Stuart eventually had to spill the beans to his parents. After mulling it over, he figured he'd talk to Carol first.
He thought about breaking the news to Carol via text.
Maybe when he was a kid, Carol had shown him some motherly love. But honestly, Carol was pretty distant.
She was all about her scientific research; love and kids seemed like a side note in her life.
After finding out about Elbert's affair, she buried herself in the lab and rarely came out. Since then, Stuart had barely seen her.
There were still pictures of Carol around the house, and Stuart always felt like his memories of her were frozen in time when she was young. But in reality, she was already in her fifties.
The next morning, Stuart went to find Carol. He had reached out to her late the night before. Actually, he had contacted her assistant, because Carol had been holed up in the lab for years and didn't have any contact info, while her assistant occasionally came out and could get messages.
The assistant asked Carol and told Stuart to come over early. Stuart skipped his morning workout and headed to the research institute around six.
Seeing Carol, Stuart was taken aback. It hit him that the Carol in his memories had actually aged.
To be fair, Carol still looked good and younger than her peers. But Stuart had always pictured her in her twenties.
Today, he noticed the fine lines at the corners of her eyes, and a faint sadness washed over him.
When Carol saw him, she didn't show much emotion and asked, "The assistant said you have something to tell me?"
It was pretty sad how distant they were. Luckily, Stuart was used to it.
He mentioned Isaac's name and then asked, "Mom, do you remember this guy?"
Carol was one of the top female scientists at the institute, showing extraordinary talent from a young age. She had an almost photographic memory for people and books.
She nodded. "I remember. What's up with him?"
Before Stuart could say more, she added, "My time is tight. If it's about someone unimportant, don't bother."
Stuart had to cut to the chase, "Dad's affair was a setup. Isaac and Melissa planned it. Dad didn't actually betray you."
Carol was silent for a few seconds. Then, in shock, she asked, "What did you say?"
Carol had only given Stuart twenty minutes, but the assistant was surprised when she hadn't come out after half an hour. For someone as punctual as her, this was almost unheard of.
When the assistant knocked on the door, Stuart opened it.
He said, "My mom might need to rest for a bit."
"No need."
Stuart turned around and saw Carol standing behind him. Her eyes were a bit red, and there was a hint of moisture in her usually cold eyes.
The assistant, who had never seen her like this, was stunned.
Carol walked out and then told Stuart, "Tell your dad to come see me. The time is..."
She thought about her schedule and said, "9:40 PM."
Stuart replied, "Okay. Mom, about those things..."
Carol said, "I'll talk to him. You can go now." With that, Carol left.
Stuart watched her walk away and suddenly called out, "Mom!"
Carol stopped but didn't turn around. "Anything else?"
Stuart walked up to her and asked, "Mom, can I hug you?"
As far back as Stuart could remember, she had never hugged him. Once, Stuart had longed to lie in Carol's arms.
Actually, now, he no longer yearned for his parents' affection as much. After all, he had long passed that age.
But at this very moment, more than ever, he wanted to hug the woman who gave him life.
He was even afraid of being rejected. So, as soon as he finished speaking, he didn't wait for Carol's reaction and directly reached out to hug the frail Carol.
Carol had a faint fragrance, almost undetectable unless one sniffed closely.
Stuart hugged her briefly, then quickly let go and turned away, fleeing without looking back.
Carol stood still.
The assistant waited for a while before speaking, "Ms. Martinez."
Only then did Carol start walking.
The assistant looked over and thought she saw tears in Carol's eyes. But when she blinked again, it seemed like nothing was there.
'Right,' she thought, 'Carol is known as the aloof beauty of the research institute, with almost no emotional fluctuations.'
The assistant had been by Carol's side for nearly six years and had never even seen Carol laugh heartily.
Stuart got into the car, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the seat.
After five or six minutes, he took a deep breath and instructed the driver, "Drive."
He still had to find Elbert. Compared to Carol's calmness, Elbert was almost going crazy. After hearing the whole story, he was silent for only a few seconds before he asked, "Is everything you said true?" His voice was trembling.
Stuart replied, "There are paternity test results and Isaac's confession. If you want, you can see him and ask him yourself."
Then, Elbert went mad. He smashed everything in the room, cursing as he did, then cried while cursing, and finally laughed while crying. Finally, he squatted on the ground, holding his head, and cried out loud.
Stuart suddenly saw a reflection of himself in Elbert.
Back when Josephine left him, and he couldn't find her anywhere, wasn't he just as miserable?
Stuart empathized and stayed with Elbert.
In the end, Elbert lay on the floor, limbs spread out, staring blankly at the ceiling. "You said your mom already knows?"
Stuart nodded.
Elbert chuckled, "She didn't react much, did she? She's always like that. I've only loved her in my life. But she's so heartless. Once she decided to ignore me, she never looked at me again."
Stuart thought for a moment and said, "She did react. She cried."
Elbert sat up abruptly, "I don't believe it! Are you lying to me?"
Stuart shook his head, "No need."
Elbert gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and quickly opened them again, "Get the car ready. I'm going to see her now!"
"Mom said to meet at night..."
"I've been holding back for over twenty years, and now can't I rebel once?" Elbert pointed at his nose and cursed. Stuart obediently went to prepare the car and then accompanied Elbert to the research institute. But they were told that Carol had gone into the lab and wouldn't be out until the evening.
"You see," Elbert still gritted his teeth and said, "she can still do experiments now! I wish I could tear down the lab."
Before he could finish, someone came running over.
Several people were moving around in a panic. Someone shouted, "Call an ambulance! Ms. Martinez is injured!"