The Man Who Waited vs. The Man Who Wasted novel Chapter 228

Stepping back into the nursing home, Jocelyn was in an entirely different headspace.

While she held onto hope, she refused to let herself hope too much.

She was terrified that the greater the hope, the more crushing the disappointment would be.

The director wasn't the least bit surprised or panicked to see Jocelyn again.

She sat straight at her desk, watching them calmly.

As if she had seen this coming all along.

"The moment I met you yesterday, I knew you weren't someone easily fooled. I figured you'd be back."

Jocelyn's expression was freezing.

"Why?"

The director took a sip of tea to soothe her dry, hoarse throat before slowly sinking into her memories.

"My husband built this nursing home from the ground up. After he passed, I took over completely. By this year, it's been exactly forty years."

"Over the years, we started getting more and more elderly residents. That should have been a good thing, but some of their children just disappeared. They stopped paying the monthly fees and completely abandoned their parents."

"They basically dumped them here."

"I thought about kicking them out, but seeing how pitiful they looked, I just didn't have the heart. So I told myself I'd keep them around for now—it wasn't like I couldn't spare a few meals."

"But one or two is fine. When it hits a dozen, or several dozen, it becomes a massive burden. Not only do I have to feed all these mouths, but I also have to monitor their health."

"Some of them have serious medical conditions. They need doctors, medicine. All of that costs money."

"Heh."

The director ran her hands through her pure white hair.

"It's called a wellness center, but it's practically turned into a homeless shelter. I didn't know how much longer I could hold out, but I figured I'd survive as long as I could. As long as I had food on my table, I wouldn't let those abandoned elderly people starve to death under my roof."

Jocelyn: "So you used the $750,000 Diana gave you to keep the center running."

Director: "Yes."

The director paused.

"Your mother..."

"Yes! Sylvia Reed is my mother, my biological mother!"

The director stared at Jocelyn for a long time before letting out a dry, bitter laugh.

"If you're her biological daughter, then why haven't you visited her a single time in all these years? Do you have any idea who your mother wanted to see the most while she spent over two decades completely alone in this place?"

"It was you! Her own daughter!"

Jocelyn felt like a knife had been plunged into her chest. It hurt so much she couldn't breathe.

Julian immediately placed a firm hand on her shoulder, giving her strength, and stepped in to explain.

"She just found out her biological mother was here. Diana orchestrated this entire thing. She's been longing for her mother for twenty-eight years, and today, she finally found a trace of her."

"And then you told her that her mother had passed away. Do you have any idea how devastating that was for her?"