Chapter 3
Across the street was the City Hospital. I ran as fast as I could, but I still couldn’t catch up to the two of them.
As I was standing at the entrance, the sun was heating down on me, making my scalp tingle with heat. I took a deep breath and headed toward the parking lot. If Dexter was here, his car should be nearby.
The City Hospital was far from home, and Dexter was always frugal. If he could drive, he wouldn’t be taking a taxi. Sure enough, I found his car,
It wasn’t one I drove often, but I had the keys. I unlocked the door, slipped inside, and waited
I wanted to see who Dexter was sneaking around with behind my back. My eyes were darting around, and a cold sweat was forming in the palms of my hands.
My phone kept buzzing–it was Holly calling, but I didn’t have the energy to answer. 1 hung up and sent her some money, telling her lunch was on me and asking her to head back to the office.
She replied with just some words,
nds. [You’ve lost it.]
I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. Maybe she was right. Who could’ve imagined that I’d end up like this–sitting in a car, waiting to catch Dexter in the ad? I thought.
About half an hour later. I finally saw Dexter approach. And, of course, there was a woman walking beside him.
1 quickly slid into the back seat, curled up as much as I could, and held my breath.
The car door opened. Dexter and the woman got in.
“Alright, stop crying. You know I’m here for you, right? Dexter’s voice was filled with concern.
The woman’s voice trembled. “Dexter, I really don’t know what to do…
Clara Moreno. I thought, Can it really be? Is my own flesh and blood involved with Dexter?
My mind went blank. The woman was my sister, C
A sharp pain shot through my chest. I could barely breathe. I couldn’t control my emotions anymore. Without thinking, I sat up straight. “Dexter”
Both of them jumped, clearly shocked. Clara turned pale, and Dexter was sweating profusely,
“Sylvia, what are you doing here? Did you… did you hear about Mom?” Dexter stammered.
as ready to explode, but then I heard Clara’s words, and the anger in my throat suddenly froze. “What’s wrong with Mom!”
I was
Clara’s eyes filled with tears. “Mom… she has kidney failure. I thought you knew. She didn’t want me to tell you. I brought her to the hospital, but I couldn’t get in touch with anyone. That’s when I told Dexter. He helped me contact the hospital”
Clara grabbed my hand, crying uncontrollably.
My heart dropped. “What…”
At home, Dexter and Clara explained everything about Martha Moreno,
10, our mom’s condition.
When I looked at the diagnosis report in my hands, the truth finally hit me this was real. Martha really was seriously ill and receiving treatment a City Hospital. She hadn’t been discharged yet
“Mom said you’re busy with work and taking care of Juno, so she didn’t want to burden you with this. But… I just graduated this year and only found a job in Fairluven.
“If I hadn’t gone home that day to grab some documents, I wouldn’t have known she was sick.” Clara was crying nonstop. It seemed she’d been holding everything together on her own for quite a while.
My emotions were all over the place. On the one hand, I was relieved that Dexter’s affair partner wasn’t Clara. On the other, the sudden news about Martha’s illness hit me like a weight, pressing down on my chest and making it hard to breathe.
*I’ll call in a favor to get Mom transferred to a better hospital. City Hospital isn’t cutting it; staying here will just delay her treatment. I took a deep breath, steadied myself, and began making arrangements to move Mom to a better facility.
I took the afternoon off from work and spent the entire day running around.
1/2
9:30 AM
Chapter 3
Dexter stayed with me the whole time.
- e. When I looked closely. I realized my da
my dark circles were
even worse
rse than b
his.
He was extremely worried, hugging me and trying to soothe me. “Sylvia, you should go rest. I’ve got everything handled here at the hospital, and I’ll remember to pick up Juno later. Don’t worry about anything.”
I gave a tired smile. From yesterday to today. I was completely drained. Just when I thought things were finally settling down, something else hit.
I looked at him carefully. “You didn’t sleep well last night either. How do you still have the energy to do all this? Let me handle it.”
His expression remained calm, filled with concern. “Tma man, and I’m your husband. If I don’t take care of you, who will? Don’t worry, I’ve already taken leave. Next month, we can take a proper family vacation. I’ll take you to the beach. How does that sound?”
His voice was the same as always. If it weren’t for the strange clues I’d been picking up recently, I wouldn’t have even considered the possibility that he might be betraying me.
I thought, ‘Maybe… someone really is behind all this, and I have wronged Dexter? My mind was a tangled mess, and I couldn’t untangle it. But right now, I had to focus on Martha. I couldn’t let myself get distracted by other worries.
process.
The hospital we transferred her to was excellent. I had someone help secure a bed, and by that afternoon, we’d completed the admission pro
During the transfer, Martha kept complaining. “I’m fine, really. The hospital we were at was g great. Why do we have to keep moving around? It’s just wasting money.
I gave her a firm look. “Chronic kidney failure. You’ve delayed treatment too long, and now your condition is serious. Don’t say it’s nothing. We need to treat you first and follow the doctor’s advice. If a kidney transplant is needed later, we’ll handle it step by step.”
Martha was taken aback by my serious tone.
Dexter quickly intervened, trying to smooth things over. “Mom, Sylvia’s just talking about the worst–case scenario. We’re going to the best hospital now. As long as you cooperate with the treatment, you’ll be fine”
Martha stared at me for a moment, then fell silent, as if accepting that I was right.
I arranged for a caregiver, called the housekeeper to come in early, coordinated with the attending doctor, and finally, after a long day, went to pick up Juno. My legs were nearly giving out, but as soon as I saw Juno, I felt recharged.
“Mommy!” Juno ran to me and hugged me tightly. “I missed you so much, Mom.”
“I missed you too,
sweetheart.” I said.
When Juno saw Dexter, his face lit up even more. “Daddy, you’re back from your business trip!”
“Yep! Come here and let Daddy give you a hug, my good boy Dexter said.
They embraced, kissing each other repeatedly. For a brief moment, I thought. “Maybe it’s all just a misunderstanding… Maybe someone’s been trying to tear apart our happy family
After dinner and a bath, Dexter calmed juno down and then carried me to bed. The warmth of the blankets enveloped us, and Dexter felt like the same man I knew. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something had changed, something I couldn’t put my finger on.
“Don’t worry,” Dexter mumbled sleepily as he settled next to me. “We’ve got Mom’s treatment covered. We’ve saved enough over the years to make sure she gets the best care.”
As he spoke, his breathing grew steady, and soon he was snoring softly.
I lay there, staring at his face. He looked just like he always did. But deep down, I wondered–was be really the same person in places I couldn’t see!
Just as I was about to fall asleep, my phone buzzed with a notification. It was a friend request message, and the content sent a chill down my spine. [Sylv
sband it
