Pay With Your Heart

Chapter 403: Remembers.

Hearing the soft whisper of her daughter’s angelic voice, A-Yeong stood electrified with her heart almost slowing to a still and her eyes unblinkingly staring at the girl as tears gleamed in them.

She remained transfixed, her mind ferociously struggling to fight off the tendril of doubt that loomed in it, querying if indeed she had truly heard her child call her mommy. But the reverberating echoes of her soft voice still lingering in her head was proof enough to confirm she hadn’t imagined it. Her child has really called out to her.

Her body stilled once again, before trembling ripples began to surge through her. Her shoulders shook and more tears pooled in her eyes as she held the girl’s innocent gaze.

A-Yeong let go of the bag and envelope in her hand and they carelessly fell to the floor, and with no care whatsoever, she hopped up the high steeped stage and dashed towards that small body she had longed to hold and cradle for the longest of time, like a lightning bolt. A-Yeong felt her once weakened heart revert back to life as she pulled the girl into her embrace and hungrily pressed her small frame against herself, her scent wafting into her nose.

“Oh my baby.” A-Yeong breathed out, as tears slipped off her overly filled eyes and trickled down her face. No matter how she tried to hold it in, she couldn’t anymore.

“My God.” She heaved out as her arms around tightened her even more, and more tears rolled down her cheeks till they damped the girl’s shirt.

A-Yeong could feel her heart lively hammering behind her chest, as she lived in the incredulity of the moment. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

.....

For the first time in forever she had her child in her arms. She had her in her embrace and she could feel the warmth of her skin against hers. She could feel her breath on her skin just bringing in so much warmth just like the days she had sucked on her. She couldn’t believe it.

“Sweet God.” She cried out as she kept hugging her. She couldn’t let go, so she kept hugging her as the girl remained still in her arms.

Several seconds elapsed before A-Yeong slowly pulled away from the hug, but her hands remained on the girl’s arms. She couldn’t completely let go, because she feared if she did, she’d wake up to the realization that this was a daydream. She kept her hands on the girl while she remained on her knees which was slightly tingling with the pain of being scrapped against the hard concrete floor of the stage, but she couldn’t care about it.

Because at this moment, nothing could hurt – nothing mattered than the girl in her arms.

Every hurt and pain she had endured, sacrifice she had made, tears she had shared, sleepless nights and night mares she had lived through, none mattered and wouldn’t matter as far as she had her baby girl in her arms.

“Baby, do you....do you remember me? Do you remember mummy?” She anxiously asked, as her eyes nervously observed the girl’s.

A-Yeong held her breath in the few seconds of tortuous silence that elapsed before the girl gave an affirmative nod.

“You do?” Her eyes widened and glowed with excitement and disbelief. A-Yeong felt her heart burst with overwhelming emotions when the girl nodded again, and once again, she pulled her into a tight hug with one of her hand brushing through her caramel blonde hair.

“Thank you, honey.” A-Yeong whispered out as more tears helplessly trailed down her cheeks while she kept holding the girl who slowly wrapped her small arms around A-Yeong’s neck.

A-Yeong leaned her face on the girl’s shoulder and cried. She still couldn’t believe this was truly happening.

Dan-Han and Mrs Lin watched the reunion scene from the below the stage, especially Mrs Lin who observed with a displeased look on her face. Her brows tightly furrowed as she tried to understand what was going on.

She turned to Dan-Han with no intention of hiding the displeasure on her face and Dan-Han took note of it.

“President Lee, what is going on?” She displeasingly inquired before darting her eyes towards A-Yeong who was still hugging the girl and crying in her arms.

She knew about the relationship existing between A-Yeong and the child because she had been the one to call A-Yeong when the baby first arrived her orphanage after her previous orphanage had been caught in a fire, but she also knew about the dissolution of her parental rights to the girl, and that was all A-Yeong’s fault.

She returned her gaze to Dan-Han, the frown not leaving her face. “President Lee, this is wrong.” She frankly told him. She didn’t know how A-Yeong knew president Lee or what their relationship was, or even his with the little girl, but she couldn’t let A-yeong do as she wanted with the girl she had given her up.

Several times she had made futile attempts to reach her in the last two years and even when she failed to respond to her summon in court, so what was she doing now?

Why was she hugging and acting this way towards the very child she had given away?

Dan-Han softly sighed when he saw how angry she looked, and he could tell she was only worried for the girl, after all in the eyes of the law her mother had abandoned her.

It was her duty to look after the kids in her care, so he couldn’t fault her, rather he’d only ask for her understanding.

“I’ll tell you what you need to know, but for now, know there’s been a big misunderstanding, so please let her.” He told her, but the woman skeptically looked A-Yeong once again before glancing at him again.

Her look on him was cold and unwilling, but she reluctantly nodded.

.....

Moments later, Mrs Lin watched as the mother and daughter pair interacted at the side, with A-Yeong clingingly bearing the girl on her lap.

She could tell A-Yeong was asking her series of questions and the girl was surprisingly answering them. Hee-Young was a pretty smart girl, but she was taciturn, reclusive and shy and it had gotten worse these past years.

“She barely speaks to anyone other than Mr Alain Smith when he visits, but even that is limited.” Mrs Lin said in a surprised note and Dan-Han also glanced at the duo.

“There’s always a bond between mother and child, especially a good mother and it’s hardly severed.” Dan-Han told her and Mrs Lin keenly looked at them and nodded.

She believed so too. “I’m amazed she still remembers her, and that someone had schemed the dissolution of her parental rights.” She looked at Dan-Han with utter disbelief. Dan-Han had told her about the interference and influence in A-Yeong’s situation.

She has been taking care of these kids for decades and this wasn’t the first time she was seeing this heartfelt reunion. She has seen many parents bring their children to the orphanage simply because they thought the children safer at the orphanage than with their families. Parents painfully give their children away for adoptions for heartbreaking reasons, but this was the first time she was hearing about someone influencing taking a child away from its mother, and most especially a child under her, right under her nose.

“Do you know who’s behind this? I have to know because this is my orphanage, and these kids are special to me. I can’t have someone who hasn’t felt the cold touch of life, ruin kids like this and their opportunity to getting the happiness they truly want and deserve.” She coldly told him.

“There’ll be no need for that. I’ll see to it and get things sorted out, but first, let’s talk about the adoption. I want it quick and discrete.” He told her making her shoot him a skeptical look. She could tell he knew more than he was letting on and was intentionally withholding the identity of the person who had tried to rip a child from its mother by taking advantage of their situation.

Dan-Han hadn’t given her much detail but she had been quick to catch on what he gave.

She sighed as she looked at the document he had given her. “Keeping it discreet might be achievable as there’s no other guardian listed out for her, but getting it done in the limited time you’re giving wouldn’t be an easy fit.” She honestly told him.

Dan-Han nodded in understanding. He wasn’t expecting it to be easy, but he wanted it done either way. “What do we need to do, tell me and I’ll get it done.” He told her.

....

Happy new month to you all. Wishing you a most fruitful and peaceful month.

I want to say thanks to everyone for their support last month despite the poor updates. Thanks a lot.

Also here’s a quick reminder to check out my new book (not so new anymore), The CEO’s Babymomma.

Thanks and love you lots.