Falling For My Ex's Uncle - Chapter 238: Chapter 238
You are reading Falling For My Ex's Uncle, Chapter 238: Chapter 238. Read more chapters of Falling For My Ex's Uncle.
I followed Alex straight to the hospital.
At the entrance of the hospital, I spotted Javier.
His eyes were red as if he had been crying. When he saw me stepping out of the car, he immediately walked over.
"Laurel, Aunt Bonnie passed away at nine this morning," Javier said, his voice low and weak. His face was pale, drained of all color.
Both Javier and Maliyah had been raised by my mother since they were little. To them, her sudden passing must have been just as painful and heartbreaking.
I stared at Javier, my expression calm.
Since leaving the airport, I had felt lightheaded, almost as if I were floating. I even doubted whether I had actually called Bonnie earlier.
My mother had already passed away yesterday afternoon, but they had been unable to reach me.
At that time, I had been caught in a life-or-death situation myself.
My phone was lost. It wasn't until this morning that Alex had someone get me a new one. Then we boarded the earliest flight.
It wasn't until we landed that I turned on my phone and saw all the missed calls and messages.
I followed Javier down the hall to the hospital morgue. When I saw my mother's body covered with a white sheet, my chest tightened.
Her eyes were closed. She was dressed in a navy-blue dress, her hair neatly combed, as if she were merely sleeping.
The sound of quiet sobs filled the room, slicing through my heart like a blade.
I had already planned it—I would move back home after getting married and take care of her. I never imagined that by the time I returned, we would already be separated by life and death.
"Mom, I'm back." I reached out, gently holding her hand. It was cold. So, so cold.
I wanted to hug her, just like when I was a child.
Whenever I came home from school, she would always hold me close and gently stroke my hair.
I knew that all these years, she had blamed herself for not giving me a complete family.
So she gave me everything she could.
If she had four dollars in her pocket, she would spend three dollars on me.
It wasn't until I grew up that I realized how tragic her life had been.
She had always been giving, always sacrificing, never thinking about herself.
When she was young, she had been such a beautiful woman.
There had been plenty of men who wanted to pursue her. Those men always tried to win me over with candy and treats.
But my mother never let me take other people's things.
She told me that nothing in life came for free. When you take something, you owe something in return. Especially as a girl, I needed to learn to say no.
Because you never know what the cost of repaying it might be.
At that time, I was too young to understand what she meant.
I only knew that my teacher had also warned us not to take food from strangers because we could be kidnapped or put in danger.
It wasn't until I grew up that I fully understood.
The ones handing out candy weren't always kidnappers. Sometimes, they were men with far worse intentions.
And for girls, especially pretty ones, the chances of running into the wrong kind of man were much higher.
Maybe my mother thought she had poor judgment when it came to men. Or maybe she had been hurt so badly before that she would rather struggle alone to raise me than depend on a man just to survive.
Alex stood beside me in silence. He didn't try to comfort me with words. Instead, he simply pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly.
The day my mother was buried was the same day as Rosemary's funeral.
After the burial, I asked Alex to head back to Newton City.
Sophina had been by my side the entire time. Her eyes were swollen from crying.
Marvin arrived late. He looked at me, wanting to say something, but hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "Don't hold it in. If you want to cry, then cry."
"My mom suffered her whole life. At least now, she can finally rest."
But I knew the truth. If it hadn't been for me, she probably would have given up long ago. The only reason she kept going was because she couldn't bear to leave me behind.
Yet taking me with her would have made her feel even more guilty.
I had known for a long time that my mother suffered from severe depression.
She never told anyone. She fought through it on sheer willpower.
When we got home, Bonnie took me to my room.
"Aunt Bonnie, is there something you want to tell me? Is it about my mom's death?" I asked.
Bonnie looked at me in surprise. "Laurel, you knew about your mom's illness?"
I nodded. My gaze fell on Bonnie's guilty, uneasy face.
She whispered, "It's my fault. I just went downstairs to grab a package. I thought your mom was asleep and wouldn't wake up for a while. Plus, there was still a maid at home. I didn't think anything would happen..."
I froze for a moment, looking at Bonnie in confusion.
"When I came back, your mom was gone. We searched for her all night before we finally found her."
Bonnie's eyes turned red as she slapped her thigh in frustration. "She was fine when we got back. I even asked if she was feeling unwell, and she shook her head. I never imagined that by the next morning, she would be gone."
"She went downstairs on her own? Where did she go?"
"Westgate Street. That's where we found her."
I frowned. "Why would my mom go there?"
Bonnie let out a long sigh, a look of helplessness crossing her face.
"My dad used to live there, didn't he?"
Bonnie didn't confirm it, but she didn't deny it either.
"Maddox is my father, isn't he?"
"You—!" Bonnie's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know that?"
"I met one of my mom's old college classmates." I let out a bitter laugh. All this time, I had no idea my mother was a top graduate from Guardvard University.
I couldn't understand why, with such a prestigious degree, she hadn't secured a decent job. Instead, she had chosen the lowest-paying, most exhausting work available.
It wasn't until I married into the Herrera family that I understood my mother's difficulties.
Maybe she had been afraid that Maddox would come looking for her. Or maybe she was scared that Melody would hurt the people around her.
I didn't know the real reason.
"If my mom was Maddox' ex-wife, then why did she live so humbly?" My hands clenched tightly together.
"Was it just because her background wasn't as good as Melody's?"
Bonnie blurted out, "No! Your mom only wanted to protect you."
"She couldn't even protect herself. How could she possibly protect me?"
"She refused to listen to anyone. The whole family knew that Maddox wasn't right for her, but she still..."
Bonnie sighed helplessly. She took my hands in hers and spoke with a heavy heart, "That was their generation's business. Just treat it as if your father is dead. From now on, focus on your life with Alex."
I said, "Austin married Kailyn ."
"Kailyn? From the Shepherd family?" Bonnie's grip on my hand tightened.
She fell silent for a moment before speaking, "It's fine. The Parks family doesn't even know you exist."
"But Isaac is still in the Parks family!"
At the entrance of the hospital, I spotted Javier.
His eyes were red as if he had been crying. When he saw me stepping out of the car, he immediately walked over.
"Laurel, Aunt Bonnie passed away at nine this morning," Javier said, his voice low and weak. His face was pale, drained of all color.
Both Javier and Maliyah had been raised by my mother since they were little. To them, her sudden passing must have been just as painful and heartbreaking.
I stared at Javier, my expression calm.
Since leaving the airport, I had felt lightheaded, almost as if I were floating. I even doubted whether I had actually called Bonnie earlier.
My mother had already passed away yesterday afternoon, but they had been unable to reach me.
At that time, I had been caught in a life-or-death situation myself.
My phone was lost. It wasn't until this morning that Alex had someone get me a new one. Then we boarded the earliest flight.
It wasn't until we landed that I turned on my phone and saw all the missed calls and messages.
I followed Javier down the hall to the hospital morgue. When I saw my mother's body covered with a white sheet, my chest tightened.
Her eyes were closed. She was dressed in a navy-blue dress, her hair neatly combed, as if she were merely sleeping.
The sound of quiet sobs filled the room, slicing through my heart like a blade.
I had already planned it—I would move back home after getting married and take care of her. I never imagined that by the time I returned, we would already be separated by life and death.
"Mom, I'm back." I reached out, gently holding her hand. It was cold. So, so cold.
I wanted to hug her, just like when I was a child.
Whenever I came home from school, she would always hold me close and gently stroke my hair.
I knew that all these years, she had blamed herself for not giving me a complete family.
So she gave me everything she could.
If she had four dollars in her pocket, she would spend three dollars on me.
It wasn't until I grew up that I realized how tragic her life had been.
She had always been giving, always sacrificing, never thinking about herself.
When she was young, she had been such a beautiful woman.
There had been plenty of men who wanted to pursue her. Those men always tried to win me over with candy and treats.
But my mother never let me take other people's things.
She told me that nothing in life came for free. When you take something, you owe something in return. Especially as a girl, I needed to learn to say no.
Because you never know what the cost of repaying it might be.
At that time, I was too young to understand what she meant.
I only knew that my teacher had also warned us not to take food from strangers because we could be kidnapped or put in danger.
It wasn't until I grew up that I fully understood.
The ones handing out candy weren't always kidnappers. Sometimes, they were men with far worse intentions.
And for girls, especially pretty ones, the chances of running into the wrong kind of man were much higher.
Maybe my mother thought she had poor judgment when it came to men. Or maybe she had been hurt so badly before that she would rather struggle alone to raise me than depend on a man just to survive.
Alex stood beside me in silence. He didn't try to comfort me with words. Instead, he simply pulled me into his arms, holding me tightly.
The day my mother was buried was the same day as Rosemary's funeral.
After the burial, I asked Alex to head back to Newton City.
Sophina had been by my side the entire time. Her eyes were swollen from crying.
Marvin arrived late. He looked at me, wanting to say something, but hesitated for a long time before finally speaking, "Don't hold it in. If you want to cry, then cry."
"My mom suffered her whole life. At least now, she can finally rest."
But I knew the truth. If it hadn't been for me, she probably would have given up long ago. The only reason she kept going was because she couldn't bear to leave me behind.
Yet taking me with her would have made her feel even more guilty.
I had known for a long time that my mother suffered from severe depression.
She never told anyone. She fought through it on sheer willpower.
When we got home, Bonnie took me to my room.
"Aunt Bonnie, is there something you want to tell me? Is it about my mom's death?" I asked.
Bonnie looked at me in surprise. "Laurel, you knew about your mom's illness?"
I nodded. My gaze fell on Bonnie's guilty, uneasy face.
She whispered, "It's my fault. I just went downstairs to grab a package. I thought your mom was asleep and wouldn't wake up for a while. Plus, there was still a maid at home. I didn't think anything would happen..."
I froze for a moment, looking at Bonnie in confusion.
"When I came back, your mom was gone. We searched for her all night before we finally found her."
Bonnie's eyes turned red as she slapped her thigh in frustration. "She was fine when we got back. I even asked if she was feeling unwell, and she shook her head. I never imagined that by the next morning, she would be gone."
"She went downstairs on her own? Where did she go?"
"Westgate Street. That's where we found her."
I frowned. "Why would my mom go there?"
Bonnie let out a long sigh, a look of helplessness crossing her face.
"My dad used to live there, didn't he?"
Bonnie didn't confirm it, but she didn't deny it either.
"Maddox is my father, isn't he?"
"You—!" Bonnie's eyes widened in shock. "How do you know that?"
"I met one of my mom's old college classmates." I let out a bitter laugh. All this time, I had no idea my mother was a top graduate from Guardvard University.
I couldn't understand why, with such a prestigious degree, she hadn't secured a decent job. Instead, she had chosen the lowest-paying, most exhausting work available.
It wasn't until I married into the Herrera family that I understood my mother's difficulties.
Maybe she had been afraid that Maddox would come looking for her. Or maybe she was scared that Melody would hurt the people around her.
I didn't know the real reason.
"If my mom was Maddox' ex-wife, then why did she live so humbly?" My hands clenched tightly together.
"Was it just because her background wasn't as good as Melody's?"
Bonnie blurted out, "No! Your mom only wanted to protect you."
"She couldn't even protect herself. How could she possibly protect me?"
"She refused to listen to anyone. The whole family knew that Maddox wasn't right for her, but she still..."
Bonnie sighed helplessly. She took my hands in hers and spoke with a heavy heart, "That was their generation's business. Just treat it as if your father is dead. From now on, focus on your life with Alex."
I said, "Austin married Kailyn ."
"Kailyn? From the Shepherd family?" Bonnie's grip on my hand tightened.
She fell silent for a moment before speaking, "It's fine. The Parks family doesn't even know you exist."
"But Isaac is still in the Parks family!"
End of Falling For My Ex's Uncle Chapter 238. Continue reading Chapter 239 or return to Falling For My Ex's Uncle book page.