Chapter 218 Understanding
Susan suddenly dropped to her knees in front of Catherine with a loud thud.
"What are you doing?" Catherine was shocked, staring at Susan.
Susan knew she had let Catherine down again, but she couldn't abandon her baby.
With tears in her eyes, Susan said, "Mom, I haven't been working at Lindell Harbor for the past six months. I lied because I was pregnant. I was scared you'd make me have an abortion, so I left Maple Valley without telling you. A month ago, I had Spring. I'm sorry, Mom. I know having a child out of wedlock shames you, but I can't give up my baby. You can hit me or scold me, whatever you want; it's all my fault!"
Catherine, holding Spring, was stunned. She slowly sat down, looking at the baby, then at Susan, who was crying on the floor. She was speechless.
Seeing Catherine in a daze, Susan crawled over, grabbed her arm, and cried, "Mom, please say something!"
Catherine finally snapped out of it. She looked at Spring with a hint of disdain and said painfully, "Susan, what else can I say?"
"Mom." Susan felt torn seeing the disappointment in Catherine's eyes.
Catherine, looking pale, said, "You've always been strong and ambitious, never showing weakness. You held this family together. You are more sensible and diligent than Dorothy. I pinned all my hopes on you, but you keep letting me down. Since your father left, we've been dirt poor, enduring cold stares from everyone. But I always hoped you'd succeed and make them see us differently. My life has been a failure, and now you have a child out of wedlock, just like Dorothy. You've both let me down so much!"
Catherine was in tears, and Susan, still kneeling, was sobbing uncontrollably.
Catherine was right. The past hardships were still fresh in Susan's mind. Just as things seemed to be improving, she had chosen this course of action, leaving Catherine understandably heartbroken. Susan realized that both she and Dorothy had brought shame upon Catherine.
Catherine handed Spring back to Susan and went to her room without a word.
Susan held Spring and knelt there for a long time.
She thought Catherine would relent after seeing her kneel for a while.
But she was wrong. Catherine's bedroom door stayed closed for a long time, and she didn't come out.
In the end, Susan had no choice but to take Spring to her own room and move their luggage in. No matter how unhappy Catherine was, she and Spring had nowhere else to go.
In the following days, Susan felt uneasy. Catherine was cold and indifferent, ignoring Spring, but she still made meals that included Susan's portion. Susan was grateful for this, knowing Catherine was still angry. She hoped time would heal things.
One day, Susan fed Spring from a bottle. Her postpartum health issues meant she couldn't produce sufficient breast milk, so Spring depended mostly on formula. Whenever Spring spit up, Susan grew anxious, fearing the worst, given her poor postpartum health.
Susan carefully fed Spring, but she still spit up. Spring kept vomiting and coughing non-stop.
"Mom, come quickly!" Susan called out in panic.
Catherine was cooking in the kitchen. Hearing Susan's anxious voice, she forgot her anger and ran to Susan's room with a spatula still in her hand.
"What happened?" Catherine asked, seeing Susan holding Spring with a pale face. She felt a surge of panic herself.
"Mom, Spring is spitting up badly!" Susan said urgently.
"Let me see." Catherine put down the spatula, took Spring, and started patting her back, but Spring kept coughing.
Seeing no improvement, Susan quickly took Spring back and said, "I have to take Spring to the hospital!"
"Yes, hurry. Bring the wallet, bottle, and diapers." Catherine grabbed a bag, stuffed some of Spring's things into it, and followed Susan out the door.
On the way, Susan was very scared, and Catherine was also anxious. There was no trace of her previous anger; she was now just a worried grandmother.
Soon, they arrived at the hospital. After examining Spring, the doctor provided treatment and said Spring had just spit up badly but was otherwise fine. The doctor gave them some feeding tips, which Catherine carefully remembered, while Susan, being a new mother, was a bit flustered.
After seeing the doctor, they left the hospital with Spring. Holding Spring, Susan saw that Catherine's expression was not as severe and said with a smile, "Mom, are you not angry anymore?"
Catherine deliberately put on a stern face and said, "You can do whatever you want from now on. I won't bother, and honestly, I can't bother."
Susan frowned. "Mom, I promise this is the last time I'll be willful. I'll listen to you from now on, okay?"
Despite her anger, Catherine couldn't bring herself to be completely cold towards Susan. Giving her a firm glance, she scooped up Spring and instructed, "Go get a cab!"
Seeing Catherine willing to hold Spring, Susan quickly smiled and said, "I'll go right away."
Once inside the cab, Catherine underwent a transformation. She actively assisted Susan in caring for Spring, showing even more affection towards the baby than Susan. Witnessing this, Susan felt a sense of joy and warmth, reassured that Catherine's love for her still remained strong.
Susan and Catherine got along harmoniously for half a month until one afternoon when Dorothy's arrival disrupted the newly established balance.
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
