Chapter 22
Felix supported Linda as they waited at the detention center. After a long time, they saw a hunched and haggard figure being led out by a prison warden. Felix almost couldn’t believe that he was looking at Gordon. His father’s hair was much grayer than before, and he’d lost plenty of weight. There were also some bruises on his face.
Linda burst into tears when she saw him. She reached for his hand but couldn’t touch him through the glass screen separating them.
Felix picked up the phone, choked up as he asked, “Dad, are you okay? Why have you lost so much weight? Have they been mistreating you?”
Gordon shook his head. He felt bitter heartache as he looked at Linda and Felix. It had only taken just over a month for their family to fall apart, and it had all started with their maltreatment of Isabel.
Tears streamed down his face as regret crashed over him. He said, “It’s all my fault. I hurt Izzy, and I dragged you two down with me.”
Felix and Linda wept with him as they, too, were overwhelmed with regret. Even if they’d failed to find the actual Winifred, things wouldn’t have ended up like this if they’d just been nicer to Isabel.
The prison warden stepped forward to remind them that their visitation time was almost up. Felix clutched the phone tightly and said urgently, “Take care of yourself, Dad. I’ll find a way to get you out!”
Gordon shook his head in resignation: “Don’t bother about me, Felix. I’m reaping what I sowed. Apologize to Izzy for me if you get the chance. We should all apologize to her. We owe her that much!”
He was taken away. Linda cried so hard that she almost keeled over. Felix didn’t dare linger when he saw her bloodless face. He hurriedly took her back to the hospital.
When she regained consciousness, she looked at Felix tearfully. “Felix, we have to apologize to Izzy! We did her wrong!”
He held her hand and nodded. “Let’s try calling her again. We may have done her wrong, but we did live under the same roof for 11 years. I bet she’ll soften when she hears that you’re sick! Everything will be fine as long as she’s willing to help!”
Linda’s eyes lit up with hope, but she was also doubtful. “Will it work out like that?”
He tightened his grasp. “It will, Mom. Let’s give it a shot.”
They could no longer reach Isabel on her old number, and Felix had to go through many people to finally get her new number from her former dormmate. He made the call, and it rang for a long time before the call was answered.
“Hello?” Isabel asked.
Linda’s nose prickled when she heard Isabel’s familiar voice. Tears streamed down her face as she said, “Izzy, it’s me, Mom. Are you doing well?” Isabel was taken aback for a moment. Then, her polite tone was replaced with an icy one. “My mom is the wife of Medina Corporation’s chairman. Please get your facts straight, Mrs. Court.”
Linda’s heart ached at her cold attitude. She clutched her chest and said shakily, “I know we did you wrong in the past, Izzy. We know we made a mistake. Things at home are a mess now, and your father is in trouble.
“I’m sick, too, and the doctor said I don’t have long to live. Can you come back to see me once more, seeing as I raised you for over a decade? Please.” There was a long silence. Félix and Linda exchanged an anxious look, afraid that Isabel would end the call any second.
After a long while, Isabel said, “I’ll transfer a sum to your account. Consider it as a repayment of the money you spent on me when I lived with you.
“Let me remind you of one more thing. Mr. Court was the one who publicly disowned me and said I would no longer have anything to do with your family.”
