Chapter 3

From that day on, I stopped by the supermarket every day after work to buy fresh vegetables, meat, and eggs for my mother.

Mom wasn't happy about it, but at least she didn't say anything more.

More than two weeks went by. Today, after work, I brought the vegetables and meat over to Mom's place as usual, but the sight that met me when I opened the door left me stunned.

Mom was lying unconscious on the living room floor, and no matter how I called out to her, she didn't respond.

I called 911 and got her to the hospital, where she went through a whole series of tests.

The doctor looked over the results.

"Nothing serious. It's just anemia from long-term malnutrition."

"She probably fainted today because of the anemia and low blood sugar. Make sure she eats on time from now on."

"Once people get older, they need to eat more nutritious food so their bodies stay strong."

I was taken aback.

For the past two weeks or so, I'd been buying the freshest vegetables, meat, eggs, and dairy every single day. I'd even bought shrimp and cod, high-quality protein, several times.

How could she be malnourished?

By the time I got back to the room, Mom was already awake.

Before I could even open my mouth, she started explaining herself, looking guilty.

"Last time, when you told your uncle to pay back the money, he got a little upset. I was afraid he'd hold it against you later, so I gave him the things you'd been bringing over."

"My grandniece is still young, and she's at the age where she needs the extra nutrition too."

"I know you make good money now and you buy nice things, so I just..."

Before she could finish, I was already so angry I was about to call Uncle Gerald, but Mom grabbed my hand.

"Don't call him, don't call him!"

"What am I supposed to do if we really wreck the relationship? Your uncle is the only family I have."

"Your father's relatives don't even acknowledge us. If I die someday, and even your uncle won't look after you, what will you do?"

Watching Mom's eyes turn red in an instant, my heart clenched hard.

I lost my father when I was five. Mom raised me all on her own, and it broke my heart, so I always did everything I could to give her what she wanted.

After my father died, his relatives cut off contact with us almost completely, afraid of being tainted by Mom and me.

Only Uncle Gerald's family still spoke to Mom now and then, so she went all out to be good to them.

After I graduated from college, I worked day and night, hoping to give Mom a good life.

I knew how much she valued family, so I'd always turned a blind eye to her helping out her own kin.

As for the three hundred thousand I'd lent them five years ago, it was only a few months' salary for me now, so I'd never asked them to pay it back.

I'd always thought Mom did it for herself.

It never occurred to me that part of the reason she helped Uncle Gerald's family was me.

I let out a soft sigh and, in the end, made the call anyway.

But that didn't mean I could keep tolerating their family bleeding us dry.

My job now was good, but the hours were brutal, and I had to travel for work from time to time, so there was no way I could take care of Mom myself.

If I hired a caregiver or a nurse at home, I was afraid Mom would just give all the supplements and food away to Uncle Gerald again.

After going back and forth on it, I booked Mom into the best senior care home in all of Riverside State.

Whether it was the environment, the food, or the daily activities for the residents, that place was as close to top-tier as it got.

The price, of course, wasn't cheap either; a month there ran over five figures.

But if it meant Mom could get her health back and stop supporting Uncle Gerald's family, the money was worth it.

Mom fussed about the cost, but I gave her a flat ultimatum.

"Instead of leaving me to someone else, the best thing you can do is take good care of your health and stay with me for a long, long time."

"Don't you know what kind of shape you're in? I happened to catch it today. What if I hadn't?"

"That's enough. I've already paid for a full year up front. Whether you stay or not, the money's nonrefundable."

Maybe this fainting spell finally scared her.

In the end, she moved into the senior care home.

The place wasn't far from my office, and I went to see her there almost every day.

When she was in a good mood, I'd bring her back to stay with me for a couple of days, and life was actually pretty easy.

Until the company had another big project that required me to travel.

I never expected that after being away for just one week, something would happen to Mom again.