Rebirth In Divorce My New Mr. Perfect (by Summer Knowles) novel Chapter 459

Sarah studied Mrs. Mendes intently. She found it strange that a truly loving mother wouldn't use the word "probably" when discussing such matters. Throughout their interaction, she hadn't detected any guilt, remorse, or sadness in Mrs. Mendes's eyes - only numbness and, strangely, relief.

What was she relieved about?

Suddenly, a possibility struck her. She narrowed her eyes. "Before Tina's suicide, had you already discovered she had AIDS?"

Mrs. Mendes trembled, her face filled with fear. She quickly denied it. "No! I didn't know until I was in the dean’s office."

Her face went pale as she continued denying it.

But Sarah clearly remembered Mrs. Mendes's abnormal reaction in the office that day. A mother learning of her daughter's AIDS diagnosis would typically react with either anger or heartbreak, but she had shown no reaction at all.

"Let's be honest. At this point, there's no use hiding it anymore."

Why couldn't she understand this simple truth?

If Mrs. Mendes had cooperated, Sarah might have felt enough sympathy to offer some small compensation. But her current behavior was completely off-putting.

Mrs. Mendes's face turned pale, her lips quivering before she finally spoke. "Yes, you're right. I knew the day before she died."

The day before the incident.

It was a beautiful day when Mrs. Mendes, while cleaning, found a diagnostic report. She examined it suspiciously for a long time but couldn't make sense of it.

But the medications piled on the table - one quick search told her what they were for.

That evening, when Tina returned home from school, she had no idea a storm was waiting for her.

She suddenly remembered what Miss Sanders had told her that day, "Your mom will only care more about you. This isn't your fault..."

She heard screaming from deep within her heart.

She looked at her mother with hope, expecting concern and comfort, waiting to hear "It's okay, Tina, mom will protect you."

But none of what she'd imagined happened. Instead, she heard her mother quickly back away, as if avoiding a dangerous beast. "Don't come near me! Get away!"

Her outstretched hand stopped suddenly as if hitting a glass wall. She saw her mother looking at her like she was something filthy.

"Mom, I..."

"Don't call me mom! I worked so hard to put you through university, and this is how you repay me? Getting around and catching this dirty disease - when did you get it? Don't you dare infect your brother!"