The Loving Mom Won't Live to See It Chapter 9

At six in the evening, Robert and Margaret sat in their daughter's room.

For days, they hadn't found the courage to touch anything. But the news of Hailey's arrest made them realize it was time to face reality.

Margaret opened an old book box, and at the bottom lay Audrey's diary.

"Let's look at this," she said, her voice trembling.

Robert nodded. "Okay."

Margaret flipped to the last few pages and began reading aloud: "'Mom and Dad praised Hailey again today... I know she's really better at taking care of people than I am... Maybe I'm really not good enough... But I still hope they can be happy...'"

Robert's face went pale as he listened. "My God... she was blaming herself."

"There's more." Margaret continued reading through her tears: "'I know I haven't done well enough, but I still love them... May God forgive them, just as I forgive them.'"

Robert broke down crying. "Our daughter... she was blaming herself for our stupidity even as she died. How could we do this to her?"

Margaret called Donald, tears streaming down her face. "Donald, we need to talk... about Flora, about what we owe Audrey."

At eight that evening, Donald rushed to his in-laws' house.

Robert handed him the diary. "Look at this... see what we missed."

Donald read through the diary, his heart breaking. He took it home and went straight to Audrey's studio.

The design sketches were still neatly arranged on the desk. He opened a drawer and found a stack of envelopes.

"What's this?" he murmured to himself.

Opening the first one, he found a letter from Audrey:

"'My dearest Donald, I know I wasn't a good wife... I was always busy with work, neglecting your needs... If there's an afterlife, I want to be a better woman...'"

Donald's hands began to shake. "Audrey, forgive me... I was blind, completely blind..."

He looked up toward Flora's room upstairs. That seventeen-year-old girl was still hating her mother, still missing Hailey.

"I'm going to change all this," he said to himself. "When Flora turns eighteen, I'll give her what Audrey left behind."

Ten years passed. Donald never remarried. He poured all his energy into the cancer research foundation named after Audrey, helping those who suffered like his wife had.

Margaret and Robert also devoted their later years to charity, trying to make amends for their treatment of their daughter through good deeds.

Every weekend, they visited the cemetery, bringing Audrey her favorite pink roses.

"Audrey, Flora turns eighteen tomorrow," Donald said, gently touching the headstone. "I think it's time to let her know about the gift you prepared for her. Maybe this is her chance to truly know you."

Margaret and Robert's hair had turned gray, stooped with age. Ten years of guilt had aged them considerably.

"Daughter, please give us a chance... let Flora understand how much you loved her..." Robert choked out.

The next day was Flora's eighteenth birthday. She remained cold and cruel to everyone in the family. She believed only Hailey, locked away in prison, had ever truly loved her.

"Happy birthday, Flora." Donald approached her carefully, holding an exquisite box.

Flora didn't even look up. "Thanks."

"Flora, this is your mother's eighteenth birthday gift for you." Donald's voice trembled.

Flora turned, her eyes full of hatred. "I don't want anything from that woman. She abandoned me, remember? For her precious work, for her selfishness. At least Hailey really loved me!"

But when Donald opened the box, a white dress appeared. Pure white silk with exquisite embroidery, every detail perfect.

"This... she made this?" Flora's voice wavered for the first time.

"She made it during the last months of her life." Donald's eyes filled with tears. "Even in her most painful moments, she never stopped. She said that whether or not she could see you grow up, she wanted to give you the most beautiful coming-of-age gift."

Flora tried to maintain her coldness, but her hand moved uncontrollably toward the dress. The silk was so smooth, the embroidery so intricate.

Looking closer, she found words embroidered inside the dress in delicate thread:

"My precious Flora, when you wear this dress, you'll be a grown woman... Though Mommy can't be with you, my love will always protect you... Remember, those who truly love you show it through actions, not words... If anyone makes you hate me, please touch this dress and remember Mommy's love..."

Flora's hands began to tremble violently.

"No... this can't be..." she cried out, collapsing onto the sofa. "I was wrong... I was completely wrong!"

Flora held her head in her hands, fragments of the past ten years flashing through her mind.

"Hailey always said Mom didn't love me..." she whispered. "But this dress... why would Mom spend so much effort making a dress for a child she didn't love?"

She remembered Hailey's constant words: "Your mother only cares about work, never about you." "Her death was a relief for you." "I'm the one who truly loves you."

But now, the dress in her hands told a completely different truth.

"Ten years..." Flora stood up shakily. "Have I been hating the wrong person for ten years?"

She suddenly remembered a detail: when she was seven and sick, she woke up to find Hailey by her side. Hailey had said, "Your mother is too busy to come see you. Only I truly care about you."

But now she realized Mom's studio was right there in the house. How could Mom not know she was sick?

"Hailey was lying..." Flora's voice grew louder. "She was lying all along!"

She began frantically recalling: every time Mom tried to talk to her, Hailey would interrupt. Every time Mom tried to hug her, Hailey would say, "Don't disturb Flora."

"My God..." Flora covered her mouth. "Hailey was deliberately keeping Mom and me apart!"

Donald watched his daughter's reaction and said gently, "Flora, what are you remembering?"

"Hailey deceived me for ten years!" Flora screamed. "She made me hate Mom, made me think Mom didn't love me! But Mom... Mom was always loving me!"

She picked up the dress from the floor, sobbing uncontrollably. "I hated the person who truly loved me, and loved a liar! I... I'll never see Mom again! I can never tell her I love her!"

Donald walked over and embraced his daughter. "Flora, it's not too late to start now. Your mother is in heaven, and she knows you understand the truth now. She'll be happy."

"But I wasted ten years!" Flora cried in her father's arms. "For ten years I hated her every day, every day I missed that liar! I'm the stupidest daughter in the world!"

She clutched the dress tightly. "I want to try this dress on."

Donald nodded. "Go ahead."

Flora ran upstairs with the dress and closed her bedroom door. With trembling hands, she put on the dress and stood before the mirror.

The dress fit perfectly, as if Mom had been there to measure her personally.

Looking at herself in the mirror, tears streamed down her face. "Mom... how did you know? How did you know I'd look like this?"

Flora rushed downstairs wearing the white dress.

Seeing his daughter, Donald's eyes filled with tears. "You look just... just like your mother did when she was young."

"Dad," Flora hugged him for the first time. "Tell me everything about Mom. I want to know what she was really like, not the lies Hailey told me."

Donald held his daughter tightly. "Yes, we have a lot to talk about. After ten years, we can finally begin."

Outside the window, the sun was setting.

Ten years of misunderstanding was finally beginning to crumble. And the truth, at last, had a chance to see the light again.