Chapter 50

Elysia raced across the room, “Blossom.”

Blossom rubbed her eyes and squinted at Elysia. Then she let out a squeal and lunged forward to cuddle her.

“Is that really you, Elysia? 1-1–I’m not seeing ghosts, am I?!”

“It’s me. I came looking for you after I saw the news online. Are you okay? Did you get hurt?”

But Blossom, as if she hadn’t heard a word, pinched herself then pinched Elysia.

“Does it hurt? It hurts me, oh goodness, I’m in pain, thank heavens I’m not dreaming! Elysia, you’re finally back! Where on earth have you been these years? Winona and I have been sick with worry. I didn’t get a single call or text from you and you nearly gave us a heart attack!” Blossom, a sensitive gal through and through from Jindale City, burst into tears as she spoke.

Elysia felt a pang of guilt, “Alright, alright, it’s all my fault. No more tears, okay? Let me make sure you’re not hurt.”

“I’m fine, let’s go home and talk.” Blossom was now a kindergarten teacher. She whipped out her phone to call the school and take the day off.

Phone tucked away, Blossom linked arms with Elysia and they headed home, “You have no idea how much Winona and I missed you these years. We never stopped looking for you, but you were just nowhere to be found. Where have you been all this time?”

“…After the incident, I went back to the Thorne family. They were ashamed of me and kicked me out. I had nowhere to go, and I didn’t want my reputation to affect the baby. So I left Jindale City for a rural life.”

She didn’t dare say she lived deep in the woods for she didn’t want to scare Blossom. Plus, she had promised her benefactor on the mountain not to speak of their affairs.

Blossom scolded her, “How could you be so foolish? You dashed away during your pregnancy and you didn’t even tell us! Your husband leaves you, your family disowns you, but Winona and I are here for you. We could have taken care of you.”

“I was afraid of dragging you into it.”

“Bullshit! You think too much. If you dare say that to Winona, she’ll throttle you. Why are you so distant from us? Aren’t we friends?!” Blossom scolded.

Elysia just smiled and followed Blossom home.

The moment they stepped inside, they were engulfed in warmth and coziness.

Elysia hung her coat on the rack by the door and glanced around the house, “Are your folks not home?”

Yeah, they’re on a business trip and left just yesterday. If they knew you were back, they’d have dropped everything. You know how much they adore you; they’re always talking about you?

Blossom poured Elysia some hot coffee to warm her up.

She squeezed next to Elysia on the couch, “Come on, spill the beans about what you’ve been up to these years!”

Elyain pondered for a moment, unsure where to start. It seemed like she’d been through a lot, yet nothing much had happened at all.

It was just pregnancy, childbirth, and raising children.

“I got a simple job down the mountain when I was pregnant, then gave birth and raised my kids,” she said.

Blossom was shocked, “You actually had the babies? Are you out of your mind? You didn’t even know who the father was, and you went through with it? Raising kids alone is so hard!”

Blossom may not have had kids herself, but she knew the struggles of a woman carrying and raising kids all too well.

Elysia shrugged, “They’re little lives. I couldn’t bear to give them up.”

“And where are the kids now?”

“I’ve got them with me.”

“Where? Why didn’t you bring them along?”

“They’re still at the hotel resting. I rushed over here as soon as I saw the news. What exactly happened?”