The Sway and Slide of Love

When Hendrix left earlier, Irene had been asleep inside the house.noveldrama

But now, it was like she suddenly remembered something. Sitting there with a flashlight in hand, she seemed to be waiting for someone.

But who could she possibly be waiting for? After all, the person she most wanted to see would never come back.

After pressing his lips together, Hendrix finally walked outside.

Irene heard his footsteps but didn't turn around. She just kept sitting there, stubborn.

"Can you tell me about Nelly?" Hendrix asked.

Irene looked up at him, surprised.

Hendrix's expression was awkward. This wasn't something he usually did. He hadn't even managed to get along with his own mother, Beatrice.

Irene was practically a stranger to him. Well, not completely a stranger. After all, he had her to thank for the wound on his hand.

If he had a choice, Hendrix wouldn't have wanted anything to do with her. But he knew Noelle cared about Irene.

Even without a blood connection, Irene's care for Noelle these past months had been real. The motherly love she gave her had been real, too.

If they just left like this, Noelle would surely be upset, and he wanted her to be happy.

So, even though it felt unnatural, he forced himself to engage in a conversation with Irene. He was fully prepared to be ignored. After all, Irene had always treated him with hostility.

But to his surprise, after a long look, she turned away and started talking about Nelly.

"Her father left when she was three. No one knew where he went. Everyone said he was dead, but I didn't believe it. So I never remarried. I was afraid he'd come back one day and blame me. So, I raised Nelly alone and waited for him to come back.

"We never even moved. Because I was worried that if he returned, he wouldn't be able to find us. We were just a helpless mother and daughter, and we suffered plenty of bullying. When I was younger, there were plenty of bastards who tried to climb

over the wall to take age of

me.

do was

"All I could do was curse and shout. Only after the whole village started

calling me a shrew did they finally back off a little. Nelly was a good girl. Even as a child, she followed me to work in the fields. When other kids called her a burden, she never fought back.

"She had excellent grades and was also the first person to go to college in our village. She promised that once she settled in the city, she'd bring me to live with her. But I never got to see that day."

Her voice grew increasingly hoarse, and a few murky tears slipped from her sunken eyes.

Hendrix frowned. "How did she die?"

"Suicide." Irene tugged at the corner of her lips. "She was all alone in that big city and under too much pressure. I couldn't help her in any way or provide her with any resources. The night she left, she transferred me a sum of 18,975.70 dollars.

"It was all the money she had in her bank account. When I saw the transaction, I knew something was wrong. But by the time I called her, it was already too late. I can't read, nor do know how to take a train so I never even go to see her one last time.

"All I got was her ashes, brought back by a friend. Tell me. Do you think she resents me? Is that why, all these years, she hasn't even visited me in my dreams?"