Once Bitten, Twice Shy

434 Samantha’s Past

It was the little boy...

His little body took little steps as he walked towards her without hesitation.

When the boy finally reached the edge of the bed, he stretched out his small hand and gently tugged on Samantha’s sleeve.

Samantha’s vigilance instinctively increased when she faced the doctors, nurses, and even the middle-aged woman everyone called Mrs. Gilligan. For some strange reason, however, she felt no such unease with the child in front of her and seemed to enjoy his affection.

She wondered if that boy was genuinely her son.

The little boy seemed very happy when he saw that Samantha did not avoid him. He opened his mouth and struggled for a few seconds before finally uttering his first word, “Mommy...”

Samantha’s breathing stopped for a moment when the boy uttered that two-syllable word.

Her mind remained blank, but that word seemed to be engraved within her DNA and she did not doubt at that moment that she was the boy’s mother.

Her round eyes widened and she could not react for a moment.

Samantha was not the only one in shock. Irene and Libby came in right after the little boy and the two of them immediately exchanged glances at each other.

Samantha and the boy were rescued together. When they were found, Samantha was hugging the child so tightly that it was difficult to pry them apart.

Since no one knew their identities at the time, the hospital performed DNA tests on them both to confirm that they were indeed mother-and-son.

The little boy woke up half a month before Samantha and was probably well-protected by Samantha when they were both in danger. He did not hurt his head as a result, but there were some unknown toxins in his body. He was too young to remember anything and was unable to speak too.

During that period, the doctor and Irene tried their best to coax him into speaking, but none of their efforts bore fruit. It was therefore a surprise that he spoke as soon as he saw Samantha.

After overcoming the initial shock, Irene and Libby’s eyes reddened uncontrollably.

The scene before them was perhaps the epitome of the phrase ‘blood is thicker than water’.

Despite having no memory of anything, the child’s instinct was to approach his mother as soon as he saw her.

Samantha looked at the child and finally reached out slowly to hold his little hand. She even opened her mouth and said in a hoarse voice, “My baby...”

The child looked as though he was clutching at straws and immediately called out while crying, “Mommy, Mommy...”

Samantha felt extremely distressed. She wanted to hug the child, but her body lacked the strength. A twinge of pain coursed through her as she tried to exert a bit of force and she immediately groaned in pain.

Irene hurried forward and said, “You shouldn’t be moving. Your body is still very weak.”

She squatted down, took the boy into her arms, and coaxed him, “There, there. Let your grandmother carry you up. Your mother doesn’t have any strength to carry you right now. Give her time to rest and she can carry you once she’s healed.”

The child became silent all of a sudden because he could not bear to see his mother lying motionlessly on the bed.

Samantha took a deep breath and calmed her mind before looking up at Irene.

She was able to confirm that the child was her own, but could she also confirm that the middle-aged woman in front of her was truly her mother?

The word ‘mother’ gave her an inexplicable discomfort, as if...she had just discovered something unpleasant.

Samantha thought for a while and asked, “Madam... Can I have a chat with you?”

She knew nothing and felt completely insecure, so the most important thing for her to do at the moment was to figure out what kind of situation she was in.

Irene’s expression darkened slightly when she heard the word ‘Madam’ but she quickly regained her spirits.

She nodded, “Of course, you can.”

She handed the child to Libby and said, “Could you please take the boy downstairs, Libby.”

Libby nodded and carried the child. She then turned around, walked out, and gently closed the door behind her.

Irene sat on a chair beside the bed and looked at Samantha with a loving gaze. Her voice was extremely gentle, “What is it you want to talk about?”

Samantha asked bluntly, “Who am I? And am I really...your daughter?”

If the lady in front of her was her mother and that was her home, why did everything feel so unfamiliar to her? Why was her instinct toward the environment unlike the child, whom she knew was hers after just one glance?

Irene’s tears fell again, “Your name is Athena Gilligan. You are my daughter...the Gilligans’ long-lost daughter.”

“It’s only because you were in danger that we...managed to find you...”

Samantha frowned. “Me? In danger? What kind of danger? And how did you find me?”

Irene replied, “I’m still trying to find out what happened to you before this, but at the moment, there hasn’t been any news yet. As for how I found you...”

She wiped away tears and continued, “You were taken away by our nanny when you were one year old because she wanted money. The police chased after her, so she left you somewhere random. When the nanny was apprehended and interrogated, she finally told us where you were located, but you were already missing by the time we rushed there.”

“The police searched for a long time but couldn’t find you. I didn’t give up, so I put it on record at all the major hospitals that anyone who could provide clues to your whereabouts would be given a huge reward.”

“The years went by and I felt that there was no longer any hope left. It was by God’s grace that your fingerprints and DNA were extracted and analyzed after you were injured because it was necessary to determine your identity. They all turned out...to be a match. The police notified me immediately and I went to the hospital to conduct a maternity test. The results confirmed that I’m your mother...and you’re my daughter, Athena.”

Irene could not help herself from holding Samantha’s hand. “I’m sorry for everything, Athena. I’m sorry it took so long to find you. You must’ve suffered a lot.”

‘If I had found you earlier, you and your son wouldn’t’ve been in danger and...’

She glanced subconsciously at Samantha’s face and became even sadder.

Samantha could see that Irene’s sadness was genuine, and the sight of Irene’s tears made Samantha feel somewhat heartbroken.

There was a bit of a bad taste in Samantha’s mouth when she thought of the word ‘mother’, but she was not too averse to it when she looked at the middle-aged lady in front of her.

Was that the power of blood?

It was probably similar to how she felt about the little boy.

She held Irene’s hand in return and tried her best to smile. “Don’t cry. I’m...alright now, aren’t I?”

“Yes. Yes, you are. I won’t let you suffer again now that you’re back by my side.”

Irene looked eagerly at Samantha and asked, “Could you...maybe...call me ‘Mom’?”

Samantha gulped gently and called out softly. “Mom.”

“Thank you, Athena....”

...

Irene could not hold herself back and leaned over to give Samantha a tight hug.

Her embrace was so warm that Samantha unconsciously closed her eyes and hugged Irene in return.

...

Samantha had been resting in bed for more than half a month and had recovered much more.

Alan had arrived to remove the gauze that was wrapped around her face. He unrolled the gauze bit by bit until it was finally removed completely.

Irene and Libby stood aside, and as soon as they saw Samantha’s face, their expressions changed noticeably despite their best attempts to hide it.