My Mother is Gone

Jiang An's hearing was far sharper than the housekeeper's; he had already caught the sounds outside and, of course, had heard the word "An An."

This only fueled his anger further. Who gave her the audacity to call him that?!

Lin He, in her excitement to rush into the room and give her son a warm hug, was immediately stopped by a thunderous shout.

"Get out! Stay away from me, you woman!"

Seeing her now-grown son, Lin He was momentarily taken aback. Her eyes fell upon the necklace she had personally crafted for him, hanging around his neck, and her heart steadied.

No matter how old he got, he was still her precious child!

Taking a deep breath, Lin He tried to calm him, her voice gentle as she spoke, "An An, I know this is hard to believe, but…"

Jiang An, however, ignored her entirely. Without a word, he turned and rushed toward his father, who had just entered. At twenty years old, he was now as tall as his father.

"Why are you doing this?! You can't replace my mother with just any woman! Does she even deserve it?! Are you out of your mind?!"

With a bitter laugh, Jiang An sneered, "Yes, you've been out of your mind for a long time."

The father and son, who should have been the closest of kin, now stood like bitter enemies. The hatred in Jiang An's eyes made Lin He's heart quiver.

Jiang Qiao remained calm. He stepped toward Lin He, took her hand, and gently placed it on his arm.

Then, speaking evenly, he addressed Jiang An, "Let's discuss this in the study."

In the study, despite the explanations, Jiang An's anger did not subside.

"You've concocted such an absurd reason just to bring her in?"

Jiang An couldn't understand why his father would treat him like a fool.

Seeing his son's reaction, Lin He had a sudden thought. Did Jiang Qiao truly believe that she was his wife?

"She is your mother," Jiang Qiao said firmly, his fingers tightly gripping Lin He's hand.

"My mother is dead!" 

Jiang An had never accepted his mother's death, but seeing his father's expression, he shouted the words for the first time.

Staring at the young woman before him, who wasn't much older than himself, Jiang An shook his head. This was madness—true madness.

"An An, do you remember our little secret? We carved the necklace together as a birthday gift for Dad, and you even said we'd write our names on the back of it…"

Jiang An's expression flickered with uncertainty. This was indeed a promise he and his mother had made, but…

"The servants heard us, they could've found out easily."

Jiang An could hardly believe such a ridiculous story. He didn't want to linger on it, so he turned to Jiang Qiao, speaking slowly, his voice firm: "I don't care who you're with, but keep my mother out of it. This villa belongs to my mother. You and this woman can live somewhere else, but don't touch anything that belongs to her!"

The mention of his mother made Jiang An's expression briefly flicker with vulnerability, only for it to quickly turn to icy resolve. If pushed to the brink, he could do anything.

His youthful face radiated a sense of danger, his tone harsh, like a young wolf trapped and cornered.

In the face of such fury, Jiang Qiao remained unmoved, though Lin He's eyes were filled with sorrow.

Jiang An furrowed his brow. "You're quite the actor!"

"You've raised him like this over the years? For him to say such things, it shows you never gave him the security he needed. My An An is the sweetest, most obedient boy. He should have been raised in a world full of warmth, not like this!" 

Lin He's heart ached; her son must have suffered terribly all these years.

Jiang An, the little "pitiful" boy, stood frozen.

He was stunned, watching Lin He, tearfully, scolding her husband while twisting his ear without mercy, the force so strong it bent his ear out of shape!

No one dared treat his father like this!

What shocked him even more was Jiang Qiao's attitude—he allowed it without any signs of anger, not even trying to move away. Instead, he gently spoke, trying to soothe her, telling her not to be upset.

"Don't be upset? I'm about to die of anger. Don't even bother with dinner tonight. You'll tell me everything about the kids!" 

Lin He realized she should have asked earlier. She never should have felt sorry for this man!

With Jiang Qiao, Lin He was ruthless like a cold autumn wind sweeping away the leaves. But when she turned to Jiang An, she became the gentle, nurturing mother once again.

"An An, I know this is difficult to accept, but it's the truth. I am your mother. These years without me, you must have suffered so much, my baby. I'm so sorry."

In his heart, Jiang An told himself that the woman before him was just pretending, playing some crazy trick. After all, women would do anything to climb into the Jiang family.

But when their gazes met, and he heard the word "baby" again, his nose tingled, and an overwhelming sense of helplessness surged. He took a reluctant step back.

Lin He sniffed, her heart heavy, and pulled a few strands of her hair from her head, placing them on the table.

"Baby, it's good that you're cautious. These are my hairs. You can take them to a trustworthy agency to test the DNA. The report won't lie."

"Think carefully about what only we, mother and son, know. When you see the report, you can come to me for confirmation, alright? Mom will always be here…"

Lin He's tone softened, coaxing him like she would when he was a child. His movements and eyes still carried the innocence of his younger years.

Seeing his little finger twitch slightly, Lin He knew her son had heard her.

Jiang An struggled to accept the explanation, but it was simply too outlandish!

He took two steps back, then, as if making a firm decision, walked over, grabbed the hair, and without a word, walked out.

Once her son left, Lin He began to "interrogate" Jiang Qiao.

She didn't care about anyone or anything else; she needed to understand the growth of her three children.

After the plane crash, bodies of the deceased passengers were found near the black box's last location. To this day, dozens of people remain missing, their bodies never found.

Lin He was one of them.

Jiang Qiao had always clung to the hope that Lin He was still alive. He personally led a search team on boats, looking for her without stopping for a year.

At first, Jiang An stayed by Jiang Qiao's side, but the young boy couldn't adapt to life on the boat, so he was sent back to the villa, under the care of a nanny.

The twins were sent to a daycare center, where they were cared for by professionals.

Jiang Qiao's life had divided into two parts—work and searching for Lin He.

With limited energy, the children were neglected, and slowly, the father-son bond had grown more and more distant.

"Jiang An always attended boarding schools, and Chu Yi and Shi Wu stayed at school as well. I hired ten private housekeepers to take care of their daily needs…"

"禾禾, I know I was wrong. I didn't care for them properly. Please, don't be angry. From now on, we'll live happily as a family and never be separated again."

Jiang Qiao reached out, pulling at the sleeve of Lin He, his eyes full of caution.

"I need some time alone."

Lin He hadn't expected that after her disappearance, Jiang Qiao would manage things so poorly.

The children, having lost their mother, had, in many ways, also lost their father.

Lin He pushed Jiang Qiao out of the study and sat down on the floor, looking through the photos, report cards, and records from the past years, trying to piece together the bits and pieces of her children's lives.

She was determined to reclaim every moment of their lives.

Outside the study door, Jiang Qiao sat on the floor, keeping watch. He couldn't rest until he was certain.

That night, the lights of the Jiang family villa burned brightly.