Chapter 7
Dad covered his face with his hands, his voice choking up and full of regret.
“Betty, I’m so sorry.”
“I’ll give you the company, I’ll put everything I have into training you. It’ll all be yours…”
“I don’t want the company.”
I cut Dad off, then said: “Tm going to be a military doctor, because that’s the only way I can get close to Mom.”
All my hard work had never been about proving anything to him or fighting for some inheritance.
I’d always been following Mom’s hidden trail through the fog.
Time flew by in intense studying and rigorous training.
1 graduated from military medical school with outstanding grades and became a field surgeon like I’d always wanted.
During a mission supporting counter–terrorism operations at the border, I received a special patient.
This person was badly injured, with shrapnel wounds all over, but the worst was a deep gash on their back that went right down to the bone.
My eyes fell on an old scar near the patient’s shoulder blade, and my heart started pounding.
That masked rescuer who fought the kidnappers – when their shirt got torn in the struggle, I’d seen the exact same scar on their back!
I squeezed my eyes shut hard, forcing my hands to stop shaking.
When I opened them again, I pushed everything else out of my mind and focused completely on saving this patient.
Hours later, the surgery was over and the patient was stable for now.
I looked down at the unconscious person in the hospital bed, tears already streaming down my face.
This face was covered in scars of all different depths, and the features looked unnatural, almost nothing like the beautiful face I remembered Mom having.
Suddenly, the person’s eyes opened.
Even if the world turned upside down and everything changed, I’d never mistake those eyes!
I couldn’t hold back anymore – my whole body was shaking like I was afraid of breaking a dream, and I called out the name I’d kept buried in my heart for ten years: “Mom”
Those eyes went wide, clearly reflecting my tear–stained face.
A hoarse voice came from under the oxygen mask, “Bet… ty…”
Those two words were like breaking a magic spell.
I completely fell apart.
I collapsed next to the bed and started sobbing uncontrollably.
Ten years of believing and waiting, the loneliness of nobody understanding, the hurt of being misunderstood by Dad, the heartbreak of seeing Mom covered in
scars.
And finally, the pure joy of knowing for sure.
It all mixed together and turned into tears I couldn’t stop.
I’m sorry… Betty…”
Mom’s voice was so weak, but she lifted her hand and gently squeezed my fingers.
22:19
From ‘Beloved Daughter” to “Dead Burden? Now Watch Your Perfect Family BURN!
22.30
I wanted to squeeze back hard, but I was scared of hurting her injuries.
The sobs came even louder then.
Finally, after all these years, I’d found Mom!
After this ten–year game of hide–and–seek, I still won!
I could touch Mom – she was really still alive.
But Mom’s face was completely ruined, covered in scars.
I knew exactly what this destroyed face meant.
It wasn’t just simple burns or cuts.
This was what someone looked like after surviving a massive explosion and high heat, then going through countless reconstructive surgeries.
I couldn’t bear to imagine what kind of dangerous situation Mom had been in when she barely survived, or what inhuman pain she’d endured to stay alive.
I couldn’t even think about what kind of mission would require the organization to use her death as a complete cover–up, forcing her to live under a false identity for ten years straight.
The only answer was that the enemy was extremely powerful and dangerous.
If they found out Mom was still alive, it would bring total destruction to our family.
So Mom used “death” to protect me, and this time, it was my turn to protect Mom.
Being reunited with Mom was like a bright light illuminating my entire world.
For a moment, I wanted to tell Dad this amazing news.
But then I thought about our house filled with Kaya and Mrs. Hayes’s laughter, how Dad had already packed away all of Mom’s photos, how quickly he’d embraced his new life.
He’d already started a new life without Mom.
This news might not be good news for Dad – it might just be troublesome.
So I kept it like a secret treasure, quietly celebrating that I’d found Mom.
Mom and I developed this unspoken understanding.
At the hospital, we were doctor and patient.
Only in completely safe private moments were we mother and daughter.
Mom never talked about her missions or experiences in detail, and I never pushed her for answers.
I just used all my medical skills to carefully treat every injury Mom brought back from her missions.
While Mom carried this heavy burden on the invisible front lines, I kept pulling her back from death’s edge, quietly stitching up her broken body and also mending the ten years of missing motherly love.
Until today, when I’d just finished surgery and got called to the leadership office.
“Betty,” the leader’s voice was heavy, with a hint of reluctance, then he said. “There’s a mission that requires you to leave immediately. You need to see a critically injured soldier one last time
My heart dropped like a stone, and this huge fear grabbed hold of me instantly
I boarded the helicopter heading to the border.
The whole bumpy, noisy ride, I felt nodding
When someone led me into a temporary tent and I saw that face familiar yet strange, half covered with a white sheet every bit of my composure crumbled instantly
22:19
From Beloved Daughter to Dead Burden Now Watch Your than foot Pamile mudaATY
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Chapter 8
Chapter 8
