"Mom, have you ever considered that Lin Ge might not actually be planning to come back?" Lin Jiayi said cautiously.
She had originally intended to keep quiet. Her mother’s migraines had only just started to subside, and she couldn't afford to be agitated. But since her mother had brought up the subject herself, Lin Jiayi felt it was better to clear the air. Only she, the one who could hear his inner thoughts, knew how resolute Lin Ge had been when he left the Lin Family.
"He doesn't plan on coming back?" Huang Huijuan paused, stunned. "How could someone who isn't even an adult survive out there on his own?"
"Mom, you forget, Lin Ge lived on his own for years before he came here," Lin Jiayi whispered as a reminder.
Huang Huijuan choked, still finding it hard to believe. "Even so, he was always so afraid of losing his home again. How could he possibly leave on his own initiative? And besides, could he really be willing to walk away from a family like ours?"
"Mom, have you ever felt that we might have wronged Lin Ge this time? The necklace might not have been taken by him. After all, no one actually saw him do it, right?"
"What? You think he didn't take it? How could you think that? That day, only he and Mother Lin were in the house. Mother Lin couldn't have taken it, and I’ve already asked her about it. If it wasn't Lin Ge, then who could it be?"
Lin Jiayi fell silent for a moment. She remembered the inner thoughts she had heard when she went upstairs to call Lin Ge that day; he had truly believed that the family was trying to frame him. Later, in the downstairs hall, she had heard him think that Lin Qingyang was the one who had taken the necklace to give to his aunt.
Over these past few days, Lin Jiayi had been filled with nothing but shock. Emotionally, she simply could not accept that Lin Qingyang would do such a thing. Yet, while words spoken aloud could be false, one’s inner thoughts never lied. She couldn't help but carefully recall that day: they had all gone out to pick a gift for Lin Qingyang, and he had made an excuse to leave midway. If he really had taken the necklace, could he have gone back during that time?
However, Lin Jiayi didn't dare say this to her mother. Even if she suggested that one of the sisters had taken it, her mother might have believed her, but to suggest that it was Lin Qingyang? Her mother would never, ever believe that. Her mother’s affection for Lin Qingyang surpassed that for anyone else in the family. When he arrived as a tiny, adorable boy, he had filled the void left by the loss of her own son. She had raised him personally, never letting anyone else intervene. He was not only excellent and good-natured but also deeply dependent on her—truly the apple of her eye. Even after her biological son, Lin Ge, returned, it hadn't shaken Lin Qingyang’s position in the slightest.
If Lin Jiayi dared to tell her mother that Lin Qingyang might be the thief, her mother would surely turn on her instantly. Moreover, she had no evidence. She couldn't very well use the fact that she could hear Lin Ge’s thoughts as proof. For this reason, she didn't dare share her suspicions with her sisters either. They were so close to Lin Qingyang, treating him like their own brother; they would certainly never believe her.
"Regardless of everything, we never found the necklace on Lin Ge. We even checked him in front of everyone on the day he left!" Regardless of who actually took it, Lin Jiayi’s heart inclined toward the belief that Lin Ge was innocent. She couldn't help but speak up for him now.
Huang Huijuan looked at her second daughter strangely. "What’s this? Do you really think we wronged him? You never used to care for him, and you’ve never spoken up for him before!"
Lin Jiayi’s face flushed. "Mom, those were all minor matters in the past, so it didn't really matter if I spoke up or not. But stealing an expensive necklace is a serious affair. If we aren't careful, we could end up hurting an innocent person!"
"Then what evidence do you have to prove Lin Ge is innocent?"
"Mom, you know I’m an artist; I’m very good at observing subtle expressions. I watched Lin Ge closely that day, and I don't think he was lying..." Lin Jiayi glanced at her mother’s expression and, seeing her remain calm, grew bolder. "Besides, even if Lin Ge was in the house, that only proves he had the opportunity, not that he committed the act..."
As the saying goes, to catch a thief, you need the stolen goods! Without the loot, a case couldn't be closed.
"So, you’re saying we might have really wronged Lin Ge?" Huang Huijuan murmured, lost in thought.
On the morning the necklace went missing, she had been blinded by rage. With so many people in the house, everyone talking at once, she had lost her ability to judge clearly. Because only Mother Lin and Lin Ge had been home, and because Mother Lin had been with the family for over a decade, she had trusted her implicitly. Subconsciously, she had decided it must have been Lin Ge.
"Yes. If we truly wronged him, we must have broken his heart. That would explain why he felt so disappointed in us, and why he..." And why he, in a fit of rage, wanted to sever ties!
Following her second daughter's line of reasoning, Huang Huijuan began to ponder. Although she favored Lin Qingyang and didn't care much for Lin Ge, she didn't necessarily want to wrong him.
"But...!" Before she could follow that thought to the end, her head began to ache again. "Ugh...!"
Seeing her clutching her forehead in pain, Lin Jiayi hurried to help her back to her room. "Mom, are you alright? Is it hurting a lot? Let me massage it for you!"
An old doctor at the hospital had mentioned that massaging the head could relieve migraines. Lin Jiayi had learned a few techniques from him, and they finally seemed useful. Unfortunately, she lacked the skill; no matter how many times she tried, her mother’s pain didn't subside.
"You... are you actually any good at this?" Huang Huijuan moaned from the bed.
Lin Jiayi replied, "Mom, please bear with me. I’m still learning as I go, so it’s only natural it might not be working perfectly!"
After a while, Huang Huijuan couldn't take it anymore. "Forget it, stop pressing. Just pour me some water so I can take a painkiller."
"Mom, you can't keep doing that. The doctor said you shouldn't rely on painkillers. They only treat the symptoms, not the cause, they don't last long, and they have side effects if you take too many!"
"If it hurts this much, I have no choice! You’ve been at it for ages and it still hurts. It feels like when Lin Ge used to do it, it worked so well—usually, it wouldn't hurt anymore after just one round!"
Unable to bear the agony, Huang Huijuan finally remembered the value of her neglected biological son.