Dorothea opened the door and saw the boys with their bright faces, carrying a bag full of toys each, "Oh my, where did you boys get the toys?" She asked. Though she already guessed where they got those.
Aaron was the first one to reply, "It's Uncle! Uncle brought us to a toy shop, and we're free to take five toys! He is the best!"
"Yes! I like my toys!"
"Toys! Toys!"
"I want to play with my robot!"
Dorothea laughed heartily, "Alright, come inside and wash yourself, boys, then you can play with your toys, okay?"
"Okay, Grandma!" The boys replied in unison. They entered their room through the connecting door and began to wash themselves with a hot shower.
Dorothea and Chloe were still at the door, staring at each other with a smile on their faces, "Thank you for persuading Vernon to bring them as well, Chloe. I know it's supposed to be Mackie's only, right?"
"Initially, yes," Chloe replied. "But it's not me who persuaded Vernon to bring the boys with us. It's on Vernon's own initiative. He's not good with kids, but he's trying to be better at it."
"As he should! He'll be a father of your child after Mackie, of course he has to be good at it!" Dorothea crossed her arms. "I will scold him if he turns out just like Vincent or Vaughn!"
Chloe chuckled, "I think he'll be the most amazing father. He just needs time to learn how to be one."
"That's good, at least I have one son that's actually a decent human," Dorothea said. "Though, he grows up normal because of you, not because of me, hahah!"
Dorothea tried to mask her sadness with a laugh, but Chloe knew that she must've been heartbroken, "Oh Dorothea, you did great as well."
"It's fine, Chloe, no need to sugarcoat it," Dorothea replied. "I know my fault, that's why I'm actually glad that at least one of my sons doesn't turn out evil. That's why I'm thankful for you, Chloe."
Dorothea hugged Chloe and then released it before Chloe could say anything, "Anyway, I will take care of the boys in the shower, making sure they don't make a mess. You should return to your penthouse."
Chloe's smile faded, but she nodded and tried to play it off, "See you tomorrow, Dorothea."
"See you tomorrow, Chloe."
Dorothea closed the door and stood in silence for a while.
She felt terrible about herself because she actually felt jealous of Chloe just now.
'I know it's all my fault, and I'm paying for my mistake in the past,' Dorothea thought. 'But I can't lie. I'm so jealous of Chloe. Everything about her seems so perfect, and everyone around her loves her so much.'
'Why can't I be loved? Do I actually matter to anyone in this world?'
That horrible question popped into Dorothea's mind, and she quickly shook her head to snap it out.
'No, I can't be jealous of Chloe,' Dorothea told herself. 'We're different. I made a lot of mistakes in the past. I beat my own son to unleash my frustration, that's why he doesn't want to meet me.'
'I could be a better person back then. Just look at Chloe who, doesn't get angry at Mackie and beat her just because she was frustrated with Vincent,' Dorothea began to lament stuff that happened in the past. She tried hard to get better each day, but today was depressing because she spent Christmas Day alone.
Dorothea went to check on the kids, and after making sure they were doing well, she prepared their clothes and returned to the bedroom.
She sighed and sat at the corner of her bed. The loneliness was eating her from the inside. She was unsure what to do to stop feeling lonely right now.
Dorothea wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes, then told herself, "I don't know what to do. Why am I like this? Why can't I be happy to see Vernon, Chloe, Mackie, and the boys being happy?"
Deep down, Dorothea knew what could make her happy. She would be more than happy if she was included in their small family. She'd be glad even if everybody ignored her.
She was old, and she wanted nothing but to be happy with a family.
"I get it, it's my fault, and nothing will change the fact that I fucked up really bad, especially how horrible I was to Vernon," Dorothea said while wiping her tears. "But how am I supposed to get forgiveness if he doesn't even want to see my face?"
Despite all the sadness in her, Dorothea refused to return to that life full of drugs and alcohol just to numb herself. She had gotten all the things she wanted thanks to Chloe's effort.
She wasn't this sad usually.
It was just because it was Christmas, and she spent it alone. So she felt like the loneliest person on earth.
Dorothea sobbed alone in her room when she suddenly heard a message notification from her phone.
She thought it was from Chloe, but then she saw a number that hadn't been registered in her contact.
Thus, Dorothea read it because she got curious.
—
Merry Christmas, Dorothea.
- Vernon.
—
Dorothea's eyes widened. She thought she read it wrong. She quickly grabbed her reading glasses to ensure she didn't make a mistake, even though it was just three words with a name at the bottom.
But she wasn't mistaken.
It was Vernon who texted him!
Dorothea's hands trembled. She almost lost her grip because she didn't know how to react upon knowing that her son, the son she abused, was kind enough to text her.
Dorothea's eyes began to pool with tears again until she couldn't hold her cries anymore.
She was crying, but it was a cry of joy.
"I'm not completely hopeless. At least, there is still a chance for me to get Vernon's forgiveness and have my own happiness before I die."
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