Chapter 684: I’ll Stay If Mommy Stays
Chapter 684: Chapter 684: I’ll Stay If Mommy Stays
"When did you realize your child wasn’t biologically yours?"
Wendy Lowe’s brow furrowed slightly. "It must have been back in September. I suddenly received a text message..."
"A text message, too?" Rhea Dempsey frowned.
Hearing this, Wendy Lowe’s tone took on a note of confusion. "You received a text message, too?"
"Yes." Rhea Dempsey nodded. "But I only received mine a couple of days ago."
Renee Jennings’s eyes shifted. She asked softly, "Auntie Winnie, did you save the number? If it’s not too much trouble, we could compare them to see if it was sent by the same person."
"I did." Wendy Lowe took her phone from her nearby bag and tapped the screen a few times. "This is the one."
Renee Jennings took the phone and glanced at it. "It’s not the same number."
"Does that mean there are two people involved?" Rhea Dempsey asked.
"We can’t be sure yet," Renee Jennings mused. "I’ll have someone trace the number’s owner."
’It’s highly likely it’s a borrowed number, too, but what if? What if the person used their own number to send it?’
"Okay." Wendy Lowe nodded.
Renee Jennings sent the number to Sawyer, asking her to find out who it belonged to.
When she put her phone down, Wendy Lowe spoke again. "Ms. Dempsey, so you already know that Phoebe is your biological daughter?"
Rhea Dempsey gave a slight nod. "Yes."
"I haven’t told Phoebe yet." Wendy Lowe let out a soft sigh. "I don’t know how to tell her this cruel truth. I’m even more afraid that once she knows, a rift will grow between us..."
As she finished speaking, another thought seemed to strike her. She stared dazedly at Renee Jennings and Rhea Dempsey.
’Their mother-daughter relationship... doesn’t seem to have been affected at all.’
Wendy Lowe hesitated for a moment before asking tentatively, "Forgive me for the impertinent question, but you two don’t seem to have been affected by this. May I ask how you’ve managed that?"
Renee Jennings and Rhea Dempsey exchanged a look, the corners of their mouths curving as their eyes filled with shared amusement.
Renee’s lips parted as she said slowly, "Auntie Winnie, I think when a bond is strong, you don’t really need to worry about these things."
"That’s right," Rhea Dempsey agreed, her voice tinged with a smile. "Renee and I weren’t affected by it, and I’m sure you and Phoebe will be the same."
Wendy Lowe gave a slight nod and fell silent.
After a few minutes, she looked at Rhea Dempsey again, her tone turning serious. "Ms. Dempsey, so you do intend to formally acknowledge your relationship with Phoebe, is that right?"
Rhea Dempsey didn’t answer right away.
Renee Jennings squeezed her hand, as if offering encouragement.
Rhea Dempsey’s lips firmed, her voice solemn. "Ms. Lowe, you’re right. I want to acknowledge my relationship with Phoebe. She is the child I carried for nine months, my own flesh and blood. Even though we haven’t met in twenty-four years, she is still my daughter. I believe that as a mother, you must understand how I feel."
"I do." Wendy Lowe gave a faint smile. "I, too, think about my own biological daughter every single moment."
She paused before continuing, "Now that I’m certain you truly care for Phoebe, Ms. Dempsey, I feel at ease. Even if I don’t know how to face her myself, I can find the courage to tell her that besides me, there’s another mother in this world who loves her dearly."
Hearing this, Rhea Dempsey’s eyes couldn’t help but redden. "Ms. Lowe," she choked out, "thank you."
Renee Jennings linked her arm with Rhea Dempsey’s, a true smile gracing her features as her voice filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Auntie Winnie."
Wendy Lowe looked at her, her expression softening as she said gently, "You and Phoebe would probably get along well."
After speaking, she couldn’t help but think of her own biological daughter again.
’I wonder where she is now, if she’s doing okay... if she would like Phoebe, if she would be willing to accept me...?’
A lump formed in Wendy Lowe’s throat. She lowered her gaze, her eyelashes trembling as she silently fought back tears.
A moment later, she looked up again, offering a composed smile. "Well then, Ms. Dempsey, until next time."
She rose to take her leave.
"Take care, Ms. Lowe. See you next time." Rhea Dempsey and Renee Jennings watched her walk out of the coffee shop.
As Renee Jennings looked away from the door, she happened to see her phone screen light up with a new message notification.
She unlocked the screen and tapped it open. Her expression immediately darkened.
"Mom, that message Auntie Winnie received... it was from Zoe Morgan."
She didn’t use a borrowed number.
"Zoe Morgan?" Rhea Dempsey asked, her voice full of suspicion. "If she’s the one who swapped the children, why would she then turn around and tell Wendy Lowe the truth?"
To Renee Jennings, there was only one possible explanation.
Yvonne Morgan had told Rhea Dempsey and Phoebe Sawyer the truth to make Renee’s life miserable.
And Zoe Morgan had told Wendy Lowe the truth for the same reason: to make her life miserable.
’Those two are more like a real mother and daughter.’
**
Wendy Lowe went to the supermarket to buy fresh ingredients, planning to cook dinner herself.
Phoebe Sawyer was on the swing in the yard. When she saw her mother return, her face immediately broke into a brilliant smile. "Mommy, you’re back!"
Noticing her mother’s hands were full of bags, Phoebe Sawyer quickly jumped off the swing and ran over to help.
"Mommy, why didn’t you call me to help you with the bags?"
Wendy Lowe smiled. "I was meeting a friend. On the way back, I happened to pass the supermarket and decided to pop in. I started thinking about making you something delicious tonight, and before I knew it, I’d bought all this."
Phoebe Sawyer’s lips curved into a wide grin. "Mommy’s cooking! I’m in for a treat! I’ll be your helper."
"Okay." Wendy Lowe nodded, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
The mother-daughter duo bustled in the kitchen for over an hour before finally setting a spread of four dishes and a soup on the dining table.
"It smells amazing! The camera eats first!" Phoebe Sawyer declared, pulling out her phone to take a picture.
Wendy Lowe gave a resigned smile. "It’s nothing fancy. People will laugh if you post it."
"I don’t care." Phoebe Sawyer shook her head, declaring proudly, "Mommy’s cooking is better than any fancy dish."
"What am I going to do with you?" Wendy Lowe placed a bowl and chopsticks in front of her. "Alright, you can start."
"Time to eat!" Phoebe Sawyer picked up a piece of braised pork rib and placed it in Wendy Lowe’s bowl. "The camera ate, now it’s Mommy’s turn."
"After Mommy eats, Phoebe eats." Wendy Lowe reciprocated, placing a chicken wing in her daughter’s bowl.
The two enjoyed a harmonious dinner and then went for a walk around their neighborhood to aid their digestion.
Phoebe Sawyer linked her arm through Wendy Lowe’s and couldn’t help but sigh contentedly. "Mommy, I really think it’s better now that we’re back home."
’It feels like Mommy has gotten so much better since we came back.’
Wendy Lowe gently patted her daughter’s hand and chuckled. "I also think it’s better to be home."
"Then can we stay here for good?" Phoebe Sawyer tilted her head to look at her, her eyes shining brightly.
Wendy Lowe met her daughter’s bright gaze. Her lips parted, but her throat felt tight and dry, and the words she wanted to say remained stuck.
"Phoebe," she asked softly, "do you want to stay in Zenvia?"
Phoebe Sawyer nodded, then quickly added, "If you stay, Mommy, I’ll stay. I’ll go wherever you go."