Love Burned, She Rose Unscathed

Chapter 744

Kathleen followed the directions and eventually found herself standing outside what she assumed was Madge's current residence. As she stood in front of the wrought-iron gate, she tilted her head back to take in the sight of the villa.

From the outside, the neighborhood seemed nothing special, but once inside, it was unexpectedly nice.

To think that even after ending up in such a small town, her sister could still find herself living in a villa.

A smirk crept across Kathleen's lips.

Her younger sister had always had a knack for being lucky. Even as a kid, whenever they visited a church, the old priest would come out, clasp his hands together, and proclaim Aberdeen to have a blessed destiny. Meanwhile, Kathleen would stand beside her, feeling utterly invisible.

At any event where Aberdeen Rodriguez was present, Kathleen might as well have been a ghost.

As she walked through the garden to the front door, Kathleen pressed the doorbell with a slight smile.

The door was answered by Norris. He had been preparing breakfast, thinking of making pancakes after hearing that the elders liked them. Just as he finished mixing the batter, the doorbell rang.

He opened the door to find a woman he didn't recognize, dressed in expensive clothes with an air of arrogance.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

Kathleen sized up the man before her. Tall enough, decent-looking, but his clothes screamed small-town. Just a plain, middle-aged man with no sense of style or charisma.

"You must be... Norris?" Kathleen ventured.

that's me. Who

like this?

could feel her scrutinizing gaze, the kind that made him feel both judged and uncomfortable. Before

"Sister?"

...

cup of hot water that Madge had handed her. Madge smiled, “I remember you don't like coffee or

after over twenty years of wandering, Aberdeen would be a shadow of her former self. Perhaps she'd be alone, frail, and bent with age. Or maybe she'd settled for someone ordinary, had a few kids, and become plump and weary. Without the luxury of wealth, her once lovely face would be marred by age spots and wrinkles. Yet here was Aberdeen, looking just like the girl Kathleen remembered. Twenty years had passed without a trace of hardship on her face. Still so innocent, so naïve, even the

it mean she hadn't remembered any

lost her memory

Lost her memory...

and asked "Have you been well all these years? Mom and

smiled warmly, "I've been good. You haven't changed a

It was such a

day, and seeing the confusion

It was a wild guess, but they thought you might have been abroad all this time. We just recently got word of

but had glossed over the hardships.

the topic to Madge's childhood favorites — stamps and candy boxes, still kept safe

not a great sister, losing you and taking so long to find you," Kathleen said with a rueful

recall the incident but was moved by Kathleen's remorse. "It's okay, sis. We're together now, that's

with family was more than

as Madge was comforting Kathleen, who was dabbing

sight of Kathleen,