Chapter 54
Tears welled up in my eyes as I said, “It’s fine. Maybe he just had to leave for something in the middle of the night. I’m okay
on my own.”
Jeremy gave me a complicated look, his gaze unreadable.
Dexter, clearly flustered, quickly signed the form. “I’m so sorry, Dr. Norman. I didn’t expect this to happen.”
Jeremy’s voice was cold as he replied, “This is a hospital. She’s a patient. If her condition wasn’t serious, she wouldn’t still be here. I hope the family can be more responsible. Not every situation will be as fortunate as this one.”
With that sharp reprimand, Jeremy turned and walked away.
I let out a sigh of relief. Thanks to Jeremy, I had narrowly avoided being caught.
“What’s wrong with you?” Dexter snapped, clearly irritated.
“You have the nerve to ask me that?” I shot back coldly. “I woke up in pain in the middle of the night, and there wasn’t a soul around. Where did you go so late? Off to meet your little mistress?” I mocked.
Dexter scoffed, “You’re talking nonsense again.”
I thought. This man’s audacity is astounding. I couldn’t help but be amazed at how thick his skin was.
After the close call that night, Dexter behaved himself for the rest of my hospital stay. I couldn’t find any more evidence, so I was forced to drop the matter. The only thing I had was that recording, but it was far too little, not nearly enough.
Finally, the day arrived for me to leave the hospital.
“Where’s Juno?” I asked urgently.
“He’ll be done with school soon. I’ll go pick him up, Dexter replied.
While he was out picking up our child, I quickly packed my things. I couldn’t stand living under the same roof as him any longer. I had two goals for coming back: first, to take Juno with me, and second, to move out.
I packed only a small bag with important documents and jewelry. I didn’t pack any clothes or other personal items–I couldn’t risk Dexter discovering my plans too early.
Half an hour later, Dexter returned with Juno. I hadn’t seen Juno in so long, and as soon as I laid eyes on him, tears immediately sprang to my eyes.
“Baby.” I rushed over to hug him.
But to my surprise. Juno recoiled as if he had been startled, backing away from me. That reaction almost broke my heart. I thought, “Why is my child so scared of me?
Dexter gave a nervous laugh. “It’s just that Juno hasn’t seen you in a while, so he doesn’t recognize you, right? Come on, Juno, say hi to Mommy.”
Juno stared at me with wide eyes for a long moment before finally whispering. “Mommy.”
I couldn’t hold back my tears. “Oh, it’s Mommy’s fault. I’ve been away for so long…
Chapter 54
I pulled him into my arms, unwilling to let go.
At dinner, Juno sat beside me as usual. I did my best to make up for all the lost time. After all, I had left in early summer, and now it was already deep into autumn. Juno was no longer the little toddler I remembered, now a preschooler.
But despite my efforts, Juno still wasn’t close to me. Every time I reached for him, he instinctively pulled away. My heart ached, but I forced myself to hold back the tears.
After dinner, I took Juno to our room.
Dexter seemed to understand that I needed time to bond with the child and didn’t interfere. Maybe he thought that since I had returned to the house, I would never leave again.
He probably assumed that because I was so physically weakened, it would be impossible for me to walk away. But he was wrong. So wrong.
I gave Juno a bath and changed into clean clothes. The opportunity came quickly.
It had been a while since Kimberly had seen me, so of course, she wasn’t about to miss a chance to take a jab at me.
She knocked on the door and called out, “Sylvia, hurry up and take out the trash! What kind of woman doesn’t do any housework?”
I opened the door. “Why do I have to take it out? I’m a patient.”
“You’ve been discharged. What kind of patient‘ are you now?” She scoffed. “And just because you’re sick, does that mean you get to sit around and do nothing?
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