Chapter 30
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…”
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Chapter 30
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 1 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?
“Don’t forget, if it weren’t for my son still having feelings for you, sticking up for you, with everything you’ve done, I would’ve never let you off the hook!”
She glared at me and threw the trash bag at my feet. “Hurry up and take it out!”
I glanced at Dexter, who was standing by the study door. He didn’t even look at me. He just turned away and muttered, “It’s not a big deal, Mom just wants you to do something.
“It’s only taking out the trash; it won’t kill you. Why make things difficult for the elders?”
I sneered. Clearly, he’d forgotten all about Kimberly’s gambling debts. I lowered my head. “Fine, I’ll change and do it.”
Kimberly, pleased with my compliance, hummed a little tune as she went to the living room to watch TV.
I changed quickly and crouched down to look Juno in the eyes. “Baby, I’m your mommy. Mommy’s going to take you away from here now. Do you want to come with me?”
Juno stared at me, his large eyes full of confusion.
After a moment, he asked softly, “Are you really my mom?”
“Of course, I am. Do you remember how I used to tell you bedtime stories every night? If you come with me, we have to be quiet and leave without anyone knowing, okay?” I held out my pinky. “Let’s make a promise.”
Juno hesitated for a moment, then wrapped his small pinky around mine. He had agreed.
I tossed the small bag out of the window and quietly opened the door, signaling Juno to sneak out and wait by the door.
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Chapter 30
ས དཱི 83%ཊྛཾ
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Juno was light on his feet, moving silently. He soon hid by the front door. Only then did I calmly step outside, carrying the
trash.
Kimberly gave me a glance. “So slow. Can’t even do something simple like taking out the trash.”
I deliberately ignored her and quickly walked past, opening the door. Juno, quick and nimble, darted out.
Just as I was about to follow, Dexter called out behind me. “Wait.”
My heart skipped a beat. I turned around, trying to stay calm. “What is it? Can’t you just say everything at once?”
“Bring me a pack of cigarettes… Actually, never mind, I’ll go with you to buy them,” Dexter said as he walked over.
My heart nearly stopped. I was terrified he would find Juno.
“You smoke now? Looks like being with that woman has changed a lot of your habits.” I couldn’t resist mocking him.
Dexter frowned slightly.
The door was still open, and I hadn’t lowered my voice, so if a neighbor happened to come out, they’d hear everything loud and clear.
Dexter was all about appearances. His private life might be a mess, but he always tried to look perfect in front of others.
Seeing my sharp tone, Dexter sighed. “Mom’s just looking out for you.”
Kimberly added, “Yeah, if you don’t want to take out the trash, I’ll do it. Heaven forbid we make you, the princess, do something.”
I gave a cold laugh. “What brand?”
Dexter, sensing my compliance, answered, “Just get me a random pack.”
I walked out, expressionless, and slammed the door behind me.
With Juno in tow, I went downstairs to the flower bed where I had tossed the bag earlier. I grabbed it, hailed a cab, and headed straight to Martha and Clara’s place.
When I arrived, Martha was shocked. “What happened this time?”
“Mom, don’t worry. Listen to this recording first,” I said, sending the recording to Clara’s phone before taking Juno to my
room to rest.
Juno seemed much more settled now, holding my hand tightly and not wanting to let go. I held him close, gently patting his back to lull him to sleep, just like I used to. Finally, Juno fell asleep.
My phone lit up. It was a call from Dexter. He had figured out that Juno and I were gone. I ignored it and blocked his
number.
With that done, I walked out of the room. In the living room, Martha was staring blankly, and Clara looked furious.
“Did you hear everything?” I asked coldly.
“My God, Dexter is with another woman?” Martha could hardly believe it. After all, Dexter was her son–in–law—she immediately recognized his voice.
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08:55 Sat, 15 Feb
Chapter 30
Clara was livid. “He promised me he’d cut ties with that woman for good! How could he still be doing this?”
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