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“Baby
”
My mom’s eyes were red as she looked at me.
“From now on
 you have to be with Bebe. You have to be the reason for Bebe’s life. You can’t leave like this.”
“If I had tried, Ellin would have lived, and your twin brother wouldn’t have suffered. It’s all my fault.”
“Why?! There are other people who are at fault, so why do you blame yourself for that?!”
I was angry for a moment. If I had not known anything, wouldn’t my mom have felt this? How can I persuade my mom?
But she shook her head with a more determined face than ever.
“I am the worst.”
“No!”
“Bebe
”
“You protected me. Mom
 Mom always took care of me. Why do you think it’s nothing?”
She endured severe abuse for someone else’s children. She was the kind of person who resisted by being beaten by the people who hit and starved me.
“That’s
”
“It’s other people who were at fault. The one who kidnapped the mom who gave birth to me and hit us was wrong. But why
 are you the one at fault
 when they abused us?”
“Ah
”
Tears filled my mom’s eyes as she let out a small sigh.
“It’s those people who are at fault
”
“It’s always like that. Many wrongdoers sleep well with their legs stretched out, but those who make one mistake will live a lifetime being haunted by it. So don’t do that anymore. You don’t have to. I met my brother
 and the mother who gave birth to me.”
Sometimes my mom felt like a wall, as if she was locked and surrounded by a thick wall and she could not get out. That’s exactly what it is right now.
No matter what I said
 Mom will not cave in.
She’s been like this before.
It was nothing else. When there was not enough food to eat, my mom would always refuse to eat with her face like that.
I never thought I’d see that face again.
“I mean
 No. No
”
Only tears came out. I think she’s really going to leave. There was nothing else I could do.
I don’t know much about the mind of an adult, but I could see that my mom was telling me she was ready to go.
“Huh
? Got it
?”
“Bebe, can I really stay here?”
It was the first time my mom’s heart was shaken.
“Yes! You can protect Bebe from now on. That’s it! I’m sure my mom who gave birth to me thought the same!”
Before my mother had another thought, I quickly said those words. My mom’s expression was still uneasy but her expression became much more relaxed.
“So where can I go?”
I didn’t answer, but her warm hand still stroked my hair, as if she was saying ‘Don’t worry’.
In the end, it seemed as if all the tiredness was coming all at once, and I fell asleep with my head on my mom’s lap.
I held her hand tightly in case my mom would leave.
After Bebe fell asleep, Adelaide patted her child’s head for a long time.
Her face was pale and her fingers trembled.
Still, she did not stop stroking her child’s head.
Then night came, and there was only silence in the room.
“Baby
”
Her long eyelashes swayed slightly, perhaps in response to her unusually trembling voice.
“I guess you’re having a hard time.”
“Mom
”
Whether it was sleep talking or really calling her mom, the room was filled with the voice of the child crying out.
“Yes
 Mom’s here
”
As if relieved, Bebe wriggled again and touched her hand slightly.
“Still, baby, this is enough. It was enough to spend time with my Bebe like this
 Thank you.”
Bebe opened her eyes very slowly, as if she had understood her words.
“Mom
 is shining.”
Unusually bright light leaked from Adelaide’s body. It was warm and soft. Bebe snuggled further into her arms.
“Mom
 Mom, don’t go anywhere, okay?”
“Yes, I won’t go. I’ll be next to Bebe like this. Thank you
 I love you, my daughter.”
“Yes
”
The child fell asleep again, as if she was relieved to hear that her mom wasn’t going. A crackling sound filled the room.
Then, tears fell from Adelaide’s eyes.