I've Been There Before

Mrs. James stopped a taxi. The driver asked her where she was going. The people here were friendly and hospitable. Picky as Mrs. James was, she was not in the mood to judge the driver’s substandard Mandarin at this moment.

Just as she was about to answer the driver’s question, her cell phone rang. She nervously picked it up and stared at the caller’s name on the screen for a long time.

She hesitated. If she did not answer, she could still stall for a while. Once she answered, she could no longer refuse.

The long ringing of the phone finally stopped. Before Mrs. James could breathe a sigh of relief, the demonic ringing of the phone started again.

Helplessly, she pressed the connect button and said, “Payne.”

“Mom, did you get off the plane?”

Payne asked anxiously from the other end of the phone, “Mom, go to find Grace directly. She is at a homestay called ‘Memory Inn’. I’ve told you before.”

Payne kept urging Mrs. James to look for Grace. He knew from WeChat that Grace was running a homestay called Memory Inn. A woman, who used to drink with Payne before, had recognized Grace in that picture in their WeChat group. She said that she probably had seen Grace’s photo on a forum.

Then, Payne followed the evidence and worked hard before finally getting the news of where Grace was staying.

He didn’t want to wait for death… Payne held his phone tightly and said to his mother in a hurry, “Mom, tell little Grace that her brother will die if she doesn’t save me.

Grace looks tough, but she is actually very soft-hearted. She definitely doesn’t to watch her own brother die.”

Mrs. James’s eyes turned even redder behind the sunglasses.

She felt extremely sad, and she choked with sobs as she said,

“Payne, I know. You should stay in hospital and take care of yourself. I will tell Grace about it. I’ll beg her to save your life.”

Mrs. James cut off the phone and spread herself out in the back seat, “Memory Inn. Go to Memory Inn.”

“The homestay?”

“Yes.”

the way, she was silent. No matter how beautiful the scenery was, it was

and rested it on her

that was still on. She saw the

moment, it was totally ironic!

James’s face

confused Mrs. James. “Did you take the wrong path?”

He opened the window and pointed not

She wanted to turn away and leave several times, but when she thought of Payne lying on the hospital bed and Jafar

pushed open the door

desk, a woman said in a clear but calm voice, “Welcome--” The woman at the front desk raised her head. Gentleness of her face faded away as her eyes suddenly widened, and her voice abruptly stopped.

was also shocked the moment she

“Little Grace…”

same time that Mrs. James called out, the woman who was just leaning

her like a gust of wind and reached out to grab Grace’s

froze. She lowered her head… Little Grace? Little Grace. Little Grace. Little Grace?

are you calling? Little Grace? Little Grace is dead. Mrs. James, who are you talking to?!” Grace suddenly turned her head and stared at the

She couldn’t stay calm

James broke down in tears. She could

because

She wanted to laugh out loud. There was already a tearful Mrs. James. The world did

It’s useless…” she said to herself.

go, Mrs. James. This isn’t the first time I’ve called you Mrs. James. Naturally, it won’t be the last time.”

don’t have a mother anymore. I

realized the gap between she and Grace was unbridgeable. She softly loosened

constraint, Grace quickly

wasn’t until Grace walked two meters away that Mrs. James suddenly regained her senses. She strode forward and grabbed Grace’s hand again. She

brother—he has got

hallucinating. After hearing the bad