"We must proceed cautiously with our ns instead of expecting an overnight sess!"


    Karen merely nodded. "Just trust me. Alright, don''t stay in my room too long, lest they really think I''m unwell. I''m sure that rat would be very happy then. You should go back to your room now. I''ll update you if anythinges up."


    Despite her concerns, Sadie was thus dismissed from her mother''s room. She wanted to say more but found Rita leaning against the railing with her arms crossed and looking at her with great interest. "Tsk tsk tsk. So there are things your mother doesn''t want to tell you after all! But then again, you''re just a child, so what help could you possibly be to her? If I were her, I wouldn''t want to tell you either." "Just what are you trying to say?" Sadie hated Rita''s condescending attitude. She had much more than Rita, yet Rita always acted like she had everything. She was quite the performer.


    "It''s exactly what you think it means. Truth is a bitter pill to swallow, huh? If I were you, I''d dig deeper. What if something you can''t control happens in the future?"


    Sadie scoffed. "When did the great Miss Rita Russell learn to speak in such a roundabout way? Or perhaps those are just empty threats, and you''re just trying to throw me off? After all, your mother is long dead, so it''s only natural that you''ll miss spending time with her."


    Rita lowered her head and chuckled. "Sadie, don''t you have anything to say except for bringing up my mother? But then again, even if you do, I still don''t think you have more than I do. What my mother gave me is enough for me to live a lifetime."


    Rita''s satisfied smile when mentioning her mother was not just for show, making Sadie''s expression even more unpleasant.


    "Don''t put on airs in front of me, Rita. Have you forgotten how hard you were trying to please my mother when we first moved in here? Well, I don''t mind helping you remember!"


    Rita nodded cryptically. "Yes, when


    you two first moved in here, I thought she was a good person. Yet it turns out she has quite a vile heart. She only knows how to bully kids But it''s okay. I''ve long passed the age of needing help. You, on the other hand, should take the time to ask your mother about what she has been up totely, lest you end up deceived in the end."


    With that, Rita casually turned and left. She was trying to throw Sadie off. She had reached her aim as long as Sadie became suspicious of her own mother.


    However, when she returned to her room-where she was alone-she could not help but clutch her chest bitterly. She never felt like shecked anything whenpared to others, especially considering the brief t she had with her mother, during which she experienced absolute, pure love.


    Those memories were enough to sustain her for the rest of her life, yet she felt her deepest psychological scars opening every time Sadie prodded at her deepest wounds. "Mom, I miss you so much."Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    Contrary to Rita''s expectations,


    Sadie did not immediately confront


    Karen. She knew that the more


    impatient she appeared, the less


    likely Karen would reveal the man''s identity.


    However, she could not figure out who Esmond Parr was and what kind of rtionship he had with her mother to make her defend him so fiercely.


    ''Is he Mom''s former lover?'' she wondered.