Chapter 1174 Karen
This village was seriously out in the middle of nowhere.
Each house was pretty far from the next.
It was the perfect place to hide out.
Hannah couldn't help but be impressed by Austin and his crew. They'd found the perfect spot.
Hannah sat in the living room on the first floor of the self-built house, staring blankly at Austin. "Where are your buddies? I'm here now, just like you wanted. Shouldn't you keep your promise and let Oliver go?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a familiar laugh echoed from the back of the house.
Hearing that laugh, Hannah's skin crawled, and she immediately stood up, looking nervously behind her.
A moment later, a gaunt figure came into view.
After all this time, she finally saw the face of the person who had been threatening her over the phone.
It was a face she couldn't describe.
Wrinkled and covered in age spots, with cloudy eyes that made her look like she was in her seventies. Her hair was completely gray, and her clothes hung loosely on her, like a kid wearing adult clothes.
She stared intently at Hannah, like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, sending chills down Hannah's spine.
Hannah was terrified of this woman.
One look at her, and she was scared to her core.
She didn't even know why she was so scared.
She just had this overwhelming urge to stay far away from her.
Hannah instinctively took two steps back, keeping a wary eye on her. "Are you the woman who kidnapped Oliver?"
The woman didn't deny it. She nodded openly and sat down in the main seat. Although she wore a smile, it didn't make her seem any friendlier; instead, it made her appear even more sinister.
"Yep, that's me!"
Seeing her admit it, Hannah mustered up the courage to say, "I'm here now, and you've seen me. Can you let Oliver go now?"
The woman raised an eyebrow and said matter-of-factly, "No rush! You just got here. I need to make sure you behave and live with my son. Then I'll let Oliver go."
Hannah's eyes widened in disbelief, her gaze darting between the woman and Austin. "You two, you're mother and son? You, you're Karen?"
Upon closer inspection, they did seem to share some resemblance.
But the woman had been ravaged by time, her face full of wear and tear, making it impossible to see what she looked like in her youth.
But Austin was in the prime of his life.
From Austin's appearance, it wasn't hard to imagine that the woman must have been very beautiful when she was young.
Otherwise, how could she have such an outstanding son?
However, judging by Austin's age, she should be around the same age as her mother, Lassie.
Why did she look so much older than Lassie?
She looked old enough to be Austin's grandmother.
Austin seemed to find this title disgraceful, his handsome face turning red as he weakly protested, "You're not. I've never acknowledged you."
Even though their relationship had always been twisted, she was indeed his biological mother.
It was precisely because of this that he felt ashamed. He was ashamed of having her blood in his veins.
But it was this very woman who had saved him when he was at his wits' end.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't escape her grasp.
The woman habitually tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear and smiled. She didn't seem angry at his words; instead, she smiled and unabashedly sized Hannah up from head to toe.
As she looked, she shook her head. "Honestly, you're pretty average. Average figure, average face, average brains! I still don't get what it is about you that makes my son so obsessed, thinking about you all the time.
And what is it about you that made Charles fall for you again after seven years?"
As she spoke, her eyes grew distant, and she muttered to herself, "If, if I had your charm back then, would he have been devoted to me too?"
Hannah furrowed her brows, suspiciously eyeing the woman.
Who was this "he" she was talking about?
Could it be Austin's biological father?
Or a man she once loved but couldn't have?
The woman touched her face, looking a bit deranged as she stared at Hannah. She tried to smile, but tears fell from her eyes. "Do you know? I used to be very beautiful! Not only was I beautiful, but I had a great figure, and I was smart too! So many men liked me, but I didn't care for them. I only liked him.
But, but..."
As she spoke, the tears fell more and more.
She suddenly started crying to herself. "But he didn't like me? Why? Why didn't he like me? What was wrong with me? Why didn't he like me?"
Hannah was getting dizzy from her words.
She turned and gave Austin a meaningful look, as if to say, "Is your mom mentally unstable?"
Austin's handsome face turned even redder.
He was ashamed of having such a mother.
But he couldn't escape the life she had given him.
Austin walked over to the woman and whispered, "You're not feeling well. Let me help you to the back to rest."
He couldn't let his mother continue to embarrass herself here.
Karen was lost in her thoughts, not making a fuss, and obediently let Austin help her to the back.
Hannah wasn't about to let them leave. Seeing them about to go, she stepped in front of them. "You can't leave yet. She promised me that if I came here with you, she would release Oliver! I need to make sure Oliver is safe first."
Austin glanced at Karen.
Karen's eyes were still unfocused, as if she were lost in her memories.
"You can see her condition. She's not well right now. Please be patient. Once she recovers, I'll have her release Oliver." Austin said.
Hannah eyed them warily. "How do I know she's not faking it? It's too convenient that she had an episode just as I arrived. She seemed perfectly normal on the phone."
Austin sighed. "Hannah, I'm not lying to you! She's been like this for years, her condition fluctuating. Right now, she's relatively stable.
When it's severe, she loses control and becomes a danger to herself and others.
Let me take her to rest and give her some medication. She should be better later."
Hannah scrutinized the woman, realizing she did seem unwell.
The domineering presence she had initially was gone, replaced by a madwoman huddled in Austin's arms, muttering to herself.
Karen kept repeating the same thing. "Why doesn't he love me? Why doesn't he love me?"
"I love him so much, why doesn't he love me? Why?"
Seeing her like this, Hannah knew there was no point in arguing. She agreed to let Austin take her to rest and give her medication, hoping she would be more coherent later.
"Thank you." Austin sincerely thanked her and helped the woman to the back.
Watching them disappear from view, Hannah furrowed her brows, deep in thought.
Who was this woman?
Why did she leave Austin at the Moore Mansion's doorstep all those years ago?
When did she and Austin reconnect?
If they had reconnected long ago, why did Austin keep it a secret?
Something about their relationship felt off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
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