Chapter 680: Missing Her Biological Daughter
Chapter 680: Chapter 680: Missing Her Biological Daughter
Phoebe Sawyer quickly suppressed her disappointment and forced a faint smile. "It’s okay, you don’t have to be sorry. I’ll think of something else."
Sylvia Brooks looked at Renee Jennings, a hint of confusion flashing deep in her eyes.
She figured Renee must have learned something from Kitty, but why wasn’t she telling Phoebe?
Renee Jennings winked at her, then said to Phoebe Sawyer, "You don’t have to worry too much. Maybe things will get better after you return home. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Just relax."
Sylvia Brooks chimed in, "Yeah, Phoebe. Maybe your mom is just too homesick. She might get better once she’s back."
"Mmm," Phoebe Sawyer nodded gently. "I hope so."
Seeing Kitty nestled in Renee Jennings’s arms, looking lazy and content, she couldn’t help but laugh. "This Kitty of yours certainly isn’t shy with strangers."
Upon hearing this, Kitty snuggled deeper into Renee’s arms and retorted, "MEOW! I know an awesome big sister when I see one! Not a stranger!"
Renee Jennings stroked its little head and raised an eyebrow. "We’re old friends already, aren’t we?"
"MEOW! Right!" Kitty nodded its little head vigorously.
They were all amused by the cat.
Sylvia Brooks found it adorable too and couldn’t help but ask, "Can I hold it for a bit?"
Kitty immediately meowed, "MEOW! Yes, yes! I love pretty ladies!"
In Sylvia Brooks’s arms, Kitty was just as affectionate and playful.
Phoebe Sawyer watched this, shaking her head with a helpless smile. Her gaze shifted to Renee Jennings, and she smiled, pressing her lips together. "Renee, I’m so sorry to have troubled you and made you come all this way."
"It’s no problem," Renee Jennings chuckled. "Think of it as a way to get out and clear my head. I’ve had some things on my mind lately, too."
"Things on your mind?" Sylvia Brooks frowned slightly, concerned. "Did something happen? Is there anything I can do to help?"
Phoebe Sawyer also offered, "I can help too."
Renee Jennings gave a helpless smile. "This is probably something no one can help with, but I’d like to talk to you guys about it."
"Go ahead, Renee," Sylvia Brooks said with a serious expression. "Phoebe and I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone."
"Right," Phoebe Sawyer nodded. "Don’t worry, my lips are sealed."
Renee Jennings’s gaze fell on Phoebe Sawyer, her expression unreadable.
Even though it was their first time meeting, she had a feeling that Phoebe Sawyer was a good girl.
She pursed her lips and said slowly, "My mother isn’t my biological mother. Summer knows about this."
"Right." Sylvia Brooks frowned. "Is that what’s been bothering you?"
"More or less," Renee Jennings said softly, lowering her eyes. "My mother also knows I’m not her biological daughter. She... I think she must really miss her real daughter. She’s always staring off into space."
"Does Aunt Rae want to find her biological daughter?" Sylvia Brooks asked.
Phoebe Sawyer listened quietly.
"My mother hasn’t said so," Renee said, "but I can feel it. She really wants to find her biological daughter."
Sylvia Brooks sighed. "It’s only natural that she’d want to."
"I don’t know what to do to help her." Renee Jennings frowned in frustration. "I think my mom is torn, too. On one hand, there’s me, the daughter she’s lived with for twenty-four years. On the other, there’s the biological daughter she carried for ten months but has never met."
"Renee, are you thinking of helping Aunt Rae find her biological daughter?" Sylvia Brooks asked.
Renee Jennings nodded, but her tone was tinged with worry. "I’ve thought about it, but I’m worried my mother’s biological daughter won’t want to acknowledge her."
Sylvia Brooks understood her concern.
After all, Renee Jennings had been unwilling to acknowledge the Morgan Family.
But strictly speaking, the two situations were different.
The Morgan Family had known Renee Jennings was their biological daughter but had weighed the pros and cons, hesitating on whether to acknowledge her.
Anyone in that situation would feel resentful and resistant.
"Renee, don’t worry," Sylvia Brooks comforted her in a gentle voice. "Aunt Rae is so wonderful. I’m sure her biological daughter will like her."
"Summer." Renee Jennings grabbed her hand, her expression serious. "I’m just saying, if it were you, would you be willing to acknowledge her? Sorry, I know it’s rude to use you as an example, but I’m too close to the situation to judge clearly."
"Aunt Rae had her biological daughter swapped without her knowledge, and she’s been thinking about her ever since she learned the truth," Sylvia Brooks analyzed. "If it were me, I think I’d acknowledge her."
Renee Jennings seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, the frown on her brow easing slightly. She then turned her head to Phoebe Sawyer. "Phoebe, what if... what if it were you?"
"I don’t know," Phoebe Sawyer said, frowning in thought. "I’d have to really think about it... I probably wouldn’t be able to accept it the moment I found out, but after I calmed down, I think I’d be willing to."
Renee Jennings gave a slight nod, a small smile touching her lips. "That makes me feel a lot better. I’ll figure out a way when I get back."
She raised her coffee cup. "Thanks for listening to me vent. Let this coffee be our wine. A toast to you both."
"Cheers," Sylvia Brooks and Phoebe Sawyer said, clinking their coffee cups.
**
In the evening, Phoebe Sawyer returned to Imperial Bay Villas with Kitty. From a distance, she saw Wendy Lowe standing under a tree wrapped in a shawl, staring blankly into the distance.
Her steps suddenly halted. She murmured to herself, "Mommy, what are you thinking about?"
In the carrier, Kitty’s little ears twitched. "MEOW MEOW," it called out. "I know! Mommy’s thinking about her other daughter."
Phoebe Sawyer stood there for a long time, but Wendy Lowe never noticed her.
She suddenly felt a sting in her nose. Clenching her fists, she walked forward and called out softly, "Mommy."
"Mommy."
She had to call out several times before she brought Wendy Lowe back from her thoughts.
The woman turned her head slightly. The blankness in her eyes finally focused, and her tightly pressed lips curved into a gentle smile. "Phoebe and Kitty are back."
Phoebe Sawyer walked over, placed the carrier on the ground, and took Kitty out. "Mommy, Kitty had a bath and smells so good. Here, smell."
Wendy Lowe reached out and took Kitty into her arms, a smile touching her eyes. "Let me see. You do smell nice."
Kitty immediately nuzzled Wendy Lowe with its fluffy little head.
Phoebe Sawyer watched the scene, a smile appearing on her face as well.
It was a habit she’d had since she was little—sharing things that happened at school with her parents, and after she started working, sharing things from the office. She began to speak without thinking, "Mommy, I met a friend of Summer’s today, and I heard her talk about something."
"What was it?" Wendy Lowe glanced at her before looking back down to play with Kitty.
"This friend... she’s not her family’s biological child, and her mommy knows..."
Wendy Lowe’s body suddenly went rigid. She raised her head, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at Phoebe Sawyer.
Her voice trailed off. Confused, she asked, "Mommy, what’s wrong?"
Wendy Lowe asked urgently, "What did that child’s mommy do? Did she go find her own biological daughter?"