"You think I got to where I am as an entertainment journalist just by sheer luck?" Lexi let out a long sigh. "I worked hard for this too, you know?"


    I sighed silently in response. Lexi reached over and pinched my cheek. "Alright, mydy, enough sighing. This whole situation has blown up online. What''s your n?"


    I traced the rim of my cup, thinking for a moment beforeing to a decision. "If kindness is met with hostility, how do you repay true kindness? When they were attacking my mom and me online, it almost cost her life. I''m absolutely taking legal action."


    She exhaled in relief. "Serena, you''ve finally grown a backbone. I was worried you''d still be that kid who let people push her around."


    I looked at her and chuckled, but as Iughed, tears welled up in my eyes and spilled over.


    She pulled me into a gentle hug before murmuring reassuringly, "Alright, alright, don''t cry."


    Nestled in her embrace, the world suddenly felt quiet and safe. I let my tears fall freely, all the frustration and exhaustion spilling out.


    "Lexi, I''m so tired," I admitted in a trembling voice. "But I can''t break down. I still have my mom."


    She patiently wiped away my tears. "Serena, Madam Burke loves you too, you know."


    I nodded. I had never doubted Mom''s love for me. Even when she had fiercely opposed my involvement with Alex, it had always been for my sake-she was just afraid I would get hurt.


    Public opinion online shifted rapidly. People began digging into Aunt Shirley and Grandma''s history, exposing their past actions. Netizens quicklybeled them as "shameless".


    At the same time, the media ounts that had originally defended them were bombarded with criticism. Theizens mocked how they had been yed by an uneducated rural woman, and Aunt Shirley''s and Grandma''s reputations took a steep nosedive.


    Some even went back through past events and uncovered the truth about Mom''s hospitalization and her suicide attempt. The insults against us turned into sympathy and regret. But I knew none of this.


    Mom had been discharged from the hospital and moved in with me, but her mental state was fragile. She was constantly anxious, trapped in a cloud of despair.


    "Mom, have some fruits." I handed her a te of freshly washed fruits.


    She turned to look at me, and only then did I notice the tears welling up in her eyes. I panicked, grabbed a tissue, and gently wiped them away. "Mom, why are you crying again?"


    "Serena," she said in a trembling


    voice. "I just feel so guilty. Kids your age should be carefree, still sheltered by their parents. But you... You''ve had to face so many Storms alone. It breaks my heart."


    Hearing her say this, my nose stung, but I forced a smile. "Mom, you''re the person I''m closest to in this world. I can endure all of this as long as you don''t leave me, okay?"


    The image of her trying to take her own life was burned into my mind like a scar that would never fade.


    She tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear, wiped away my tears, and smiled gently. "Alright. I''ll always stay with you."


    That night, we slept in the same bed. I couldn''t even remember thest time we had done that.


    We talked for hours about my school days-middle school, high school, and college. It was as if by reminiscing, we could somehow fill in the gaps of the years we had lost together.


    I didn''t know when I finally fell asleep. But when I woke up, Mom was no longer by


    my side.


    A sudden wave of panic surged through me.