Chapter 8
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I recognized that car. It was Dexter’s. The woman in the passenger seat, her back to me, blocked the man’s face as they kissed. They were so caught up in each other that they didn’t even seem to realize they were at a hospital.
I froze for a moment, then quickly snapped back to reality and rushed after them. The car had just finished the automatic payment, the windows rolled ups and is pulled out onto the road.
Ind to chase after it, weaving through the flower bed, but there was no way I could catch up to a car. In a matter of seconds, it disappeared from
sight
Anger and despair surged through me, and 1 gasped for air as tears streamed down my face again. I dialed Dexter’s number frantically, but it went
straight to voicemail
He had just been with me a minute ago, saying he had to leave for some work at the office. He promised he’d pick up Juno. His voice, whispering in my car, sull lingered in my mind.
I thought. “How could I have known that just ten minutes later, I would witness such a cruel scene? He has brought that woman to the hospital”
In front of me, he’d played the part of the perfect husband, but when he was with her, he was the perfect lover–unable to even wait until evening before things heated up.
My phone rang—it was Clara. “Sylvia, did you get the
medicine?”
I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, “Almost there.
I hung up, glancing at the time. No wonder Clara had been pushing me– hadn’t even realized how much time had passed
-I’d already been gone nearly forty minutes. In the face of such a shock. I
I hurried back to Martha’s room with the medicine, got her to eat, and then took her for a short walk in the garden downstairs, followed by dinner. One thing after another, and by the time I stopped to catch my breath, it was already dusk outside.
My dinner was simple–a hospital–based meal with two vegetables and two types of meat. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to get me through. Dexter was supposed to pick up Juno and cook dinner for him, so I didn’t ask him to bring me food.
Clara sat across from me, picking at her food in small bites. She wasn’t really eating–her mind was elsewhere. But then again, neither was I. Thinking about the conversation I’d overheard earlier, I decided to just ask straight out. “Clara, you know I’m your real sister, right**
She looked up at me, puzzled. “Of course, Sylvia, she replied, then seemed to realize something and quickly added, “I shouldn’t have kept Mom’s condition from you. Please don’t be mad at me. Don’t blame me, okay? Her eyes were already welling up with tears.
I shook my head. Tim not mad, but there’s something I need to ask, and you have to be honest with me,”
My tone was serious, and she seemed to sense it. She slowly set her fork down.
“Dexter who is the woman he’s seeing” I didn’t beat around the bush anymore. It was better to get to the point.
Clara’s eyes went wide in shock. She opened her mouth as if she’d been struck. “Sylvia…”
“If you still see me as your sister, then you’d better tell me the truth. I can let the past go, but don’t treat me like a fool I sakl, trying to keep my voice even. Hut my hand was clenched so tightly, my lingernails had left deep impressions in my palm.
Clara hesitated for a few seconds. “You already know?”
coine out of a hotel
“Sylvia, I didas maram to hide this from you,” Clara said, her voice trembling. “I found out by accident… that day, I saw Dexter coin
“It just se
happened that our school had a field trip, and I was staying at that same hotel, so I ran into them.” Clara spoke in broken phrases,
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