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Maisie took a deep breath and said coldly, "I don't need it."
"Maisie—"
"I've got work to do. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up," she said before Cindy could respond, then disconnected
the call.
However, in the quietness of the late hours that night, Maisie tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She recalled how,
from childhood to now, Cindy's warmth toward her felt like an act of charity, sparing only a tiny bit of warmth for
her when neither Owen nor Nicole needed it.
She remembered being bullied at school, with no one at home standing up for her. Her classmates mocked her for
being a child who was not cared for. She was met with a torrent of scolding when she went home and told Cindy
about it. Cindy only ever blamed her for being troublesome.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtShe also recalled the first time she got her period. She was frightened and ran to Cindy in tears. Instead of comfort,
Cindy's immediate reaction was, "Disgusting! Wash your stained clothes yourself!"
Since then, she hadn't confided in Cindy about anything.
In such an environment, Maisie became timid, always trying to please everyone. When she met Daniel, she
unconditionally complied, placing herself in a lowly position.
However, being gentle and submissive didn't bring her the happiness she sought.
As Maisie thought about it, tears streamed down her cheeks, dampening the pillow. -
After that day, Cindy didn't give up. Instead, she showed more concern. She called Maisie every day, not
mentioning money but chatting about trivial household matters.
Sometimes, she even inquired about Maisie's relationship with Daniel—"Is he treating you well? Is he serious this
time? He won't abandon you like last time, will he?"
Each time, Maisie responded briefly and hung up.
Yet, there was a victorious smile on Cindy's face. She knew that Maisie's biggest weakness was her soft heart and
strong sentiments. If Maisie truly wanted to draw a line with her, would she still answer her calls?
As long as Maisie continued to pick up the phone, it indicated that the barrier in her heart was slowly crumbling! -
Maisie lived in a neighborhood with elderly ladies around Cindy's age. They gathered every day, discussing
mundane daily affairs.
They talked about which vegetables paired well, how to store food to prevent spoilage, whose child had grown
taller, whose daughter-in-law was pregnant, whose old man had hidden extra money, whose housewife had been
swindled into buying health supplements...
At times, these gossiping elderly ladies were irritating, but this common, down-to-earth atmosphere made Maisie
often feel envious as she passed by them.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmIn Maisie's fantasies, she envisioned having a mother like that—someone who would accompany her through life,
love her children like many mothers do, and sometimes have emotional outbursts.
When she grew old, she imagined her mother being like those gossiping elderly ladies, discussing neighborhood
trivialities every day. Even after she got married, her mother would help her with the kids, complaining about the
difficulties of parenting while secretly supplementing her with her retirement funds...
Maisie took a deep breath, feeling her eyes well up with tears again. She wiped her eyes and was about to head
upstairs when a neighbor called out to her.
"Hey, Maisie!"
Maisie turned around and saw her neighbor coming over with a beaming smile. "I've noticed you've been leaving
early and coming home late these days. Hard at work?"
"Yeah, not too bad," Maisie replied with a slight smile.
The woman lived next door and was quite caring. Whenever she made soup or something delicious, she often sent
some over to Maisie.
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