The Year I Was the Other Woman To Myself novel Chapter 681

Their destination was a small town. According to the vlogger who shot the video, she was just passing through when she stopped at a convenience store and saw the man, so she took a quick video and posted it online.

Even though the man was dirty and dressed in rags, he was tall with strong, defined features. Netizens had dubbed him 'the most fashionable homeless man.' The video went viral, which was how Mrs. Stapleton saw it.

They didn't know where the man lived or where he usually spent his time, so Penelope parked the car outside the convenience store the vlogger had mentioned.

After they parked, Mrs. Stapleton hurried inside to ask the store owner.

"Are you here looking for Rex, too?"

"Rex?" Mrs. Stapleton was taken aback.

"That's the beggar."

"Isn't that a dog's name?"

The owner chuckled. "The beggar has no arms. When he eats, he kneels on the ground like a dog, so someone gave him that name."

"You're saying he… he has no arms?"

The owner nodded. "I think it was because of a car accident, but he's simple-minded and can't explain it clearly. Anyway, when he first showed up here six years ago, he was already missing his arms."

"Six years ago…" Mrs. Stapleton recalled that Norton had run away from home six years ago. The timing matched perfectly, and a sharp pain pierced her heart.

"Are you here to shoot a video too?" the owner asked.

Penelope shook her head, about to give a vague answer, but Mrs. Stapleton exclaimed emotionally, "That… that's my son!"

Hearing this, the owner looked at Mrs. Stapleton and Penelope's attire, and then at the car outside, his eyes wide with surprise.

"You look pretty well-off. How could you let your son become a beggar?"

"I've been searching for him for years," Mrs. Stapleton said, her eyes turning red. "I had no idea this had happened to him."

"The owner said he has no arms, that he has to eat on the ground like a dog…" At this, Mrs. Stapleton's voice finally broke with a sob. "He also said his mind isn't right, that he doesn't remember anything. No wonder he couldn't come home, no wonder I couldn't find him…"

"Maybe it's not Norton," was all Penelope could say.

"It is him. I have a feeling it's him."

"…"

"If it weren't for me, he would have never run away from home. I've failed him."

Mrs. Stapleton was beginning to regret her cold treatment of Norton. She cried, saying she was wrong, and that if she found him, she would love him properly and make up for all the years of neglect.

Penelope looked up at the sky. Norton, if you could hear this, would you feel hatred, sadness, or would you finally find peace?

Mrs. Stapleton stood guard at the window, barely touching her dinner.