The Bound Between Us

Chapter 243

Anastasia didn’t elaborate too much, she just gently caressed Pattie’s forehead with a smile and let her

go play at the next table, even ordering a juice for her.

As they sat down, Anastasia cheerfully asked, “How have you been these past years?”

“Me? Ever since I started this line of work, it’s been nothing but tough.” Melinda looked decidedly

nonchalant, then added, “Give me a couple more years to make some money, then I’m heading back to

my hometown. My mom’s getting on in years, she isn’t well, and has to go to the hospital often. I need

to earn more for her treatment.”

“Do you have a younger brother?” Anastasia couldn’t quite remember. She only had a vague

recollection of something like that.

“Yeah, I have a younger brother. He graduated from college last year and found a girlfriend. They’re

already discussing about getting married.” Melinda’s face seemed to cloud over with bitterness and

helplessness as she spoke of her brother.

Anastasia got back to the point, asking, “Melinda, you remember the club we joined together, right?

You must remember what I did there then. Was I also… doing that?”

Anastasia found it difficult to talk about and even harder to accept.

Melinda understood what she meant and shook her head with a smile, “No, you only agreed to work as

a waitress outside the private rooms, cleaning up after guests left. You didn’t do the work inside the

rooms. The manager saw you were pretty and tried to get you to accompany clients a few times, saying

you could make more money, but you always refused.”

Hearing this, Anastasia breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good then.” She’d been worried for days,

scared that she might have had sex with clients in the past, which made her feel even more

uncomfortable facing Herman.

Melinda said, “If it wasn’t for you helping me back then, you wouldn’t have ended up in the private

rooms. After that incident, I never saw you again. I have no idea how you’ve been these years.”

Melinda back then was just a naive young girl stepping into society. She always remembered

Anastasia’s kindness. If it weren’t for difficulties, Melinda wouldn’t have chosen this line of work.

her family’s financial

Anastasia glanced at Pattie who was playing with Barbie dolls at the next table, her lips curling into a

slight smile, “I’m very happy now.”

“I can see that,” Melinda joked, “You came in all glowing. Only a woman happily married can look like

that. You’re so lucky to have found a good husband.” To this day, Melinda hadn’t dared to dream of

getting married. Given her circumstances, where could she find a good man? She didn’t think she

deserved

one.

“He really is great, Anastasia never held back on praising Herman, “I just recovered from an illness,

then my mom got hurt, and the kid needs to go to school. All the pressure is on my husband. He’s

having a tough time, but he never complains.”

“Exactly, where can you find such a good man? Anastasia, you’re really blessed.”

Just as they were talking, Melinda’s phone rang, “Anastasia, I need to take this call.”

“Sure.”

Anastasia got up and went to the next table to keep Pattie company, not listening in on Melinda’s call.

She didn’t know what was said on the other end, but Melinda’s composure suddenly crumbled. Melinda

pressed the caller, “When did this happen? I didn’t know my mom bought a house. Wasn’t she just in

an accident and needs to pay compensation?”

“An accident? I didn’t know that. The house was bought last week. Your mom has been looking for a

house for a while. She said she’d saved some money over the years. She was short $10,000 last time

and asked me for a loan, which I didn’t give her. Today I heard that your mom bought a house, and paid

in full, as a wedding house for your brother. Your brother is getting married next month. Didn’t you know

about this?”

These words hit Melinda like a heavy blow. She had no idea that her family had bought a house or that

her younger brother was getting married with a set wedding date. Just a few days ago, her mother told

her she’d hit someone and even sent pictures, crying that she had no money, and the other party

demanded $10,000 in compensation. She had scraped together the money and sent it back home.

She never imagined this money was for buying a house.

Over the years, she’d sent almost a million back home. She paid for her brother’s tuition, the family’s

expenses, and the renovation of their old house; everything was paid for by her. Now her family had

bought a house in town, paid in full.

How much did a house in the town cost? Maybe between 500,000 to 600,000, where did her family get

the money?

Apart from the renovation of their old house, her brother’s living expenses and tuition, and the monthly

support she had been sending to her family, the money Melinda had provided over the years was

enough to buy a house outright.

Seeing Melinda’s pale face, Anastasia asked worriedly, “Melinda, what’s wrong?”

Melinda hung up the phone, looking rather dazed. Before she could say anything, tears began to

stream down her face like floodgates had been opened.