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“I'm sorry, Mom. I really am!” Joyce lowered her face once again and covered it with her hands before starting to
bawl.
Realizing that she had been too harsh on her daughter, Caitlin immediately felt guilty. “I'm sorry too, Joyce. I know I
shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I'm just worried about you, Joyce. Did you get into some sort of trouble? Is
that why you suddenly quit your job?”
Joyce responded to that by shaking her head. “No, I didn't get into any trouble. It's just that... I'm sorry, Mom. I can't
tell you, okay? Please just stop asking!”
Even if Joyce was allowed to tell Caitlin the truth, she would rather not, for she knew that her mother would not be
able to handle it.
Caitlin was upset with Joyce's stubbornness, yet there was nothing she could do about it.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAfter all, she knew better than to keep pushing her daughter at that point.
She would not be able to forgive herself if anything were to happen to Joyce because of her actions.
“Fine. If you don't want to tell me, I won't force you. But I hope that you won't do anything to hurt me or your
father, or we'll never forgive you. We've been through too much to be hurt again. We're getting too old for grief,
you understand?” warned Caitlin sternly while staring at Joyce, who froze for a while before nodding in agreement.
Just when Caitlin was about to leave the room, she heard the doorbell ring. “Who might that be? It can't be your
father, can it?”
“Dad went out to play chess. He should have his keys with him,” answered Joyce after shaking her head.
“I guess I'll just have to go see who it is,” informed Caitlin making her way out of the room.
Joyce knitted her eyebrows when she was left alone once again, seemingly troubled by her mother's words. They'll
never forgive me, huh? I don't want to disappoint them either, but I have to do something about the Quinns.
Otherwise, Stanley will never stop pouring his hate on my family. Like me, my parents have suffered for decades
because of the Quinns, and I don't want that to go on. I know what I must do to end this once and for all. Dad, Mom,
I'm sorry that I'm such a terrible daughter. I don't think I can keep my promise because I have to do what I can to
end this hatred between us and the Quinns.
Joyce was still absorbed in thought when she suddenly hear a familiar voice coming from outside her room.
The voice, deep and gentle, belonged to a man. Joyce thought it was pleasant but could not seem to put a face to
it.
As much as Joyce wanted to remember who the voice belonged to, she failed to do so.
All of a sudden, Caitlin popped her head around the door with a bright smile hanging on her face. “Hey, come say
hello to Justin, Joyce. It's been twenty years since you two last saw each other, right? You probably don't even
remember him anymore.”
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏm
“Justin?” Joyce's face was instantly filled with puzzlement.
Just like what Caitlin said, she had forgotten all about the man.
Still, the name still sound somewhat familiar to her.
“Who is this Justin you're talking about, Mom?” inquired Joyce as she stood up from the edge of her bed.
“It's me,” said a man behind Caitlin as soon as Joyce finished her sentence.
The man was so much taller than Caitlin that it was impossible for him to hide behind her. Joyce gasped when she
got a good look at his face.
“It's you!” exclaimed Joyce in surprise while pointing her finger at the man, who happened to be the same one she
met when she walked out of Stanford Hospital.
Back then, the man gave her his handkerchief and even comforted her because he saw her crying. Not only that,
but he also escorted her to her ride with his umbrella.
Joyce thought it was only by chance that she and Justin met, so she never expected to see him again.
Naturally, she was beyond surprised when the man appeared at her house.
“Are you surprised to see me, Joyce?” asked Justin while smiling gently at the woman.
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