Eleven Years All to the Wrong Man novel Chapter 263

They had done some serious shopping at the supermarket today.

Though her mother had tried to stop her, she couldn't hold back Emma's spending spree.

Back home, looking at the table laden with fresh crabs, jumbo shrimp, and premium Australian beef, Karen Hayes looked a bit troubled. She turned to her daughter. "Did you buy any pork?"

Emma hesitated. "I don't think so..."

She bit her lip, having forgotten that pork was an essential ingredient for her mother's cooking.

"I could order some now, have a couple pounds of pork shoulder delivered?" Emma suggested.

"Forget it. It's too late. Would any of the pork still be fresh? It's probably just the leftovers."

Karen Hayes shook her head, dismissing her daughter's idea, and carried the heap of groceries into the kitchen.

"So, Mom, what are we having for dinner?"

They had so many ingredients that, ironically, it was hard to decide what to make.

Karen Hayes said, "You go rest on the sofa. I'll cook. Just wait for dinner to be ready."

Wow, was this a mother's tough love?

Emma was happy but couldn't resist sticking by her mother's side. "No, no, I want to cook with you!"

"What can you even make?"

"Hey, don't underestimate me! When I first came to Averton City, I cooked for Evan every day. It's been a while, but I still remember how!"

Unable to resist her daughter's pleading, Karen Hayes finally agreed.

Years ago, she and her husband ran an apothecary together. Back then, Riverside Millford had no clinics or health centers, so anyone who got sick came to them. The apothecary was busy, and she often neglected her daughter's upbringing, leaving her in her mother's care.

But when Emma left Riverside Millford with Evan at sixteen, it felt like a piece of Karen Hayes's heart had been torn away. She was filled with pain, regret, and resentment, but she couldn't get her daughter back.

What had her own mother told her back then? "As you sow, so shall you reap."

Her neglect in those early years had led to her daughter being away from her for eleven long years. But now, thankfully, her precious girl was back by her side.

Standing by the sink washing vegetables, Emma was oblivious, happily glancing at her mother every few moments.

Suddenly, the phone on the dining table rang. Emma was busy with the vegetables and didn't get to it in time, and the call quickly ended.