Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“Sorry that we came this late, Nina.” Robert walked over with tears in his eyes. It looked like he had a thousand things to say, but in the end, all he could manage was, “I’m sorry.”
“No… I should be the one saying that.” Nina shook her head gently, her eyes wet. “It’s been so many years, and I’m just now standing in front of you.”
“Silly girl,” Yvonne whispered, her heart breaking at those words. “You won’t suffer anymore, Nina. Not ever again.”
Robert took a deep breath, trying to hold it together, but his voice still shook when he spoke. Tears rolled down his face. “Let’s go home.”
Robert and Yvonne had come in an old white van. It was pretty beat-up, with worn-out seats and even a piece of tape on one of the windows. But inside, it was spotless-clearly well cared for.
Sitting in the van, Nina felt a rush of emotions she couldn’t even name.
Over the years, Robert and Yvonne had driven this very van across the country looking for her-rain or shine, town after town. To make ends meet, they took on delivery jobs along the way, hauling cargo just to scrape by.
In sixteen years, they’d helped over fifty other children reunite with their families. But they hadn’t been able to find their own daughter.
And in the face of real suffering, Nina realized that words could never be enough.
In Sunvale, big bright houses with wide yards were everywhere. Only the Edwards family’s place looked small and run- down.
The outer walls were peeling and patchy. The wooden gate was so old and rotten that even a cat could squeeze through the side. Inside, the three narrow rooms stood crooked like an old man hunched with age-lonely and worn.
“Nina, our home… it’s not much,” Yvonne said softly after they got out of the van, her face warm but clearly a little embarrassed. “But your dad and I will love you with everything we’ve got.”
Nina gave a gentle smile, like a weight had finally lifted. “Just being with you is enough.”
Only she knew how much it had taken to get to this moment. The past four years had been the most dangerous of her life. But to her, nothing was more worth it than being with her parents again.
No matter how poor things were, she didn’t care. Besides, she believed she’d find a way to help them live better soon.
“My little angel,” Yvonne said as her tears came again.
Robert let out a deep sigh, full of both relief and something else-something heavier. He turned to look into the distance, and for a second, his eyes filled with sadness. It made Nina frown just a little. Something didn’t feel right.
Then came a sharp, mean voice. “Well, so you actually brought that useless girl back?”
A fat old woman in a loud floral dress came waddling out of the house. Her belly stuck out like an upside-down pot, and she was chomping on half a piece of fried chicken, her mouth greasy and disgusting.
“Nina didn’t do anything to you,” Robert said coldly, stepping in front of his daughter.
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Chapter 2
Yvonne didn’t even look at the woman. She just smiled gently at Nina and said, “Sweetheart, I’ll go make you something delicious.”
But the old woman didn’t feel awkward at all. She said, “You wanted to bring that useless girl back, fine. But you’d better not forget my money every month.”
She spit the chicken bone right on the ground, then turned to Robert. “Also-Adrian is getting engaged next mon
