NOVPUBChapter 1242: 560 Dense Fog (First Update)_1 Chapter 1242: 560 Dense Fog (First Update)_1 It’s not uncommon for rural girls to drop out of school to work, especially when they have a brother at home.
Parents are more likely to push her out to earn money and support the family early on.
That was the case with Verine Hayes’s best friend since childhood.
When Verine saw her again, she was heavily made up, wearing a revealing sundress, and her nails were vividly colored in line with her eyeshadow palette.
She spoke with a disdainful air of arrogance, but it was undercut by her lack of confidence.
She painted a glorious world for Verine, full of bustling traffic and grand mansions.
There, people dressed fancily and lived beyond ordinarily, it was like a dream.
...
Verine listened, wholly enraptured.
Later, the boy she fancied also moved to Pethkids, and she no longer hesitated.
She rushed out with her duffle bag and ran into her head teacher who had come looking for her.
With a face full of grief, the headteacher reproached, “Verine, why are you so foolish?
You’re so smart that you could easily get into a good university.
You would be the first university student from our eight surrounding villages.
Your future is bright.
But if you drop out now, you’ll be destined to work low-wage jobs forever.
You will regret it one day.”
The young girl was blinded by the allure of the big city and had grown weary of the daily grind of academics.
She stubbornly replied, “I won’t regret it.”
Then she left without looking back, believing herself a warrior able to break free from destiny’s shackles, to choose the life she desired, oblivious to the sorrowful gaze of her headteacher she left behind.
When she was struggling in the quagmire of the big city, countless times at night, she remembered her headteacher’s warnings of regret.
She held back her tears stubbornly, repeatedly telling herself – I won’t regret it.
Even if she had the lowliest job, even if she lived without dignity, even when a sleazy man wanted to use her to climb the social ladder, she persisted, as if proving her choice was right.
Unknowing, her stubborn perseverance amid dire straits made her utterly pitiful.
That chaotic night is mostly a blur.
She drank the wine he poured, and in her hazy consciousness, she saw the glint of ambition in his eyes.
“Verine, can you help me out one more time?
Once I’m promoted to supervisor, we can live better.
I’ll treat you right!”
At that moment, she felt utterly pathetic.
She thought of the warning from her headteacher and broke down crying.
The venom of regret gnawed away at her incessantly, day and night.
Later, when she discovered she was pregnant, the scoundrel changed his colors entirely.
“What, you tramp around and get knocked up by some stranger, and then you have the audacity to come find me?
You’ve ruined my career, do you understand?”
She ran off crying.
The big city she had stubbornly insisted on moving to had nothing to do with her, no matter how prosperous it was.
The city was like a lurking monster, and she was no more significant than a speck of dust under its feet.
She shamefully returned to her hometown and gave birth to her child under her mother’s constant bickering.
She couldn’t face the child, just like admitting her mistakes.
So, on a windy, pitch-black night, she left her baby at the door of Silent Moon Temple, abandoning her past decisively.
But she didn’t know, her child had been switched at that time.
For years, she went through each day tortured by guilt and regret.
She dared not return to her hometown, hiding in the corners of the city like a rat that was afraid of the light.
Aubree Groove listened attentively until Verine finished her intermittent narration, burying her face in her hands and sobbing, “I’ve wronged Bella, no matter what she did, I have no right to blame her.
Everything wrong she did is coming back on me, I just hope she’s safe and happy.”
Seeing the struggle and regret of a mother, Aubree gently asked, “Do you remember that man?”
Verine shook her head, “It’s been too long, I drank that night, I remember nothing!”
Aubree thought for a moment and said, “Tell me the name of the hotel and the date, and any other useful information you have.”
Verine tried to piece together the scattered fragments at the edge of her memory, but it all remains a fog.
“All I remember is it was the Dufield Hotel, eighteen years ago, on March 9th.
I think it was a welcome reception for some new director or something.
I was a receptionist at the hotel then.
Many important people came that night.
Later, he asked me to take some time off, said he needed my help.
I never imagined he would get me drunk and send me to another man’s bed for his advancement.”
Even after all these years, every time Verine thinks back to that time, she still seethes with rage.
Aubree Groove nodded, “I understand.”
As Verine Hayes opened the door, Jordan Robinson was sitting on the balcony painting.
Upon hearing the sound, he turned his head and saw Aubree Groove.
Surprised and delighted, he ran towards her.
“Sister Aubree, I’m not dreaming, am I?”
Aubree Groove smiled and gently patted his head, “You’re not dreaming.”
“Great, you’re here.” Jordan pulled Aubree onto the balcony to show her his painting.
Verine Hayes shook her head with a smile and walked into the kitchen.
As she was chopping vegetables, a fragment of memory suddenly flashed through her mind.
She hastily grasped onto it.
She was so flustered that she didn’t even notice when she cut her finger with the kitchen knife.
Verine jabbered as she burst out of the kitchen, “A woman, there’s a woman.”
On the balcony, Aubree lifted her gaze, the sunlight fell on her, making her seem almost transparent.
Verine inhaled sharply, standing rooted to the spot in shock.
Aubree slowly rose from her seat and walked over, asking, “What woman?”
Verine covered her mouth, her eyes filled with disbelief.
“A woman who looks strikingly similar to you.”
What an incredible coincidence.
Aubree Groove squinted, “Like me?
How similar?”
Verine Hayes frowned, fully immersed in her memories.
She glanced at Aubree Groove, hesitated for a moment, and then held her hand up as if to shield Aubree’s eyes.
“Except for the eyes, she is very similar, especially the mouth and the shape of the face.”
Verine shook her head and muttered, “Maybe I remembered it wrong.”
Aubree Groove seemed very patient, “That night, you saw her at Dufield Hotel.
What were the circumstances?
What happened afterwards?”
Aubree’s gentle and understanding voice gradually soothed Verine’s anxieties.
She sat down and began to speak, “I asked the manager for a leave.
He was very upset, he scolded me and told me to leave quickly.
He mentioned that there were many VIPs arriving that evening, and if I accidentally offended any of them, the hotel couldn’t protect me.
I heard another staff member tell the manager that Ms.
Parker had arrived, so he rushed off.”
“Ms.
Parker?”
Verine explained, “There were many important people that night, and each one had a female companion.
She must have been one of their companions.
I had a drink and was feeling a little uncomfortable, so I went to the restroom.
I used to hold my liquor quite well, so just one cup wouldn’t have made me drunk.
I splashed some cold water on my face, hoping it would sober me up, but it didn’t work, and I almost fainted.
Someone then supported me.”
Verine was searching through her chaotic memories.
From within the boundless fog, she saw a face, a breathtakingly beautiful face like a breeze gracing a hill, moonlight casting frost on the ground, nature’s flawless sculpture.
Her limited vocabulary couldn’t describe the beauty that she had witnessed.
That moment left such a profound impact on her that she was completely stunned.
Even after many years, when she gradually forgot most of it, that shockingly beautiful image from her past still haunted her.
“Are you okay?
Do you need my help?” The woman’s gentle voice echoed from afar as if it was coming from some far-off place.
She was then forcefully taken away by her impatient boyfriend.
Leaving the beautiful woman behind, she heard a soft sigh, like the sound of a broken pearl, expressing incredible regret.
The world in her eyes suddenly collapsed.
She saw the beautiful woman distorted by the ruthless passage of time, leaving behind a long sigh swirling in her ears.
And then, that face merged with the one in front of her.
Except, the woman from the memory always had a hint of sadness in her eyes, which made people yearn to comfort her.
Her beauty was fragile, like delicate colored clouds or brittle colored glaze…
However, the eyes in front of her were clear, resolute, and gentle.
They possessed a firmness that could withstand fierce storms and roaring waves without being shattered.
They were also compassionate, revealing their sympathy for all forms of suffering.
