Amelia and the others stood frozen in place, feeling as if countless needles were pricking them. The weight of their public condemnation threatened to make them faint.
As Linda turned her gaze toward Melissa and Lina, noticing their intimately intertwined hands, she felt an unexpected twinge of pain. However, she quickly put on a gentle smile.
"Let your mother come in," she said softly.
Lina widened her eyes, slightly taken aback, and smiled at Melissa. "Shall we go in together?"
"No, no, it's alright..." Melissa felt embarrassed by the trouble she had caused. "Lina, I just wanted to come and see you today. I didn't expect to cause any trouble. You should go back to work, don't worry about me. I—"
"Since you're already here, let's go up together." Linda's voice was gentle, but each word struck Melissa's heart.
Melissa looked up at her. When their eyes met, it felt as if a thousand words converged in that instant. Linda's anger, resentment, and helplessness mixed with Melissa's shame, regret, and reluctance... all intertwined as their eyes locked.
Like two stars colliding, there was a loud explosion, and then it all dissipated into thin air.
Linda took a deep breath, and seeing Melissa's meek demeanor, her heart clenched. She walked over and held Melissa's hand.
Melissa stiffened, looking at her in disbelief.
"Our daughter works very hard," Linda said softly. "I think she'd really like you to see where she works."
Melissa stared at Linda for a long moment, her eyes welling up with tears. Finally, she nodded.
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