The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 445

That day marked exactly one month since Young Citrine was born. The Saunders family hosted a modest celebration at a hotel, inviting close friends and relatives. After the party, Hilda was busy seeing guests off, so she handed her baby over to the nanny for a while. But when the last guest had left and Hilda returned, both the nanny and Citrine had vanished without a trace.

Panic seized Hilda instantly. She called the police and, leveraging every connection the Saunders family had, scoured all of Crestwood in desperate search.

A few days later, the authorities found the nanny—but she was dead. The baby was still missing. The police suspected the worst: that the child was gone, too.

But Hilda refused to accept it. She couldn’t believe her little girl was lost forever. Year after year, she continued searching for any sign of her daughter.

The memory of that day was etched deeper into Hilda’s heart than any other. It was the day she lost her precious child.

“It was all my fault. I never should have left you with the nanny,” Hilda whispered, her eyes shining with unshed tears as she looked at her daughter.

If only she hadn’t handed Citrine over that afternoon, none of this would have happened.

Just as Hilda was about to spiral deeper into guilt, Citrine spoke softly, “I never blamed you.”

Hilda froze, startled by the words. Before relief could settle in, Citrine continued, “But I’m sorry, I’ve grown used to living without a mother all these years. I think I’ve outgrown the need for one. If you want me to embrace this and call you ‘Mom’ with all my heart, I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

It wasn’t resentment that kept Citrine distant. She simply didn’t know what it meant to have a mother. In her world, the word was little more than a title, no different from a stranger.

Hilda’s heart clenched at the truth in her daughter’s voice.

Carefully, she tried again. “I… I understand. I won’t force you to accept me. I only hope you’ll give me a chance—at least let me see you from time to time. Would that be okay?”

Citrine lowered her eyes but, after a moment, nodded. “Alright.”

That one word filled Hilda with cautious hope.