Met You Before Sunrise(4)

9

These words instantly exploded in my mind.

Was there any other reason for Thomas' mother's death?

I asked the driver to turn around and return to the hospital. As soon as I got out of the car, I saw Bertram.

He stood straight on the side of the road, and the sun shone brightly on him.

I felt a little ashamed. My eyes were red and I didn't know what to say.

He pursed his lips and looked at me quietly. After a long while, he slowly said, "Julian, there is no barrier in life that can't be overcome. Take a few more steps and you'll be fine."

I nodded and tears rolled down my cheeks.

"Come on, I'll take you to a place. I think it's more meaningful for you to understand the cause of Thomas' mother's death."

Bertram raised his hand and paused above my head for a while. In the end, he patted my shoulder gently.

My heart skipped a beat.

I had made countless speculations about how Thomas' mother had hung herself at my door.

What convinced me the most was that in order to take revenge on me, his mother chose the superstition passed down from the older generation and would not let me go even if she became a ghost.

Bertram drove me to the old city district where Thomas' father lived.

Through the alley, I saw that Thomas' house was very lively. There were lamps hanging in the small yard.

I felt cold and couldn't help but tremble.

"His family is... holding a wedding."

Bertram glanced sideways at me, and a trace of hesitation flashed through his eyes. "You can ask those who are familiar with Thomas' parents nearby about it and you'll be able to guess the reason."

I gripped the seat belt tightly, my heart beating wildly.

It was a kind of fear and excitement that I would be close to the truth.

After a while, I got out of the car decisively. After looking around, I adjusted my expression and got into a small shop.

It was noisy inside, surrounded by a group of old people.

Someone was smoking, and a grayish-white smoke floated in the narrow space.

After buying some things, I asked curiously, "Hello! didn't the family in the alley just have an accident? Why are they holding a wedding ceremony?"

As the salesclerk gave me the change, she clicked her tongue. Her face was full of disdain. "He is shameless. His wife has just died and he can't wait to hold a wedding."

As soon as the conversation started, it quickly caused a discussion. The middle-aged women were filled with righteous indignation and analyzed it in a clear and logical manner.

I bought some drinks and distributed them to everyone in the shop. Then, I found a stool to sit down on and listened silently.

It took nearly an hour for everyone's enthusiasm to subside.

I returned to the car and collapsed in the passenger seat wearily. I couldn't describe how I felt.

For a long time, I had thought that Thomas's mother was so agitated by her son's death that she went to extremes.

But the reason didn't seem to be that simple.

Through the gossip, I could roughly guess Thomas's mother's despair before she died.

After Thomas' death, his father often punched and kicked his mother. He said malicious words and even cheated on her.

As his mother was getting old, his father wanted to divorce her and marry a young woman to give birth a baby.

In order to save the marriage, Mrs. Cowper tried many folk prescriptions to get pregnant, but her health got worse and worse. In the end, not only did she fail to keep her husband, but she caused her husband's disgust.

"She did not have the courage to resist her husband and question her own choice. Thus, she placed all the blame on me and determined that I was the culprit – the one who killed her son, ruined her marriage, and brought her all sorts of misfortunes.

I suddenly understood what Thomas had done. He was as cowardly as his mother, using his death to cover up his mistakes.

"Bertram, thank you," I opened my eyes and smiled gently.

In terms of guilt for these two lives, the man who was about to get married, as a father and a husband, should be guiltier than me. But he could be happy to be a groom and made plans for his future. Why should I not let me go?

Kindness should not be a weakness, nor should it be a reason for being bullied.

Bertram lowered his head and said nothing.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his smile.

I, who had been suppressed for a long time, suddenly felt relaxed. I looked out of the window, pursed my lips, and snickered.

There was a subtle sense of happiness in the air.

10

On the way back to the hospital, I received a call from my mother.

I quickly answered the call. As soon as I called my mom, I choked with sobs and couldn't say anything.

"Your dad and I just got off the high-speed train. Send me your current address. We'll be right there," my mother said anxiously.

I sobbed and said, "Wait for me at the station. I'll pick you up."

Hearing this, Bertram immediately turned the car around and sped up. "Are you afraid?"

"I'm afraid, but I can't let them be afraid."

The moment I saw my parents at the station, I was no longer nervous or afraid.

After I introduced Bertram to my parents, my mother's expression changed, and tears welled up in her eyes. She took Bertram's hand and said, "Sorry to trouble you. Thank you."

My heart skipped a beat. My intuition was right. My mom and dad knew everything.

"Auntie, you're too polite. It's what I should do."

"Yes, he's a good policeman. He has been helping me all the time," I said.

Dad patted me on the shoulder, his eyes red.

Originally, I wanted to take my parents to the hotel, but Bertram proposed to stay at his house.

I wanted to let Mom and Dad have a look at my living conditions so that they could rest assured, so I didn't stand on ceremony.

After returning home, Bertram considerately left some space for me and my family and went out.

As soon as he left, my mother cried. She took my hand and sobbed, "Why didn't you tell me such a big thing had happened? What if you couldn't take it?"

After listening to my parents, I realized that it was Thomas' father who had contacted them.

He said the same words, saying that I forced his son and wife to die.

He asked my parents to compensate for Thomas' debt. He said that his son embezzled the company funds because of me, and spent all his money on me.

It seemed that he knew that I had no money, so he set his eyes on my parents.

He crossed a line.

I was shaking with anger.

"It's okay, my sweetheart. We'll return the money, which will make us feel relieved. In the future, let's stop contacting them. After this matter is settled, you can go home with us," my father, who had been silent, suddenly said.

Why?

Thomas never spent his company funds on me and took it for fun.

Besides, I had already transferred my savings to their family over the years. I had done my best.

"Dad, Mom, I've thought it through. I want to solve it myself," I held my parents' hands tightly and said firmly.

"Your reputation has been ruined, and there are people in our hometown who know about it. Don't make a big deal out of it." Mom said worriedly.

"Mom, the weaker a person is, the more likely he or she is to be bullied." After saying that, I felt extremely relaxed.

Since the accident, I had been in a passive and confused state, allowing myself to be hit by the waves of reality again and again on the reef.

But at the same time, I hid a trace of calmness in my heart. There were two possible outcomes for a person to fall to the bottom. One was to be smashed to pieces, and the other was to be bounced back from the bottom.

I was enduring pain and despair. I couldn't find a direction or solve the problem, but I never thought of giving up my life. I was secretly waiting for time to give me strength to stand up.

"Mr. Chaucer, Thomas' father is getting married in two days. Do you have time to attend his wedding?" I went to the corridor and called Bertram.

"Have you decided yet?" he asked.

"Yes, don't worry. I won't let you down," I replied.

After hanging up the phone, I went back to my room and asked Dad to contact Thomas' father to talk about the compensation again.

Thomas' father should be busy with the wedding, so he said in a very impatient tone, "If you want to get over this matter, you have to give me money."

My dad replied, "You would only let go of my daughter after I give you 15 thousand dollars. You will never talk nonsense anymore, will you?"

"Yes, If I got 15 thousand dollars, I won't say anything bad about your daughter in my life."

After that, he hung up the phone.

I leaned against the seat and laughed.