Chapter 697: My Sister Wasn’t Born to My Mother
Chapter 697: Chapter 697: My Sister Wasn’t Born to My Mother
Renee took the red wine bottle from her, poured the wine, and gently set it aside.
Sawyer pressed her lips together, silent for a long moment before she finally spoke. "Renee, am I really a coward? After all these years, I still don’t have the courage to face reality."
"You’re not a coward at all." Renee reached out and stroked her hair. "I think you’re very brave."
Sawyer’s eyelashes trembled, and she instinctively looked up at her. "I... am I brave?"
"You are." Renee met her gaze and said seriously, "All these years, you’ve never given up looking for Sweetie. You’ve been facing reality this whole time, but I think you’ve got one thing wrong."
"I... what have I done wrong?" Sawyer asked in confusion.
Renee said slowly, "You’ve put all the blame on yourself. You have to know, the one at fault isn’t you, Sheryl Sawyer, but those utterly heartless human traffickers."
Sawyer instinctively clenched her fists. Her lips moved, but not a sound escaped.
"Sheryl." Renee gently rested her hand on her friend’s slender shoulder, her voice soft yet firm. "We will find Shirley Sawyer."
Sawyer met her bright gaze and suddenly felt a surge of hope.
She nodded slowly. "Yes, we will definitely find Shirley Sawyer."
A smile touched Renee’s lips as she raised her glass. "Cheers, Sheryl Sawyer."
"Cheers," Sheryl Sawyer replied, breaking into a smile.
**
Wendy Lowe didn’t want to upset Phoebe Sawyer again, so she decided not to mention the matter.
After her shower, just as she was about to get into bed, she saw Phoebe sitting there, hugging Kitty.
Wendy Lowe froze for a moment.
Phoebe grinned. "Mommy, I want to sleep with you tonight."
Wendy Lowe snapped out of it and nodded. "Of course."
When they were living abroad, Phoebe would occasionally run to her room, pillow in tow, to sleep with her. Wendy was long used to it.
But she hadn’t expected her daughter to want to sleep with her tonight.
The mother and daughter lay in bed. Wendy Lowe didn’t want to bring up the subject, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say. After a long silence, it was Phoebe who finally spoke.
"Mommy, I overreacted tonight."
Hearing her voice, Wendy Lowe turned her head to look at her and said gently, "Phoebe, I don’t blame you. To be honest, when Mommy first found out, I was even more worked up than you are now."
Phoebe blinked, a sudden realization dawning. "Mommy, back then, when you couldn’t stop crying... was it because of this?"
"It was." Now that it had come to this, Wendy Lowe no longer planned to hide it. "At first, I couldn’t accept it either. I hated fate for being so cruel. Why couldn’t we be biological mother and daughter?"
"Mommy..." Phoebe’s voice was choked with tears.
Wendy turned to the side and pulled her into her arms, gently patting her back and soothing her in a soft voice. "Phoebe, don’t cry. Mommy came to terms with it after we returned to the country."
"Mommy?" Phoebe asked, confused.
Wendy pressed her lips together, then slowly explained, "Phoebe, I think that while blood ties are important, the bond we’ve built living together for twenty-four years is just as irreplaceable. In my eyes, it’s more precious than blood."
Phoebe mulled over her mother’s words, and the more she thought, the more sense they made.
"I understand." Phoebe reached out and hugged Wendy Lowe tightly. "Mommy, you’re right. No matter what, you’ll always be my favorite mommy. No one can ever replace you."
A warmth spread through Wendy Lowe’s chest as she stroked her daughter’s hair. "It’s the same for me. You’re my most beloved daughter."
Phoebe thought of something Renee Jennings had once said. She hesitated for a moment but couldn’t bring herself to voice it.
She could now accept that she and her beloved mother shared no blood, but she wasn’t ready to help her mother find her biological daughter.
’Just give me a little more time.’
’Maybe, in a little while, I can be as magnanimous, selfless, and open-minded as Renee.’
「The next day.」
Phoebe had a surprisingly good night’s sleep.
When she woke up and came downstairs, she found Sylvia Brooks and Renee Jennings already sitting in the living room.
She frowned, flustered. "Summer, Renee, what time did you get here? Why didn’t you wake me up? I had no idea you were here."
"Phoebe," Sylvia Brooks said with a smile. "Auntie said you were still sleeping. We weren’t in any rush, so we told her not to wake you."
"You have to wake me up next time," Phoebe said, slightly mortified. "I can’t have you guys waiting for me to wake up."
Making Sylvia wait was one thing, but having Renee sit here waiting too was just so impolite.
"Phoebe, what do you want to eat?" Wendy Lowe asked with a gentle smile. "Mommy will go make it for you now."
"No, it’s okay, I’m not hungry." Phoebe shook her head. "I need to get ready to head out."
Wendy Lowe frowned at her words. "You can’t just skip breakfast."
"It’s fine, really." Phoebe gave her mother’s shoulder a squeeze. "I’ll eat after I go see Swallow."
Wendy Lowe had a helpless expression. "Oh, you..."
Seeing this, Renee said softly, "Phoebe, we’re not in a rush. You can have breakfast before we leave."
Sylvia chimed in, "Yeah, Phoebe, you should eat something first."
They had actually brought breakfast for Phoebe, but it was surely cold by now.
Wendy Lowe asked again, "Phoebe, how about Mommy makes you a bowl of noodles? Okay?"
Phoebe opened her mouth, then finally nodded. "Alright then. Summer and Renee, you two have to have a bowl as well."
Sylvia laughed. "No thanks, Phoebe, we’ve already eaten."
Renee nodded as well. "We have."
Phoebe was already embarrassed enough about making them wait while she slept; was she now going to make them wait for her to eat?
She couldn’t stand the thought of it.
Phoebe decided to be stubborn. "Nope. If I’m eating, you’re eating. We’ll all eat together."
And so, the four of them sat at the dining table eating noodles, the atmosphere surprisingly harmonious.
After finishing their noodles, Renee, Sylvia, and Phoebe left Imperial Bay Villas.
The car drove along the paved road, and the cabin was exceptionally quiet. No one spoke a word.
After a moment, Renee, sitting in the back seat, softly broke the silence. "Were the vegetables Auntie Winnie cooked a little underdone?"
Sylvia Brooks: "I think so."
Phoebe’s face flushed. "Mommy’s cooking is usually delicious. She was probably just too nervous today and had an off moment."
Renee kept the conversation going. "Phoebe, did you guys eat a lot of food from home when you were abroad?"
"Yes," Phoebe answered. "Mommy loves to cook and made our meals often."
"Do you like spicy food?"
"I like it a lot, but I can only handle mild spice. What about you?"
"I can handle medium spice. Do you cook?"
"Not at all. I’m a disaster in the kitchen."
"Then I’m probably a step up from you. My sister is an amazing cook, and I often help her out as her prep cook."
At this, Phoebe’s eyes widened in surprise. "Renee, you have a sister?"
"Yes." Renee nodded, then explained, "She’s not my mother’s daughter. She’s from my dad’s first marriage."