Such a Rude and Noisy Woman novel Chapter 362

"Rachel, are you okay?" Carl asked, his brows furrowed in worry. He just got there and saw her standing absentmindedly.

Rachel shook her head, but she wasn't looking at him. Her eyes were fixed at the direction where the strange man went. Dusting herself off, she said,"I'm fine, Carl. Let's go. Take me to the police station. I want to see my mom."

On her way to the precinct, her mind was full of thoughts of her mom. She asked Carl to pull over at a store and went inside. She filled a cart with all of her mom's favorite food, as well as some toiletries. She paid at the counter and gripped the bag on her way out. It was less than ten days before the hearing, but she had nothing that could possibly help.

Things just kept getting worse. Her mother would be staying in prison for at least ten years if she was convicted guilty. She felt her chest constrict at the thought. She spent the rest of the ride in grim silence. When it was her turn, she entered the visiting room and looked around her. She wondered if the other people around felt as helpless.

Seeing the familiar figure of her mom walk into the room, she stood reflexively, but her voice was caught in her throat when she saw her more clearly. Rachel grasped her mother's arms. She swallowed and managed to choke out her words. "Mom, how are you doing the past days?" she asked. She looked paler, and thinner. There were dark circles under her eyes. It seemed that she was getting slowly defeated. Rachel felt as if stones were filling her chest. Nothing could assuage the guilt that came over her when she touched her mother's bony fingers.

Fannie smiled at her, just like every single time she saw her daughter. Her eyes lighted up for a moment, and she replied,"I'm fine, honey. We don't have much to do here, but things are going well. Don't worry about me." She squeezed Rachel's hands, and gave her another small smile.

"More importantly," Fannie added more enthusiastically,"did you bring any new photos of Jonny and Joyce now? I'm missing them so much!" It had been quite a long time after she last saw them. She could only see their smiles and hear the tinkle of their laughter in her dreams now.

Rachel took out her phone and immediately handed it to her mother's waiting hands.

Fannie scrolled through Rachel's gallery. "Look at them, Joyce's face is getting more round and Jonny's getting taller! They grow so fast," she exclaimed. Fannie held the phone closer to her face. She smiled at the screen and traced her grandchildren's faces with her fingers, reliving for a moment the glow of their eyes and the warmth of their skin.

Tears were threatening to fall from Rachel's eyelids as she looked at her mother stare lovingly at the faces of her children. She took in her bent form, noticing the frailness of her frame, the creases on her face, and the silver strands of her hair. Had it really only been a few days?

She had been living her life lie after lie, ever since her mom was imprisoned, even when Hiram was around. Especially when he was around. She didn't want to complicate things any more than they already were, but it was getting more and more suffocating each day.

She made sure that she maintained a good relationship with her father-in-law, especially in front of her children. The sight of them fighting could leave shadows in their small hearts.

She closed her eyes against the difficulties of her emotions. 'I have to bear with it, ' she told herself. Seeing her mother immensely pained her- she would be glad to take her place, but at the same time, knowing that she was also suffering strengthened her resolve to keep her family together.

Her thoughts were cut short when she saw her mother's wrist. "Mom, what's wrong with your wrist?" she asked.

Purple bruises coiled around her wrist, in stark contrast to her pale skin. Rachel saw it while her mother was fixated on her phone, looking at the kids' photos.

Fannie jerked at this and tore her gaze away from Rachel's phone to pull her sleeves down. She moved carefully, returning the phone to Rachel's hands. "Oh this? Nothing at all!" she tried to laugh, but Rachel was quick to notice the hollowness in it. "I just knocked my wrist on the table the other night when I got up. It doesn't even hurt now," she said.

Rachel knew it was not as simple. She reached for her mother's hand. "Mom, let me see it," she said. Fannie avoided her hand. Rachel stood up and tried to grab Fannie's wrist again, but her mother hid her wrist behind her back instead.

Rachel got more anxious. Why would she keep her from looking if it wasn't anything serious?

Despite her resistance, Rachel grabbed her arm. Looking at the bruise up close, she found it was impossible to have come from a simple accident. The marks were far too distinct. "Mom," she started, steeling herself,"Tell me the truth. Did anyone beat you?" She looked into her eyes. "Please. Tell me what happened."

Fannie pulled her arm away. "Calm down, honey!" she said, trying to soothe her daughter. She let out a deep breath at the worries she saw in Rachel's eyes. "Alright, I'll tell you the truth. Two of my roommates had a fight, and I tried to stop them. I got a bruise because of it. It was an accident. They apologized after," she told her.

"Mom, please don't lie! Why would you put yourself in danger like that?" Rachel cried out. Her voice was shaking. She knew her mother wasn't telling her the truth. It couldn't have been an accident. Her mother would rather lie than make her worry. Rachel's chest tightened once again. For her sake, her mother was wasting away in this prison, and wouldn't even tell her that someone hurt her, just so she could protect Rachel's feelings.

"It's okay! Take it easy, honey! Please don't cry. It's just a bruise. This will go away in a couple of days." Fannie reached out to touch her daughter's face and wiped her tears away. She looked at the clock and said,"We don't have much time now, and I'll have to go very soon. Trust me and don't worry. Get along well with Hiram and take good care of the twins. I'll be fine. I'd rather you leave me with a smile. That would be the best comfort." The two women stood up and held each other's hands, mother and daughter, looking into each other's eyes, both silently vowing to protect each other. Fannie gathered her daughter into her arms.

As long as Rachel was happy, Fannie swore she would be able to endure anything, even if it meant she would have to stay in prison for the rest of her life. For her daughter, she would willingly offer her life and freedom.

When the signal for the end of the visit sounded, The two of them reluctantly let go of each other. Fannie gave her a small smile, and Rachel nodded. She followed her figure until it disappeared behind the door. When Fannie had gone, she sank down on the chair and didn't move. It was like a dam broke inside her and tears kept flowing like a waterfall. Her fingers curled into fists. Suddenly, a thought came to her and she stood up, wiping her tears and walking out of the visitation room.

Carl was waiting for her outside. A worried expression flashed across his face when he saw her. "What happened inside, Rachel? Why are you crying? Is there anything wrong with Aunt Fannie?" Carl asked anxiously, noticing her red eyes and the blankness in her face.

Tears were falling down again and she wiped them off with her sleeves. Looking at him, she said,"Carl, can you call Kun for me? Ask him what was going on in my mom's cell. She has bruises in her wrist, and I don't think it was an accident."

At this, Carl's expression changed into a hard look. "Are you serious? Okay, I'll call him right now!" He took out his phone hurriedly and dialed. After a few ringings, she could hear him talking to Kun Rong.

She went inside the car. The moment she sat down, her feelings took a toll on her and she couldn't stop her tears from running down her face.

The way her mother looked, she couldn't forget it even if she tried. Taking deep breaths, Rachel tried to calm herself down. She knew that she needed to stay calm now.

Her mind raced with her thoughts.