She widened her eyes and raised her hand to slapback, but Tessa caught her wrist and shoved her aside, Wendy fell onto a pile of ceramic and porcelain shards, the sharp fragments cutting into her skin as blood began to push out.
“Ah! My hand! My hand!” Wendy screamed in agon
Zachary pushed to her side, panicetched across his face. “Dee Dee, are you alright?”
“Serves you right,” Tessa said coldly, her gaze tandelding. “You wouldn’t have potten hurt if you hadn’t broken it in the first place.”
“Tessa, you’ve gone too far!” Zachary snapped, glaring at her angly. “Apologize to thee tee right now!
Tessa’s gaze bed by: “She should be the one apologizing to me. She broke my things.”
“Zachary, it hurts so much,” Wendy whimpered, leaning into his auns as tears streamed down her face. “Please, take me to the hospital. I’m in so much pain.” “Dee Dee, just hold on. I’ll take you right away.”
After saving that, Zachary scooped Wendy into his ans and canted her away. As die passed Tessa, he shot her a fierce glare and said coldly, “I don’t ever want to see
“Tessa replied flatly, her face devoid of emotion.
Zachary paused, sensing something was eft about Tessa’s behavior.
But he couldn’t afford to dwell on it. Wendy’s hand was still bleeding. Casting Tessa a dark, piercing look, he turned and hurried downstairs with Wendy In his arms. After the two left, a heavy silence settled over the rooms.
Tessa slowly approached the pile of shattered ceramics. Kneeling down, she reached out with trembling hands, her fingers hovering over the broken fragments as
U atraid to touch them.
Tears tell, one drop after another, onto the fragments.
“Mom, I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect the gift you left me…I’m so, so sorry”
In the vast emptiness of the room, Tessa crouched on the floor as she wept uncontrollably.
When Tea was just 12 years old, her mother fell gravely ill
The once–gentle and serene woman, who always had a smile on her lips, was ravaged by the disease, leaving her frail and gaurit
Back then, Tea was still in middle school, but every day after class, she would rush to the hospital without fail,
She stayed by Tyla’s side, sharing stories about her day at school and singing the new songs she had learned
“Mom, when will you get better? Tess asked, her bright eyes clouded with a touch of sadness as she sat by her mother’s bedside.
Tessa’s mother had been for over six months, and her condition seemed to worsen with each passing day.
Tyla gently stroked Tessa’s hair and smiled softly. “The doctor said I’ll be able to go home soon,” she murmured.
“Really?“Tess’s eyes lit up with hope.
“Yes” Tyla’s face was drained of color, her lips faint, and her body frail. Yet, her eyes were filled with a gentle and unwavering love as she looked at her daughter.” I’ll be home in a few days, just in time to celebrate your birthday.”
Tess believed ber
She truly thought her mother would recover soon.
It wasn’t until later that she understood what her mother meant. When Tyla said she was going home, she wasn’t talking about recovery, she meant retuming to spend hertinal days with her family and fulfill her last wishes.
Chapter 14
The day Tyla was discharged from the hospital, the snow had just stopped, leaving behind a pristine winter wonderland. The trees lining the road were coated In frost, and the sky was a clear, belllum blue.
Sammel had driven to the hospital to pick up Tyla. The couple sat in silence, the atmosphere was thick and heavy between them.
In the backrest, Tessa breathed on the frosted window, ber small finger tracing playful pictures on the glass. Her joy was uncontainable.
Finally, Tyla was leaving the hospital
As they drove, Tessa drew a picture of their family on the window, her face lighting up with delight.
When Tylacaught sight of the drawing, her heart ached, and tears welled up in her eyes
She tomed her bead to wipe away a tear and forced a smile, “It’s almost your bitlulay, Tess. What would you like as a present?
Tess kept drawing shapes on the logged window. “Mominy, I want a Cinnamoroll,” she replied sweetly.
“Cinnamoroll? Is that a type of dog?” Tyla asked gently. “I’ve never heard of that breed.”
Tessa shook her head, “No, Momany. It’s a cartoon dog. I want a ceramic Cinnamoroll, Sienna told me there’s a workshop on Serenity Avenue where we can buy an unpainted ceramic dog and paint it ourselves.”
Tuming to tace Tyla, Tessa added, “Lad week, Sienna and Henry went there and painted two really cute porcelain dolls”
Tyla’s smile softened. “Alright, Tess, Let’s go.”
On Tessa’s twelfth birthday, the snow tell thick and heavy.
Tessa and Tylawallard hand in hand into the workshop. Their pre–ordered unpainted Cinnamoroll figure was ready and waiting. The two of them eagerly began to
It was the first time they had worked together on something like this.
Tessa was overjoyed with the final result. Her Cinnamoroll tamed out exactly like the picture–perhaps even cuter.
Afterward, they left the shop and headed to a nearby bakery.
Tyla carted the cake in one hand while holding Tessa’s hand tightly with the other. As they strolled through the falling snow, Tyla suddenly stopped and turned to Tessa, gazing at her with a tender expression.
“Tessa, Mommy loves you very much.” Tyla’s voice was soft, carried away by the breeze.
Trou’s nose was red from the cold.
Her mother said those words often, so she didn’t think much of it. “I love you too, Mommy,” she replied with a cheerful smile.
Tyla’s nose twitched, and she felt tears begin to well up.
Tessa was still so young, and she was only 12 years old. Tyla couldn’t stay with her much longer. What was she going to do?
Fearing that Tessa might see her tears, she turned away and kept walking.
Holding Tyla’s hand, Tessa strolled through the bustling Serenity Avenue pedestrian street and made her way to the outdoor parking loc
From a distance, she spotted Samuel’s car. Her father stood nearby in the snow, a cigarette between his fingers. His face was etched with sadness and loneliness
It was an expression she had rarely seen on him. As if sensing her gaze, Samuel looked up. The sorrow vanished in an instant, replaced by his usual calm demeanor.
For a moment, Tessa wondered if she had imagined it.
Semuel stubbed out his cigarette and, in a hoarse voice, said, “You’re back.”
Tyle gave a quiet nod.
That night, it was Samurl who prepared dinner.
The three of them gathered around the table, sharing a joyful moment. Tessa wore a crown, made a wish, and blew out the candles
But just as they were about to enjoy the cake, something unexpected happened.
As Tyla reached for a bite, she suddenly started coughing up large amounts of blood.
ཆ ད ང
Tesse was terrified. The cake slipped from her hands and fell onto her new shoes.
Sulcused to Tyla’s side, his voice thick with emotion Tyla, Tyla, don’t scare me. I’ll get you to the hospital right away.”
The nanny scrambled to call for an ambulance while Tessa stood frozen, her mind racing but unable to process what was happening
Why was this happening? she had been fine just a moment ago. Why was Tyla suddenly coughing up blood?
Don’t the doctor say she could be discharged?
Wasn’t Tyla already recovering?
The ambulance arrived quickly
The paramedics rusled to load Tyla onto the stretcher.
Before they left, Tessa caught a glimpse of Tyla looking at her with tear–filled eyes. Hermouth moved as if trying to say something.
Tyla was in too much pain to speak, but her lips foused the words, and Tessa understood.
Chapter 14
She was saying, “I’m sorry
At that moment, Tessa broke down in tears, rushing out into the swirling show, shouting, “Mom, Mom, don’i go….”
The ambulance sped oft, leaving Texsablind.
Tessa tam after it for a while, but soon the white vehicle carrying Tyla disappeared from view.
That night, Tyla passed away.
Samuel stayed by her side all night, sobbing uncontrollably,
Tessa had no idea.
She had fallen in the snow while chasing the ambulance and was later carried back beside by the nanny, who had followed out of concern.
That night, Tessa developed a high fever and called out for Tylain ber sleep.
When she woke the next moming, she was told that Tyla had passed an
Tessa couldn’t bear to see Tyla’s lifeless body and avoided the hospital
She clung to the hope that as long as she didn’t see her mother’s still form, Tyla was still alive, simply away on a long trip.
To Tessa, the gentle woman with a smile as bright asspring sunshine would live forever
After Tyla’s passing, Tessa spent days and nights clutching her porcelain doll, refusing to eat or drink.
She would sleep when exhaustion overcame her, and when she wole, she would cry quietly
Samuel seemed to age ten years overight. His eyes lost their spark, his hale tuned gray, and he no longer had the energy to care for Tessa.
In the end, he was diagnosed with depression.
Tessa had always believed that Samuel would never remarry, especially after loving Tyla so deeply.
But two years later, he married Tyla’s best friend.
Tessa was furious. That same day, she moved into the school dormitory. Even on holidays, she stayed in her room, refusing to speak to them.
After two wars of college, Tessa’s relationship with Samuel had finally begun to improve, But as soon as she graduated, he insisted she marry into the Jacobson family, further straining their already fragile father–daughter relationship.
Samuel seemed gesinely enraged. While he had always indulged her in the past, be refused to back down on this marriage, even going as far as canceling her credit cards to force her to come home.
is the final sc
SLOWL
To Tessa, the arranged marriage was!
The real reason she ran away, however, was because Samuel had remarried.
Belud betrayed her mother
Tessa also felt that Samuel’s posh for her to marry so soon after college wassimply a way to get her out of the house. There was a saying that a married daughter was no longer her family’s child, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that the Yates family no longer had a place for her.
Out of anger, she left home and stayed away for three years.
She had always carried a porcelain doll with her. It was her emotional anchor, a final gift from Tyla, and her most cherished possession
But now, it was broken.
And so was Tessa’s heart.
After crying for what felt like an eternity. Tessa began searching for a way to fix it
If she could find a top–tier restorer, maybe there was still hope.
ཞ ན ཟ ཋ ༀ ཥཾ ཟཋ
She took a photo of the broken pieces and posted it on her social media, writing, “Looking for a top–tier restorer
Tessa had a vast network in kivertown, with influential relatives and wealthy friends, Finding a restorer should have been easy
Just a few minutes after posting, Stephen called.
Tessa assumed he was calling to recommend a restorer and answered right away.
However, Stephen’s voice was filled with urgency and concem. “Tess, are you hurt?”
She was momentarily stunned, then realized the bloodstain on the porcelain shards hadn’t been cleaned up yet.
“No, it’s not iny blood
Stephen asked again, “What happened? How did the porcelaindoll Madam Somerton give you end up broken?
Tess fell silent.
She wasn’t sure where to begin. What struck her even more was how Stephen immediately recognized, just from the photo, that it was the doll Tyla had given her. After a brief pause, Stephen’s voice became in and resolute. “I’m heading to the airport now. Wait forme. I’llcome to Haverford to see you.”
