Dangerous Love: You Are My One and Only Bride novel Chapter 1901

Arianne had not heard that name for so long, she had to reel back in bemusement for a few seconds before finally remembering her face.

Shelly-Ann Leigh… She must have spent all those years in the mental institution, right? God knows if the woman’s hair was now grey and white all over.

When someone was near death, one could stand to forgive all of the history between them—even the dark ones, even if the ledger was brimming—for good. So, Arianne replied, “I’ll go with you. No matter what happened, she’s still your mother.”

Mark did not expect that answer from her at all. In his surprise, he bent down and left a kiss on her lips. “I knew I picked the right woman as my wife. I thought you wouldn’t agree to let me accompany her for the last of her days…”

Arianne replied nothing. She was not so obtuse that she would try to win over a woman whose days were numbered. No matter how much of an a**hole Shelly was, Arianne was still the one who came out on top. That victory was all she needed.

On their way to the institution, a puzzled Arianne asked, “I didn’t think her disorder was gonna need that much time to fix, you know. How is she still in there?”

Mark furrowed his eyebrows. “She recovered a long time ago, honestly. Yet she was the one who decided not to leave; her excuse was that it turned out to be a pretty okay place to be. Naturally, I had no time to dance with her on this subject since I was already in Switzerland with you, so I just let her do whatever she pleased. Then, a few days ago, she suddenly called me. Only then was I told that she had been ill.”

The pair reached the mental institution, and Arianne gazed upon the woman on the bed. The sight took her by surprise: Shelly was old, really old—even older than Arianne had imagined. Her hair was now a mop of snowy-white, as though nineteen years alone were enough to bleach it. Her face was marred by criss-crossing creases. Gone were the doll-like features she was once famed for; Arianne could hardly recognize the woman.

Shelly was so ill that she needed a respirator just to breathe. Hearing them, however, she opened her eyes slowly and found Mark.

A kindly expression shadowed her wrinkled face. “Mark, my boy! You’re here…”

Mark took a few steps forward and stood still. “Mm. Ari is here too.”

It was then that Shelly noticed Arianne and her wheelchair. “Oh-ho? Turns out you haven’t exactly lived comfortably yourself, have you?” she remarked. “But in the end, I lost, didn’t I? I lost because I got old. You won, girl. You’re never going to be haunted by this nasty old hag from now on.”

Arianne was not inclined to don any pretension or spout insincere platitudes, so she eschewed those and flashed the old woman a slight smile instead. “I never wanted it to be some win-lose contest, you know. You were the one who loved creating drama. Well, at least you can stop for good now.”

Shelly looked out of the window and into the sunlight. A thin layer of yearning crossed into her murky eyes.

“Wouldn’t it be nice… If I can just hear you both address me as ‘Mom’... just this one time?”

Arianne and Mark linked glances. In a flash, they simultaneously came to an agreement.

“Sure… Mom.”

There was no response. A little confused, Mark leaned closer to the old woman.

He discovered that she had stopped breathing altogether. Who could tell if she managed to hear them before she shrugged off her mortal coil?

No matter how dark the night has been, dawn will always break.