Chapter 63 Repayment
I smiled at Nicholas and casually unwrapped his surprise. When I pulled the item out and saw what it was, I froze on the spot.
"This is... my mom's belongings?"
My voice was incredulous. Meeting my searching gaze, Nicholas nodded.
"Didn't you ask me to have someone restore it? Now that it's fixed, naturally it should be returned to its owner."
His tone was light and casual, as if we were just discussing what to have for dinner.
I held the small phone, momentarily at a loss for words. So I just stayed quiet.
I tried unlocking the phone, entering my parents' wedding anniversary. Access denied.
I entered my birthday. The screen unlocked.
I was stunned, my eyes suddenly stinging with tears. My mom's phone password was my birthday?
I hadn't expected much, just wanted to try. I never imagined it would open so easily. This meant I held an extremely important place in Mom's heart.
I took a deep breath and didn't continue looking.
"Not going to look?" Seeing me put the phone away, Nicholas raised an eyebrow.
I shook my head gently. "I'll look at home."
Nicholas nodded in understanding.
"When did you prepare this?"
Nicholas smiled. "Before we came. Miles helped pick it up."
That made sense.
I looked at him seriously. "Nicholas, I really love this surprise. You've helped me so many times. How should I repay you this time?"
As I said this, several potential answers ran through my mind. Would Nicholas confess again? Would he use this as an excuse to invite me to the Harrington estate again? Or maybe...
Fortunately, Nicholas didn't keep me waiting long.
The sea breeze swept past, lifting the hair from his forehead. "Catherine, I'd like you to design a pair of matching rings for me."
"Matching rings?"
Nicholas nodded slightly. His lips pressed into a straight line, as if worried I'd refuse.
I readily agreed. "No problem. Any specific requirements?"
Nicholas visibly relaxed, a hint of joy touching his features. "I haven't decided yet. Once I do, I'll send you a document with the details. Is that okay?"
"Of course."
I still showed no particular emotion, just some surprise and curiosity. "I'm basically a newbie designer in the industry right now. Why do you want my work?"
"I believe in you."
Those four words carried incomparable power, crashing straight into the deepest part of my heart.
I forcibly suppressed the smile tugging at my lips and said with feigned solemnity, "I won't let you down."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Nicholas smiled slightly, then suddenly changed the subject, staring straight at me. "Catherine, aren't you curious who I'm commissioning these matching rings for?"
My hand unconsciously tightened around the box containing Mom's phone. The smile on my face became somewhat forced, but I still managed to look casual. "Nicholas, we're good friends. Friends should maintain certain boundaries and a sense of propriety."
The air pressure around us dropped sharply. As the last ray of sunset disappeared below the horizon, darkness fell completely.
I sensed Nicholas's emotions. Disappointment. Displeasure.
But I didn't respond.
I climbed down from the rocks and returned to the walking path. "It's getting late. We should head back."
Nicholas said nothing.
The relationship between us seemed to have eased. Or maybe it hadn't.
...
After getting home, I couldn't wait to open Mom's phone. The technician Nicholas found was clearly skilled—none of the data was lost, including old photos.
I flipped through them one by one. The image quality was blurry, but the emotions from that time were all genuine. Scalding tears splashed onto the screen. My vision blurred completely.
I sniffled and pulled myself together.
"Mom, if you knew what they did to me, would you regret not taking me with you?"
I couldn't help murmuring.
My finger accidentally opened the text message interface between Mom and Uncle Herman. The message content appeared before my eyes. I read word by word.
[Ma'am, I want to resign. My daughter was unfortunately diagnosed with a rare heart condition. I've already lost my wife—I don't want to lose my daughter too.]
My mother's reply:
[Herman, this is exactly when you need to stay strong. If you lose your job, how will you pay for your daughter's treatment? Don't panic. I'll give you a few days off. Take your child to a major hospital for a thorough examination. Get a treatment plan first.]
[Ma'am, thank you. If my daughter recovers, you'll be our family's benefactor.]
My finger continued scrolling. The timeline moved forward about a month.
Uncle Herman sent another message to my mother.
[Ma'am, it's confirmed. Sabby's heart condition requires surgery, but her blood type is very rare. Many hospital blood banks don't have it in stock. I remember Miss Catherine has the same blood type. Could we possibly...]
Uncle Herman trailed off. He seemed to realize this wasn't appropriate and quickly added:
[I'm sorry. Miss Catherine is so young. I shouldn't have these thoughts about her just so my daughter can survive.]
My mother didn't reply. Perhaps they discussed this topic again in person.
But whether in my past life's memories or this one, I had no recollection of Mom taking me to a hospital when I was young. Didn't that suggest she disagreed with me donating blood to Sabrina?
A small detail I'd forgotten also surfaced as I dug deeper.
"I remember Mom always warned me never to be alone with Sabrina or Uncle Herman. Could that be related to this too?"
I fell into deep thought.
If that was true, then the car accident that year... wasn't simple.
Uncle Herman was the driver. Even if we'd been rear-ended and my parents had passed out trying to protect me, Uncle Herman shouldn't have been unable to escape after saving me.
At the time, did he really want to go back and save them? Or... did he want to use the opportunity for a life-for-life exchange?
I was the lifeline Uncle Herman left for Sabrina. And his own death invisibly pressured the rest of the Rosewood family.
In everyone's eyes, Uncle Herman died to save me. So naturally, when Uncle Herman's daughter needed me, I should save her.
I couldn't help but laugh coldly.
It wasn't that I wanted to think the worst of people—the facts just pointed in that direction. I couldn't help but overthink.
In my past life, I really had died trying to save Sabrina.
From that perspective, I owed them nothing—father and daughter.
But why did my heart feel so disturbed? There was this uncomfortable feeling of having been manipulated.
I frowned, thinking through my next steps.
"Only by reconstructing the truth of that car accident can I verify whether these suspicions are real or not."