Kyle gave him another reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll become a great fighter, Juan. The Hidden Masters won’t even be a match for you by the time you get back!”
“It’ll probably be your turn next, Kyle. Let’s have a spar when we meet again!” Juan said with a smile.
“Sure!”
John helped load his suitcase into the trunk. “Come on, Juan, it’s time to go.”
“Alright.”
Juan’s phone started ringing moments after the two had gotten into the car.
He saw that it was an unknown number and hesitated a bit before answering, “Hello? Who is this?”
“Have a safe trip, Juan!” A familiar voice was heard sobbing on the other line.
Juan froze. Mommy?
He stared at his phone in disbelief and saw that the call was still ongoing. Afraid that he was dreaming, he pinched John hard on the arm.
John yelped in pain. “Ow! That hurt, Juan! Why’d you do that?”
“Am I dreaming?”
John frowned. “No, Juan. We’re on our way to the airport right now.”
Nicole’s voice came on the phone again. “It’s Mommy, Juan! You’re not dreaming! This is Mommy’s new phone number! You can save it to your contact list on WhatsApp!”
Oh, my god! It really is Mommy!
Juan could barely contain his excitement. “Where are you, Mommy? Should I go see you?”
“Don’t ask any questions, Juan. Just do as I say, and you’ll soon understand what’s going on.” Nicole hung up the phone immediately after saying that.
Juan hurriedly saved her contact on WhatsApp, and received a picture shortly after.
He took a good long look at the picture before coming to a shocking realization.
This is… Imperial Garden? Mommy is in Imperial Garden? Wait… That skinny woman we saw is our Mommy? Now I see why Kyle wouldn’t let us call her a bad woman! But… Why won’t she see us if she’s already returned?
John noticed the shocked expression on his face and glanced at the picture. “Don’t worry, Mr. Seet will take good care of Mrs. Seet!”
“John, do you know what happened to my Mommy?”
“She has completed the treatment for her hallucinations, but her body will take some time to recover. Relax, I’m sure she’ll be all better by the time you get back!”
Juan lowered his gaze as he tried to control his overwhelming whirlpool of emotions.
Now I see what Daddy meant earlier… If Mommy were to die as a result of our little prank, I’d definitely regret it for the rest of my life!
“Please tell my Daddy that I understand his reasons for doing this, and that I won’t let him down! I’m going to make my parents proud!”
John flashed him a smile of approval. “Very well, I’ll be sure to pass on the message.”
Meanwhile, back at Imperial Garden, Nina and Maya were sighing heavily as they stared at Nicole’s room door on the second floor.
“Say, should we even continue our battle with that homewrecker? We’re no match for her without Juan!” Maya whispered.
“I’m not one to back down, especially from a battle that has already begun! You’re not going to chicken out now and take Daddy’s side, are you? After everything Mommy had done to raise us, we must give it our all!”
Maya felt her eyes tear up as she recalled how Nicole had worked tirelessly day and night to raise them after they moved houses.
“Mommy…” She burst out crying eventually.
Nina tried to console her, but she only seemed to cry even louder than before. That was when Nina got an idea and decided to cry along with her in hopes of softening up Evan’s heart with their tears.
