After the Last Tear: Rising from the Ashes of a Broken Marriage By Cassila K

Chapter 44

As I walked out of the cemetery, I saw someone I hadn't expected—my dad. Jackson must have gone to see him, which is how he found out about my mom's camera. He must have also known that I was back.

With a somewhat tentative tone, he asked, "Have you eaten?"

I didn't respond immediately and asked, "What do you want from me?"

He hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Could you come home for a while?"

I couldn't hold back a sarcastic laugh. "You've always told me to stay away. I've followed your wishes, so why now, all of a sudden, do you want me to return?" His voice trembled as he said, "... Your sister is ill. She has cancer."

I froze for a moment, taken aback.

"I've tried everything... we've sold everything we can. You're her sister. Could you help her?"

His face was full of sorrow and regret.

"I know you resent me, but it wasn't what I wanted. It wasn't my choice to push you away..."

His eyes were filled with pain. "You're my daughter. How could I ever bear to send you away? I had my reasons."

knowing that our past was a tangled mess of misunderstandings. "I know,"

I remembered how, on the day I received my college acceptance letter, I'd been so happy, eager to tell him that I was going to follow in my mother's footsteps and become a doctor.

too.

raised her to adulthood. Isn't

either her or me in this

and ran out, sitting on the street alone for the rest of the afternoon. That entire summer, I lived in a constant state of anxiety, waiting for an answer

report to college, I thought I had everything figured out. It felt

again, so you sacrificed me. No matter how much it hurt, you still sent me

mouth, but I interrupted,

a daughter, you're not a terrible father, but you're also

300,000 yuan to him. Over the years, he'd sent money into my account from time to time, and I

paid back the money you gave me. The rest...

"Please, don't

I felt a wave of lightness wash over me. All the burdens that had weighed heavily on my heart seemed to lift and disappear,

bought my mother the bird-of-paradise flowers. The owner recognized me, but the shop was almost empty. She was loading

are you moving these

I

a moment. "Well,

the valley, hyacinths, and olive branches, and wrapped them into a bouquet for me. "May we all embrace