Charlotte softly smiled and reached out to gently caress Clara’s hair. Her touch carrying nothing but motherly affection.
"Silly girl ... were you really doubting your parents’ love?" she asked, her lips lifting in a soft smile. "You’re our princess. Of course, if you ever need us, we will always be there for you. Right on your side."
"Benjamin is coming back this time because he knows his daughter needs him. He wants to be here for you."
Clara smiled back at her.
Then, leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist and hugged her.
"Mom ... you and Dad love me the most. I have never doubted it."
Charlotte couldn’t help but smile. Seeing the girl finally believing them felt better. It eased her heart.
"Of course, we have to love you more." Her voice carried a trace of an unmistakable guilt. "You’re our precious one. And you have suffered away from us, for so many years. No matter how much we’ve tried to make it up to you, we can never truly make up for all those years of your sufferings. So, loving you more than everyone else is the only thing we can do."
Clara didn’t say anything for a long moment. Her gaze just briefly turned sharp, as after a beat, she responded,
"It’s fine, Mom. I never blamed you or Dad."
Though she said that, in her heart, she blamed them for it.
If only she hadn’t been switched at birth, she would have had it all from the very beginning.
Charlotte remained like that for a long moment before finally pulling away.
"Alright. Now, don’t stay up any longer." She gently patted Clara’s head before taking a step back. "Go to sleep. It’s already quite late, and staying awake all night like this isn’t good for your health."
Clara smiled and nodded to her.
"Mom, I will sleep now. You should go to bed too. Otherwise, I’ll only end up blaming myself."
Charlotte smiled at her warmly.
"Alright."
With a final nod, she turned and walked out of the room.
On her way out, she quietly closed Clara’s bedroom door behind her.
Then ...
She paused.
The thought of Adelyn suddenly crossed her mind again.
Maybe ...
With Benjamin returning home, things would finally get better.
Maybe ...
Her family would finally become whole again.
Though Adelyn had indeed done something terribly wrong, she was still the child they had raised with her own hands.
As long as the girl was willing to come back ...
Charlotte was willing to accept her just the same.
Charlotte’s eyes slowly turned red.
She sniffled lightly before nodding to herself, as though reassuring her own heart.
Then she quietly walked back toward her room.
———————————————
The next morning—
At Sanctuary Heights—
Adelyn faintly heard the cheerful chirping of birds outside.
Then ...
She felt something cool and damp resting gently against her forehead.
Her brows knitted together slightly.
With her eyes still closed, she tried to understand what was happening. But apart from that cool sensation and an occasional feathery touch brushing against the side of her cheek, she couldn’t make sense of anything.
Just when she was about to open her eyes—
She suddenly felt something even softer press against her cheek.
Something warm.
Something squishy.
Curious, Adelyn slowly opened her eyes.
And the first thing she saw was a head of silky brown hair, slightly messy from sleep.
"Baby ..." she called softly.
Little Eira immediately pulled back and looked at her mother.
Her large eyes carefully swept across Adelyn’s face, examining every tiny detail as though afraid of missing even the slightest change.
"Mama, you’re awake?"
Adelyn smiled gently and nodded. Then she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position. Her body still felt somewhat weak ...
But otherwise, she felt perfectly fine.
Nothing out of the normal.
"Why did you wake up so early?" she asked. "You could’ve slept a little longer."
The little girl stared at her and shook her head.
"Eira is fine, Mama." She looked at her worriedly. "How are you feeling?"
Before Adelyn could understand or even respond, the little girl climbed onto her knees and scooted closer.
Then she leaned forward until their foreheads touched.
Adelyn blinked in confusion.
"Sweetie ..." she asked softly. "What are you doing?"
Little Eira stayed that way for another second before finally pulling away.
"Eira was checking Mama’s temperature."
"My temperature?" Adelyn repeated.
The little girl nodded earnestly.
"Mama isn’t hot anymore. Little Eira and Mama have the same temperature now."
Adelyn frowned slightly. Instinctively, she raised her own hand and touched her forehead.
She wasn’t running a fever.
Her temperature really did feel completely normal.
Then ...
Her eyes wandered around the room.
Only then did she notice the bowl filled with water sitting beside the bed.
Several damp towels were soaking inside it.
Remembering the cool sensation on her forehead when she had first awakened, she slowly turned back toward Eira.
"I had a fever last night?"
Little Eira looked at her and nodded.
"Mama was in pain last night." Her little voice became quieter. "Mama was even crying in her sleep."
She slowly reached forward and cupped Adelyn’s face with both tiny hands, her touch tender and absolutely careful.
"Is mama still hurting now?"
The innocence ...
The concern ...
The sincerity in those tiny eyes ...
It melted Adelyn’s heart completely.
She couldn’t remember anything that had happened the previous night.
Not a single thing.
But seeing the lingering fear in Eira’s shimmering eyes, she could easily tell just how frightening her condition must have been for the girl.
The little one ...
She looked genuinely scared.
Adelyn looked at her for another long second before gently shaking her head.
"It doesn’t hurt anymore." She smiled warmly. "With you by my side, taking such good care of me —how could it possibly still hurt?"
Little Eira’s thin lips immediately trembled. Her watery eyes glistened with emotion she had been trying to control all this while.
Adelyn noticed it almost instantly.
Without another thought, she pulled the little girl into her embrace.
"Hey ... hey, sweetie ..." she whispered gently. "Don’t cry. I’m alright now."
She hugged her tightly.
"Did I really scare you that much last night?"
The little girl couldn’t hold back her tears any longer. Burying her face against Adelyn’s chest, she sobbed softly.
"Mama ... don’t get sick again."
Sniffle...
"Eira hates seeing Mama sick the most."
Sniff...
"It scared Eira ..."
The worry between Adelyn’s brows gradually softened.
Holding the little girl securely in her arms, she gently rubbed her back and soothed her with patient, comforting strokes.
"Mama will be more careful from now on, baby." She kissed the top of Eira’s head. "So don’t cry anymore, alright?"
She continued rubbing the girl’s back, quietly coaxing her until her sobs slowly eased.
Yet ...
Something still puzzled her.
She had apparently been running such a terrible fever last night.
Then ...
How was it possible that she couldn’t remember any of it?
Not even the slightest fragment.