Thirty Two

"I'm sorry. I didn't know your condition was this bad." Mrs Ahn placed her hand on Jiang's. Her voice was hoarse as if she had been crying for hours.

In reply, Jiang remained silent. He wasn't sure how to react. He hadn't even realized his mild pain would escalate to this extent.

"But, why didn't you say anything to me? Is it something you should hide? No! I know I was at fault, but…" Her voice trembled as she replayed the moment in her mind.

"Now, WHY would this be your fault?" Jiang's tone was harsh, but his mother could tell he was trying to console her.

"I…I had no idea that your body would react like that…to that water." She spoke so softly it was almost a mumble.

"What? What's wrong with the water?" Jiang's eyes widened in shock, completely clueless about what she meant.

"Erm... n-nothing." A tear slipped down her cheek, and she averted her gaze, guilt written all over her face.