Love Letters, Divorce Papers (Jared and Amber)
Chapter 485 Comfort from Mom

There was nothing on the CD. No label, no image.

So, Amber had no idea what the CD would show her.

But she didn't give up and took the CD to her study. After putting the CD into the CD driver, what was shown on the screen was a folder. Amber clicked the folder and found there was a video in it.

Then she opened the video and a woman's face appeared on the screen. The woman was young, but the face looked quite old and sick. With her eyes fixed on the face, Amber covered her mouth with her hand astonishedly. Then she said in a quivering voice, "Mom..."

The woman was Hugo Reed's wife, Lina Fanning.

She died when Amber was five years old.

Amber reached out her trebling head to touch the face on the screen.

She knew could never touch the face again, but she was just reluctant to get her hand back. She put her hand on the screen as if she were touching her mother's face and eyes. The woman was in a ward and she was in patient's uniform with white and blue stripes on it. And she was bareheaded. No single string of hair could be seen on her head.

Amber knew by then her mother was diagnosed with cancer and Amber was then five years old.

With her mother alive on screen again in sight, Amber began to sob.

It had been 21 years.

She missed her mother for as long as 21 years. Now her mother was alive in front of her again.

"I miss you so much, mom..." Amber sobbed with her hand clenching the mouse tightly.

Her mother smiled warmly as if she knew what Amber said, "Amber, it's me, mom. Maybe I've already gone when you replace this video. But I want to tell you I'm always with you. I will be watching you from above."

"Mom..." hearing her mother's words, Amber burst into tears with her hands covering her face.

Lina continued in a weaker voice after she coughed and her face became paler, "I want to say sorry to you, Amber. Your father and I have been keeping you from knowing your true identity. I hope you can forgive us."

Amber raised her head and bit her lips. She stared at the video with her eyes drown in tears. She didn't say anything.

Lina coughed and then a hand reached into the video with a cup of water in hand.

It was a man's hand with a black naevus on the thumb.

It was her father's hand!

Father was also in the video!

Amber became even more excited.

Maybe she could also see father's face in this video, too.

Over this, she heard a gentle voice of a man, who sounded quite warm yet sad, "Have some water, honey."

It was dad!

Amber quivered with excitement.

In the video, Lina smiled towards the man, "Thank you, dear."

She took the cup and had a drink. Then she stopped coughing and continued, "Amber, we know you will feel quite sad when you know you are not our own daughter. You may be reluctant to accept the fact. You may even think you are just a substitute for our own daughter after she passed away, right?"

Amber clenched her hands into fists.

Her parents knew her the best in this world.

Lina smiled weakly, "If so, you are totally wrong, Amber. We did adopt you because our daughter passed away. But you are not her substitute. We love her not because we treat you as her substitute. And her name was different from yours. Your name was chosen by us for you. It's unique."

Unique?

Brightness began to well up in Amber's eyes.

So, she was not the substitute?

Actually, what she cared most was not whether she was her parents' own daughter or not.

Her parents treated her well. It didn't matter whether she was connected with them by blood or not.

What she cared was that she might be her substitute.

Maybe they would love her only because she replaced her as their daughter.

After all, she was adopted right after the child passed away. Back then her parents were engulfed in tremendous grief and they might have loved her only because she was her substitute.

But now her mother's words told her it wasn't the story.

She was not a substitute. They loved her not for she replaced their daughter. She was their daughter.

And Amber Reed was her own name. A name chosen by her parents.

Lina continued as if she knew Amber's thoughts, "Our first daughter was named Ivy. You are our second daughter. You are not Ivy's substitute. We didn't tell you that because we were afraid that you were too young to understand our relationship. But now you've grown up and we believe that you will understand."

Amber nodded while sobbing.

Lina continued, "Amber, mom and dad hope you not to immerse yourself in the sorrow after you know the truth. We are not linked by blood, but we love you all the same. You are our own daughter." "Yes." Hugo Amber suddenly appeared in the video.

He looked much younger than he was six years ago when Amber last saw him. Amber felt her nose sour and tears began to well up in her eyes again.

"Amber, we love you. So, we don't want you to be sad after you know the truth. For us, you are our daughter, just the same as Ivy. And I also want to say sorry to you. I hope you can forgive me in future. But I never regret doing so. Maybe you will understand someday that you would grow up a bad girl if you were brought up by them," Hugo said something that was hard for Amber to understand.

Amber squinted and a sense of doubt flashed in her eyes.

What did he mean by "grow up a bad girl" and who did he refer to?"

Before Amber would figure it out, Hugo and Lina waved towards her.

"It's now for another examination, Amber. Dad will take me to take the examination. So, the video may end here. Good bye!"

"Good bye, Amber. I love you!" Lina threw her a kiss and then the video ended.

Tears trickled down her cheeks and she sobbed, "Good bye mom, good bye dad. I love you too."

She knew her parents would make this video not only to tell her not to think too much but also to bid a farewell to her.00000