The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 1001

At first, Katrina kept a straight face, her heart quietly resenting her mother, but after hearing those words, she finally grasped the depth of her mother's painstaking intentions.

So, insisting she get married wasn't just to fulfill a dying wish—it was to protect her.

"Mom, I'm sorry. I misunderstood you," Katrina apologized in a hoarse voice, leaning against her mother's hospital bed, utterly overwhelmed with guilt.

Willa looked at her daughter, her heart breaking. "You have nothing to be sorry for. It's my fault for marrying the wrong man. I brought you into this world, but I couldn't give you a whole family. I couldn't show you the beauty of life, and now, I'm going to leave you all alone."

"No, Mom, you've given me so much love... Being your daughter is the greatest happiness."

Once Katrina let go of her resentment, hearing her mother's words only made the suffocating wave of despair worse. Overcome with the pain of letting go, she broke down and wept uncontrollably.

Willa couldn't help but let her own tears fall.

She was still young and hadn't lived enough. She didn't want to die.

But she ultimately couldn't defeat the illness.

The thought that her only child hadn't fully spread her wings yet, that she couldn't completely protect herself, and that her mother was about to leave forever, unable to stay by her side to shelter her—it made the tears stream down uncontrollably.

She didn't understand why a scumbag like Waller Lester, who had done every terrible thing under the sun, got to live perfectly fine, while she, who had only ever tried to be good, was struck down by such a disaster.

Overcome with grief, the mother and daughter held each other and cried.

Ever since Willa fell ill, Katrina had been putting up a strong front. No matter how much she suffered inside, she always forced an optimistic, strong facade for her mother.

It wasn't until today, when Katrina finally understood her mother's profound love, that she was able to violently vent the trauma she had suppressed for so long.

Before the two of them could calm down, a knock came at the hospital room door, and Cassandra Sterling walked in with her son.

Katrina quickly pulled herself together and stood up to greet them. "Mrs. Sterling."

Cassandra looked at the mother and daughter, asking with concern, "What's wrong? Why are you crying? Did something happen?"

Before Katrina could say a word, Willa smiled and replied, "It's nothing. Katrina's just being a bit childish. The thought of getting married and leaving me has her choked up."

"Oh... I thought something terrible had happened. You scared me."

Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief and immediately stepped forward to comfort her future daughter-in-law. "Don't worry, Katrina. After you get married, we won't be leaving the country for a while. You can still stay by your mother's side every day."

"As for Julian..." Cassandra turned to her son, shooting him a look that told him to hurry over, before continuing her promise to Katrina. "Rest assured, he wouldn't dare bully you. I promised your mother I would treat you like my own daughter. If Julian dares to upset you, I'll make him pay!"

Although Cassandra had immigrated years ago, her words and actions still carried a traditional protective warmth.

Katrina looked at her, nodding politely. "Thank you, Mrs. Sterling."

Professor Penn glanced inside the restaurant and asked kindly, "Is that man... your fiancé?"

Katrina nodded. "Yes. He's the son of my mother's good friend."

"That's good. He looks quite put-together, and knowing each other's backgrounds makes him much more reliable than that jerk, Naylor."

Professor Penn wasn't just being polite; she truly meant it from the bottom of her heart.

She and her husband had long detested their son's playboy ways, but no amount of earnest pleading had ever worked.

Hearing Professor Penn speak with such frustration, Katrina couldn't help but defend her ex-boyfriend. "Naylor is a good guy. Everyone just has their own way of living, and he hasn't hurt anyone."

Professor Penn was surprised. "You two broke up, yet you're still speaking up for him? You still think he hasn't hurt you?"

"Professor Penn, I was the one who initiated the breakup. Naylor never did anything to betray me," Katrina stated matter-of-factly.

This honesty only made Professor Penn like her even more.

"Katrina, you are a wonderful girl. Naylor losing you is entirely his loss," Professor Penn said sincerely.

Katrina gave a gentle smile. Looking at the elegant and intellectual elder in front of her, she thought to herself, 'Not becoming your daughter-in-law is my loss too.'