My mom’s new attending physician was Director Miller. I left his office with mixed feelings after he updated on her condition.
I felt both relieved and anxious.
I was relieved because Director Miller advocated for traditional Chinese dicine. He said he would do everything possible to ease my mom’s pain and, as long as she remained in good spirits, he would try to make her passing as peaceful as possible.
But I was also anxious because Director Miller had specifically stressed that my mom needed to rest quietly. She couldn’t handle any shocks right now...
So...
If anything went wrong with my marriage, she definitely wouldn’t be able to take it.
My mind was a ss as I walked to her hospital room. Outside the door, I took a deep breath, rubbed my stiff cheeks to force a smile, and pushed the door open.
"Mom, Theodore went out of his way to buy your favorite bayberries. I just tried one, and it’s super sweet."
As I spoke, I popped one of the bayberries I had washed earlier into her mouth.
Mom smiled and ate it, but her eyes darted toward the doorway. "Where’s Theodore?"
"Sothing ca up suddenly at the office, so he had to rush back to take care of it."
A flicker of disappointnt crossed Mom’s face, but she quickly smiled again. She took a bayberry from the bag and put it in my mouth. "Have you told Theodore you’re pregnant? Was he thrilled?"
I said playfully, "I can’t just tell him the good news that easily. I have to prepare a big surprise for him."
"You and Big Brother have to help keep it a secret. Don’t let it slip in front of Theodore!" I added, feigning an air of mystery.
"Alright, I get it. Honestly, you..." Mom laughed with a resigned shake of her head. "You’re about to beco a mother yourself, and you’re still so childish."
"Even when I’m a mom, I’ll still be your little girl."
"Oh, you..."
...
I stayed at the hospital and chatted with Mom for a long ti, only leaving when I saw she was starting to look tired.
On the way back to the Grant family’s ho, I sat in the car, drowsy. Maybe it was the pregnancy, but I’d been especially sleepy lately, feeling like I could never get enough rest.
I don’t know how long I’d been dozing, but suddenly, the car door was pulled open from the outside. A gust of cool air washed over , and I groggily opened my eyes.
"Chelsea, you’re still asleep?" My mother-in-law’s face was all smiles as she reached in and took my wrist. "I’ve been waiting for you! The wedding dress we ordered arrived. Quick, go inside and try it on. If anything doesn’t fit, we need to have the designer alter it overnight. The wedding is just around the corner."
The wedding dress had been ordered a month ago, and they’d taken my asurents back then.
But when I tried on the dress, it felt a little tight around my lower abdon.
The designer clearly noticed it too and chuckled. "It looks like the Young Madam has been taking good care of herself lately. A little tummy is starting to show..."
I gave an awkward laugh. Just as I was about to say sothing, the designer added, "Could this be a double blessing?"
The mont she said that, my mother-in-law’s eyes lit up, and she stared at , her face full of hope.
My heart sank, and I didn’t even realize my nails were digging into my palms.
eting my mother-in-law’s expectant gaze, I didn’t have the heart to lie to her. After all, she was one of the few people in the Grant Family who was genuinely kind to .
But now, my marriage with Theodore was like a boat in a storm, liable to be torn apart at any mont. So I had to harden my heart.
"I’ve probably just been eating too much lately," I said, deliberately lowering my head and trying to create a double chin. "I have gotten a little chubby."
My mother-in-law looked both amused and exasperated. "Chubby? What are you talking about? You need to eat more. You were too thin before."
With that, she turned and instructed the designer to let the dress out a bit.
"By the way, where’s Theodore? Didn’t you two go to the hospital to see your mother together? How co you ca back alone?"
I lowered my head slightly, hiding the sting of tears in my eyes. "I think sothing urgent ca up at the office..."
My mother-in-law clearly didn’t believe . She frowned. "Was it that little vixen, Clara Langley, stirring up trouble again?"
Since she’d hit the nail right on the head, I didn’t hide it anymore. "He... took a call from Clara Langley and left in a hurry..."
"That rotten kid!" My mother-in-law’s temper flared. "He’s just like his Mr. Lombard!"
Since she was talking about an elder, Vincent Lombard, I just pursed my lips and said nothing.
Besides, I’d only heard rumors about what happened between Vincent Lombard and Clara Langley’s mother and didn’t know the whole story. But there was one thing I did know for sure—Vincent Lombard had always believed Clara Langley and Theodore Grant were a perfect match.
I’m sure that even now, he’s still hoping Theodore will divorce and get together with Clara...
"Chelsea, don’t be upset. When that boy gets back, I’ll teach him a lesson for you!"
’If this had happened before, I would have been delighted. But now... what’s the point of forcing him to stay? His heart belongs to soone else.’
...
After the dress fitting, we moved on to trying on shoes and jewelry. By the ti we were done with everything, Theodore happened to walk in.
"Well, look who finally decided to co ho!" my mother-in-law scolded, her words firing off like a machine gun. She shot him a look. "Leaving Chelsea at the hospital all by herself... you’re getting more and more irresponsible!"
"Go on, try on your suit. You’re getting married next week, stop acting like an irresponsible child!"
Theodore took the suit jacket and slipped it on, his eyes darting subtly in my direction.
I was exhausted and couldn’t be bothered to deal with him, so I made an excuse and went upstairs.
But just as I finished washing my face and was about to lie down for a bit, Theodore walked in. I ignored him and turned toward the bed.
He imdiately wrapped his arms around from behind, burying his chin in the crook of my neck. His voice was low and tinged with exhaustion. "I’m sorry. I didn’t an to leave you at the hospital alone. It won’t happen again..."
I pried his arms off and turned to face him. "What did you promise last night? It’s been one day, and you’ve already forgotten!"
"It’s not that. Clara’s depression flared up. I was worried sothing might happen to her..."
Before he could finish, I let out a cold laugh. "And did it?"
Theodore choked on his words. It took him a mont before he managed to squeeze out a single word: "No."
I suddenly felt the urge to laugh. "When it cos to Clara Langley, you just fall to pieces. Theodore, I told you, if you still have feelings for her, we should..."
The word ’divorce’ was still on the tip of my tongue when Theodore cut off, his voice urgent. "I’ve really, truly broken things off with her for good! There’s nothing between us but a debt of gratitude!"
"Is that so?"
"But if you want to repay a debt, shouldn’t you be repaying her ex-husband? She’s divorced now. What kind of debt could you possibly owe *her*?"
Theodore’s brow furrowed, and he seed desperate to reassure . "I promise, what happened today will never happen again."
"I’m tired."
"Chelsea..."
"I’m going to rest now."
Seeing that I was telling him to leave, Theodore’s lips tightened into a thin line. It looked like his patience had finally run out. After a mont, he took a deep breath. "I already apologized. Can you please not be like this? I told you it won’t happen again..."
"Even if you’re not going to think about yourself, you have to think about your mother. In her condition, she can’t handle any kind of shock..."
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