S31 95. Shame
“Were you the ones singing at that time?” Mrs. Connor asked in inaudible voice.
The twins fell silent. With frozen smiles, they blinked to guess it.
“What did she just say?” Louis glanced at his younger sister.
Emily shrugged her shoulders vaguely, afraid to offend the woman. “I don’t know.”
Smiling, Ava got up from her chair. “You won't be able to hear my mother from there. Chere.” She reached
out her hand.
The twins’ faces lit up again. Happily, they let Ava sit them on her lap.
“Were you the ones singing at that time?”
The twins’ mouths rounded.
“Oh, that’s it,” Louis muttered before nodding. “Yes, we were the ones singing that time. Did you like our
singing?”
Mrs. Connor whispered, “Very sweet.”
Emily laughed while covering her mouth. “You don’t need to lie to please Louis, Mrs. Connor. It's okay. We
realized that our voices were a bit off at the time, especially Louis.”
Louis elbowed his sister's arm. His lips were pursed, his brows
furrowed. “I told you it’s vibrato.”
“Okay, okay. But | hope you don’t use it again. Sing according to what we have practiced.”
A second later, Emily shifted her gaze. Her expression turned sweet.” We have prepared a new song for you, Mrs.
Connor.”
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“What song is it?”
“It’s still a secret! We'll sing it after dinner. Are you willing to wait, Mrs. Connor?” Emily tilted her head.
The woman nodded again. “I will wait.”
“Thank you. We're sure you won't be disappointed. We've practiced hard.”
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Suddenly, Louis leaned forward. His hand tried to reach the woman's finger. “How are you, Madam? Have you
completely recovered?”
“My mother is showing rapid progress, but she still has to go through the recovery process. There are several
therapy procedures that she has to follow.”
“Does it hurt?” Emily frowned.
Ava shook her head. “No, but my mother has to overcthe stiffness in her body and also her laziness.”
“I'm sure she can. She’s your mother. So, she must have great
enthusiasm too.”
While Louis spread his arms to express Ava’s enthusiasm, someone whispered from the door. “Excuse me, are we
interrupting?”
Everyone looked over.
“Mommy!” Emily shuffled her feet. Her hands waved sweetly. “Con, Mommy, cin. Let's chat with Ava’s
mother.”
Behind Kara, Frank followed in. “Good evening, Mrs. Connor. How are
you?”
The woman nodded slightly. “Good.”
Since waking up, she had seen many unfamiliar faces. She got used to it and didn’t care who they were
anymore. However, Ava still
introduced people who visit.
In the middle of the conversation, Jeremy suddenly knocked on the door. “Ava, you guys have a visitor.”
Hearing that, Mrs. Connor immediately straightened her back.
Everyone, even Ava, was shocked, not expecting her to be able to do
that.
“Is it Eva?”
Jeremy didn’t hear her voice clearly. However, he could guess what the woman was asking.
“She said her nwas Eva.”
A sigh escaped Mrs. Connor's mouth. Without caring about the IV that was still attached to her hand, she tried to
get down.
Ava quickly put the twins down and held her. “Wait, Mom. You can’t go anywhere. Sit here. Let Eva cto you.”
Mrs. Connor clenched one hand in front of her chest. Her eyes filled with tears. “Quickly ask her in.”
“But before that,” Jeremy interjected, “I need Ava’s help to confirm her identity. No offense, but | don’t want any
intruders in my house.”
Ava nodded. “Yes, | understand.”
While waiting, Mrs. Connor couldn't stop smiling. “Eva is my favorite daughter. You will definitely be happy to
meet her.”
Frank and Kara blinked when they heard it. Even the twins looked surprised.
“What about Ava? Don’t you love her as much as you love Eva?” Louis sounded displeased.
Mrs. Connor shook her head weakly. “She is different. She is always
loyal to accompanyand never leaves me. She am very proud of her.”
more reliable. |
Frank and his family looked at each other in confusion. Wasn't Ava the one who had been taking care of her?
Why did Mrs. Connor praise a nthey had only just heard of?
After a few moments of awkward waiting, Jeremy and Ava finally returned. Behind them, a girl entered with a
bright smile.
“Mom!” Eva put several shopping bags on the sofa then rushed over to her mother. The twins quickly stepped
aside, afraid of being hit.
“Mom, you finally woke up.” She pressed her cheek to her mother’s face. Mrs. Connor laughed out loud as she
rubbed her back.
“Eva, you've finally come. | miss you so much.”
Eva put on a pitiful look. “What do you feel that way, Mom? We see each other almost every day. Didn't Ava tell
you? I've only been a bit busy lately.”
Mrs. Connor stroked her youngest daughter's cheek. “Sorry for
bothering you. You are busy taking care of your boutique, but you still have to cto visit me.”
Eva shook her head cutely. “Don’t say that, Mom. You are number one to me. | will definitely make tfor you.”
While the two people hugged, the others secretly glanced at Ava. They felt sorry for her.
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“Mommy, why is Mrs. Connor acting like that? Poor Ava,” Emily whispered, looking up to Kara.
“We're lucky to have a fair Mommy, Emily. If Mommy loved one of us more, the other would definitely feel sad.”
Ava realized that she was being a topic. Feeling uncomfortable, she
lowered her head. “Because Eva is here, I'm off duty. | have to check on Mrs. Melanie.”
Eva quickly turned her head. “Before you go, | have something for you.”
She reached for the shopping bag on the sofa. After checking the contents, she handed two bags to Aya.
“| just decluttered my wardrobe. These clothes are still good. The style is simple and a bit old-fashioned, match
your taste. You will definitely like it. Wear it outside of work hours. Don’t just wear the sthing. You also need
to be stylish.”
Ava stared at the two bags with her head bowed. She knew everyo was watching her. Therefore, she cleared her
throat and accepted sister's gift with a heavy breath.
“Thank you.”
“No need. Just think of it as an expression of thanks frombecause you have taken care of Mom. Besides,”
Eva raised her finger and took out an envelope, “you also deserve this.”
She took Ava’s hand and placed a thick envelope there.
“What's this?” Ava’s eyebrows furrowed.
Eva ccloser and whispered, “Just think of it as my reward for taking care of Mom outside of your working
hours. I'm sorry I've bothered you.”
Ava'’s chin started to twitch. However, as best she could, she kept her lips from being affected. She didn’t want a
fight to tarnish her family’s nand make her even more embarrassed.
“You don’t need to pay me, Eva. Your mother is my mother too. It's my duty to look after her,” Ava said as quietly
as possible.
However, Eva waved her hand in front of her pretentious laugh. “Don’t
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be embarrassed. | know you need it. Just accept it, hmm? Or, you can consider it pocket money from me. | got
more luck at the end of last year. My boutique is selling well.”
Ava didn’t dare to raise her head. The burden in her heart seemed to have weighed on her chin. Her breathing
began to shake her
shoulders.