Chapter 51
Catherine hadn’t passed away.
At that time, Kathryn deserted her in a rush. Thankfully, someone came to her rescue just in
time.
Catherine had lost the baby, but at least her life was spared.
It wasn’t until Catherine was taken to the hospital that her mother, Georgina, learned of the bullying Catherine had endured at school.
Catherine’s father had passed away early, leaving Georgina to raise Catherine alone. Georgina couldn’t fathom her child being subjected to such torment.
Furious, Georgina confronted the school, demanding justice, but was met with vague responses. The insinuations were clear that Catherine had tarnished the school’s reputation.
Georgina was an ordinary worker, struggling to cover Catherine’s tuition with the meager benefits left by her late husband. She had wanted Catherine to attend a reputable school, never imagining the nightmares that would unfold there.
With the school refusing to take action and without any clout of her own, desperate Georgina was swayed by a blogger to take the story online, hoping the power of the internet would bring justice for her daughter. However, this act plunged them into another abyss.
Catherine’s pregnancy out of wedlock and her secretive dash to the abandoned school building. apparently attempting suicide, initially garnered sympathy online. But soon, the online comments soured.
“Pregnant without marriage and scared of her parents finding out, she ran to the school to end it all. Kids these days don’t study properly, only learning to mess around.”
“Agree with the above. Teen romance is risky. Be cautious when making babies.”
“Who’s the boy? She must have been dumped to consider suicide. Young girls these days made a drama out of nothing.”
“If a girl doesn’t respect herself, she deserves to be abandoned.”
“Love–struck fools got what they deserved.”
“I’ve heard some schoolgirls have sugar daddy. Could Catherine be one of them?”
“Ha, looks like we’ve got the truth!”
“No way, that’s just disgusting.”
“What on earth are the parents teaching? Trying to fish for sympathy with this story? The whole family is revolting.”
ding the charge, but within hours, the comment section was filled with
speculation about Catherine’s prostitution and pregnancy.
As new readers stumbled upon these comments, they quickly accepted them as truth, sparking a new wave of insults and revulsion.
The online vitriol spiraled out of control.
Georgina tried to defend her daughter, but no one was listening. Even colleagues and neighbors started whispering behind their backs.
Some even uncovered Catherine’s contact information, brazenly messaging her to inquire about the price of her body.
Catherine barely returned from death only to be met with a barrage of abuse and humiliation.
At just seventeen, she couldn’t handle the relentless malice and snapped one night.
Catherine wasn’t loud or unruly, and she even stopped speaking.
Apart from basic movements and eating, she gave no response, sitting silently each day like a lifeless doll.
Georgina blamed herself for Catherine’s condition, eventually deciding to take Catherine out of school.
She spent every penny of their savings trying to heal Catherine, to no avail.
Caring for Catherine cost Georgina her job, and Georgina was forced to resign.
One day, Hans showed up at their door, and Georgina discovered that he was responsible for Catherine’s downfall, The hateful online comments were orchestrated by the Quentin family to shield Hans from the backlash.
Knowing what his family had done, Hans had the audacity to offer compensation after the fact.
Georgina loathed Hans and wished she could end him on the spot. But she couldn’t, because if she were imprisoned, no one would be there to care for Catherine.
Without any better choice, Georgina ultimately chose to move away, severing ties with Hans and the Quentin family.
But every time, the Quentin family found them, and after each of Hans‘ visits, they would come threatening her. Georgina had no choice but to move again with her daughter.
“To give Catherine some peace, I’ve even told people she’s dead,” Georgina said, her eyes devoid of light to Winnie. “Everyone online has forgotten about Catherine. I don’t want anyone. to know she’s still alive and disturb her… I don’t know how you found out, but if your idea of help involves the internet, I don’t want it…”
The hardships of life and the despair and uncertainty for the future had left Georgina unable to cry, but her voice alone conveyed her anguish and regret.
Winnie quietly reached out and took Georgina’s hand in a rare gesture of solidarity.
Chapter St
“Don’t worry,” Winnte reassured her. “I mean helping her come back to herself.”
Georgina shook her head in resignation. “It’s no use. So many doctors have said it’s impossible. I’ve gotten used to it,”
As if her daughter had prematurely succumbed to Alzheimer’s, Georgina had resigned herself to care for her as long as necessary.
Winnie, at the sight of Georgina’s disbelief, remained silent but casually tossed a Charm into the air.
To Georgina’s amazement, the Charm fluttered without a breeze, hovering directly above. Catherine’s head.
Even more astonishing was Catherine’s reaction. For the first time in ages, she slowly lifted her. head, drawn to the charm.
Georgina’s pupils dilated in disbelief as she turned to Winnie for an explanation.
Winnie explained, “She’s been unresponsive because a part of her spirit has been trapped at the top of the abandoned school building. I happened upon it by chance, and it led me here.”
Winnie then produced a charm–folded candle from her backpack. The candle was hollow, emitting a faint glow despite being empty.
“If you trust me, I’ll try to guide that part of her spirit back into her body.”
Georgina watched in awe as the Charms floated above, casting a soft glow over the room. Her eyes then shifted to Winnie who was holding what appeared to be a candle.
At that moment, any shred of doubt evaporated from Georgina’s mind, and her eyes brimmed with tears as she nodded emphatically.
1
“I believe! Please, save Catherine, save my child.”
With Georgina’s plea, Winnie nodded solemnly.
She reached into her backpack and pulled out a small vial of birthmark along with a delicate brush. She approached the bedside and with swift strokes, she drew a talisman on Catherine’s forehead.
The next second, Winnie placed a candle into Georgina’s palm and began to murmur some spells.
As she spoke the final words, the Charms overhead swiftly enveloped the candle in their radiance.
Simultaneously, a red thread seemed to emerge from Catherine’s forehead, connecting to the Charms–wrapped candle. Georgina watched in breathless anticipation as a faint luminescence trailed along the thread, moving towards Catherine’s forehead.
Realizing that the glimmer was her daughter’s lost soul, Georgina held her breath, afraid that even the slightest exhalation might startle it away.
The luminescence quickly reached the spot on the forehead, and just as it was about to merge into Catherine’s skin, a sound pierced the silence.
Georgina’s ears rang with the sharp cry of a baby, causing her a sharp pain.
In the next instant, to her horror, the luminescence that was almost absorbed into Catherine’s forehead was suddenly yanked back as if pulled by an unseen force, toward the candle wrapped in Charms.