."
Daisy looked at him and shook her head, "I need to visit my mom in the hospital, it’s only about a ten-minute drive, and it’s still early, you don’t need to escort ."
Ethan asked, "Are you really okay today?"
Daisy rubbed her eyes and gave him a smile, "I just lost sothing very important, feeling a bit down. It’s okay, I’ll be fine in a few days."
Indeed, she looked sowhat exhausted, and since reaching adulthood, Ethan rarely saw Daisy in such a low mood.
He felt a faint tenderness in his heart, reached out to stroke Daisy’s hair, and said gently, "Go back and ask Edward to keep you company."
In their hearts, everyone knew Edward was the most important thing to Daisy.
Daisy forced a smile, "Ethan, I’m leaving."
Ethan acknowledged with a sound, stood still, watched Daisy’s silhouette slowly exit the bar, furrowing his brow slightly, and took out his phone to call Zoe Hilker.
Zoe answered from sowhere, her voice crisp and elongated, "Hey~ Ethan, calling so early, missing already?"
"Don’t flatter yourself," Ethan retorted coldly, then changed his tone and said to Zoe, "Daisy just ca to the store..."
"Ah, is Daisy at the store right now?" Zoe exclaid excitedly, "She’s finally free? I’m coming back now!"
"I said, she was at the store earlier." Ethan said calmly.
"Why didn’t you call sooner? I haven’t seen her in ages," Zoe complained.
"Who told you to run off with so guy at night," Ethan replied coolly, "I’m not going to argue with you. She seems a bit off emotionally, if you have ti, go chat with her, you girls might have more in common."
Zoe responded, then said, "I’ll head back now. Where is she? At ho?"
"She’s gone to the hospital." Ethan paused, his tone softened greatly, "To see her mother, don’t bother her right now."
"Alright then," Zoe replied, "I’ll go find her over the weekend."
"I’m hanging up," Ethan instructed and imdiately ended the call. Just as he put down the phone, a regular patron greeted him with a cheerful smile.
"Boss, was that beautiful girl your girlfriend? She’s stunning."
Ethan lowered his eyes, chuckled lightly at the remark, picked up the shaker again, and said in a mild tone, "She wouldn’t be interested in ."
*
Daisy drove all the way to the hospital where Alice Lesser was now comatose.
When she arrived, the female caregiver was dozing on the sofa, and upon seeing Daisy enter, she stood up nervously and turned on the lights.
Since dealing with the previous caregiver, Daisy now hired soone on a monthly basis. The woman before her had a thin face; though Daisy had chosen her, she seed unfamiliar, almost like a stranger, apart from the monthly paynts.
"You can leave now."
Daisy’s deanor was very cool, and she didn’t soothe the caregiver’s emotions, instead leaving her bag on the sofa.
The caregiver, anxious and fearful, nodded, then left.
Alice lay in bed.
She appeared to just be sleeping.
Her hair had been cut short, and much of it had fallen out, now whitened, and though it was neatly combed, it no longer had the charm and beauty she once possessed.
She looked like a woman in her fifties, thin, sickly, pale, terminally ill.
Daisy didn’t know why she rushed from ho to the hospital.
Alice had long abandoned her, and as a vegetative state, she couldn’t possibly offer any comfort.
Yet, Daisy felt like a schoolgirl, bullied and running back to her mother, looking for solace.
Thinking about it, it was quite laughable.
She was indeed already twenty-four.
"I said I’d bring Edward back to see you last ti." Daisy walked over, sat on the sofa by the bed, knees tucked up, arms wrapped around them, resting her chin on her knees, and spoke to Alice as if talking to herself, "I’m sorry I have to break that promise."
"Back then parting was a farewell forever for us."
"I waited eight years to discover the truth."
...
"Mom. I was deceived."
"Do you rember Lady Stephens? You used to be so close..."
"She deceived to save her son."
"I don’t hate her, but I’m so sad," she murmured, "I know she had her reasons, but I can’t forgive her."
...
"Mom, please wake up, I’m really... alone now." She hugged her knees, burying her face between her legs, her voice slightly choking, "Being alone is really hard. Don’t leave all alone..."
She always thought that if she tried a little harder, she could hold onto everything.
But ti told her it was not possible.
The things she had struggled to hold onto vanished in the blink of an eye.
Like grains of sand slipping through her fingers.
Unbeknownst to her, she had already lost everyone she could rely on.
She thought she was strong enough, but in the end, she was just a bullied girl, crying and running ho to find her mother.
Outside the window, the last remnants of sunset disappeared into the darkness.
All the lights from countless hos, twinkling like stars, turned Banyan City into an all-night tropolis.
Daisy curled up on the sofa, hugging herself, eyes closed, staying quiet for a long ti.
The woman on the bed remained asleep, still and unmoving.
She had long lost her consciousness or response, leaving only a thin shell in this world, unable to offer Daisy any comfort.
Yet as long as she was here breathing, she could provide Daisy with a certain ethereal comfort.
As if, sooner or later, she would awaken from the void.
And tell her that her waiting was not in vain.
At nine o’clock, Daisy finally stood up from the sofa, her emotions had stabilized, although her eyes were still red, she walked to the bed and gently tucked the woman’s gray hair behind her ears.
"You all keep waiting." She looked down at her, helplessly saying, "It’s been eight years, how much longer must I wait..."
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