"Grandpa!"
The mention of her grandpa made Rachel's heart ache even more, and memories from deep inside flooded back, becoming clearer and clearer.
Since she could remember, her grandpa was the only one by her side. She only knew about her parents from what others told her.
Her mother, Ophelia, was beautiful but lazy, with high expectations and low abilities.
She wanted to marry a wealthy man but ended up with a son-in-law introduced by her grandpa.
Her mother looked down on her father, and they often fought. Later, her mother left with another man, and they got divorced.
After the divorce, her father took all the valuable things in the house and left. Her mother also moved to another city and never came back.
Rachel was only two years old at the time.
When she was young, her grandpa was very good to her, so good that she felt it didn't even matter if she had parents or not.
Nora was even jealous of her. She had the best food and clothes and could eat any fruit or snack she wanted.
However, many children in the neighborhood still looked down on her.
They called her a wild child that nobody wanted, because her father didn't want her and her mother didn't love her.
Rachel got into fights with other kids because of this.
"Don't listen to them. Grandpa wants you," her grandpa would always say, feeling sorry for her when he saw her bruised and swollen face.
"Yeah, I have grandpa," she would reply with a smile, not wanting to make her grandpa worry.
Thinking of her grandpa, Rachel's eyes became moist. She wiped them casually and said, "I'll see when the time comes."
She missed her grandpa very much, but she didn't want to go back on the anniversary of his death.
She didn't want her grandpa to see her like this, and she didn't know how to face her uncle.
Her uncle didn't even know that it was Nora who drugged her.
"Well, take care of yourself and come back to visit more often. Uncle's house is also your home," Grady emphasized.
"Okay, thank you," Rachel felt warm inside hearing her uncle say that.
After hanging up the phone, Rachel felt a little uneasy.
"Rachel, what's wrong with you? Why isn't this coffee cup clean?" The store manager, Barrett, frowned unhappily.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Rachel immediately apologized when she heard that the plate wasn't clean.
She was indeed a little distracted just now.
Rachel looked up, reached out her hands, and took the snow-white coffee cup from Barrett's hand.
There was a slight stain on the handle, which wasn't noticeable unless you looked closely.
But they were one of the top high-end coffee shops in Blackwood City, and everything had to be spotlessly clean.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Rachel lowered her head in embarrassment.
She cherished and needed this job very much, but there were just too many things happening today, and with her uncle's phone call just now, she got distracted.
"Now...?" Rachel frowned, looking a little embarrassed. Her rosy lips opened slightly, wanting to say something.
Rachel wanted to ask if she could go home and make some food for her daughter Cora to eat before coming back to clean.
"Why aren't you going yet?" Barrett's delicate face frowned with anger, and Rachel didn't dare to say anything.
Hurry up and bring out the cups and soup spoons you washed this morning to wash them again.
But what about Cora? Rachel worried in her heart.
"Mummy." A childish voice came from behind, sounding just like Cora. Was Rachel hallucinating?
"How did you get here?" Rachel turned around in surprise and saw that it really was Cora! She was amazed and opened her mouth wide.
Cora was wearing a light yellow princess dress, standing at the door of the coffee shop.
One chubby hand was held by a plain, slightly plump middle-aged woman, and the other hand was holding a lunch box, sweetly smiling at her.
"Hello! Who are you?" Rachel asked in surprise, looking at the middle-aged woman.
"This is Aunt Harris who lives next door to us. I begged her to bring me here," Cora introduced happily, raising her eyebrows.
Next door's Aunt Harris? Rachel had never seen her before! She was even more surprised now.
"Well, I live next door to you. I just moved in not long ago," Aunt Harris smiled and said, seeing her surprise. "Cora came to knock on my door. She said her mother was too busy today to come back and cook, and she was hungry, so she ate at my place."
Aunt Harris looked to be around 60 years old, slightly plump, and had a kind smile.
"Thank you so much. Today's business is busy, and I couldn't make it back. I was worried that Cora wouldn't have anything to eat. Thank you so much," Rachel looked at Aunt Harris gratefully and smiled warmly.
"Please come in and sit down," Rachel warmly invited Aunt Harris, her face full of bright smiles.
"No, no, Cora said you probably haven't eaten yet. She begged me to bring her over. I was very busy and didn't have time to bring her, but this child is too well-behaved. Her big watery eyes looked at me, and I couldn't resist her. You eat first, and I'll go back," Aunt Harris said gently.
She really liked Cora. Cora was beautiful and cute, and so well-behaved.
She even said she wanted to help her with a massage when she was free. Although it was just childish talk, Aunt Harris was happy to hear it.
Rachel wanted to keep Aunt Harris to eat something, but Aunt Harris said she had things to do at home and insisted on leaving. Rachel didn't insist anymore.
She thanked Aunt Harris again and watched her leave before carrying Cora inside. She stared at Cora with wide eyes.
"I was really hungry, so I went to knock on Aunt Harris's door. She gave me a big bowl of food because she thought I was cute. Look how full I am now," Cora explained, pointing to her belly.
She looked up at Rachel with grape-like, watery eyes that could melt anyone's heart.
In reality, Cora was afraid of making her mother angry. Rachel didn't like her taking things from other people's homes.
Cora wasn't just hungry; she knew her mother was probably too busy to eat.
Rachel cooked for her every day, but today she hadn't come home, probably because she was too busy to even eat.
That's why Cora went to knock on Aunt Harris's door.
"Mommy, you probably haven't eaten yet," Cora said, jumping off her mother and pulling her to a seat.
She acted like a little adult, opening the insulated container and taking out the food.
A warm feeling washed over Rachel's heart. She couldn't bring herself to scold Cora. She picked up Cora and placed her on her lap, feeding her a piece of meat.
"This meat is really delicious. Mommy likes it a lot. But you can't do this again next time. What if you run into a bad person?" Rachel's gentle, crisp voice was filled with love and a hint of sternness.
"I'm not you!" Cora murmured softly.
Rachel was her mother, but sometimes she could be so confused.