Chapter 18: The Ghost of Carolyn
Chapter 18: The Ghost of Carolyn
A week after the settlement, I received a phone call from a local hospital social worker.
"Ms. Bennett? I’m calling regarding your mother, Carolyn Bennett. She was admitted last night after being found disoriented and collapsed in her apartment due to severe malnutrition and neglect. She refuses to speak to anyone but you."
I sat in my car outside the hospital for a long time before going inside. I didn't feel hatred anymore. I didn't feel anger. I just felt a profound, heavy pity.
When I walked into her semi-private room, I almost didn't recognize her. The immaculate, terrifying matriarch was gone. In her place was a frail, elderly woman with white hair, wearing a standard hospital gown, her face lined with deep sorrow.
"Evelyn?" she whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she saw me. She reached out a trembling hand. "You came... oh thank God, you came."
I stood at the foot of her bed, my hands in my pockets. "The social worker called me, Carolyn."
"They took everything, Evelyn," she sobbed, her voice cracking. "The house, my friends... nobody talks to me. I have no money for groceries. Preston is in prison... he doesn't even answer my letters because he blames us. Richard is gone. Please, Evelyn... you have so much money now from the settlement. You’re my daughter. You can't leave me to die in a place like this."
She was still begging for the golden life, still looking to use me to fix the mess they made.
"I will pay for your medical bills, Carolyn," I said softly, my voice completely devoid of emotion. "And I will arrange for a comfortable assisted living facility for you. I will ensure you have food, shelter, and medical care for the rest of your life."
Carolyn’s face lit up with a sudden spark of her old self. "Oh, thank you, sweetie! I knew you’d remember family—"
May you like
"But I will never see you again," I cut her off gently but firmly. "I am providing this because I am a human being, not because I am your daughter. You will never have my phone number. You will never see Sophie. You will never know where we live. You wanted me to be invisible for thirty years, Mother. Now, you get your wish."
I turned around and walked out of the room, ignoring her cries behind me. As the door swung shut, the final piece of my past fell away. I had broken the cycle.
