Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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1 stepped forward and yanked the covers back.
At first glance, I froze. The person sleeping next to Dexter wasn’t the woman I expected–it was Juno. Juno must have worn himself out playing, because he was curled up in bed, hugging a big stuffed dog. From the outside, he looked almost like an adult.
Dexter rubbed his eyes, still half–asleep. “Honey, you’re back?”
His voice pulled me back to reality. I swallowed my emotions. “I… just came back to get something”
I tried to act nonchalant as I tugged the stuffed dog out of Juno’s arms. “It’s getting cold. Don’t let our son sleep with such a big toy–he might catch a cold.”
“I know, I was careless,” Dexter quickly apologized.
I thought, ‘See, he’s always like this. Whatever I say, he agrees without question. Any suggestion I make, he follows it to the letter.‘
I hurriedly opened the wardrobe, pretending to pack, and asked without turning around, “By the way, where are the slippers I left by the door?”
“Juno got some sauce on them by accident, so I took them to wash.”
I walked over to the balcony, and sure enough, my slippers were hanging on the drying rack. Everything seemed so normal, yet the only thing that felt out of place was me…
I took a deep breath, grabbed the things I’d packed, and started heading to the hospital. But Dexter stopped me. “It’s late. Just stay here and sleep.”
“No, Mom’s still at the hospital.”
“The caregiver we hired is there, right? She’s on 24–hour duty. Why can’t my wife even get some rest at home?” Dexter’s insistence made me hesitate.
After seeing that photo, I really didn’t want to be apart from him for too long. Especially not on a night like this, full of unspoken tension. I just wanted to stay by his side. Without thinking it over too much, I agreed.
The three of us–Dexter, Juno, and I–ended up sleeping together. Juno was in the middle, with Dexter on one side and me on the other.
Surrounded by love, Juno was so happy. But at that moment, I had no idea this might be the calm before the storm.
The next morning, I was jolted awake by my phone ringing frantically.
“Sylvia, where are you? Mom’s condition suddenly took a turn for the worse, and they’ve rushed her into the ER. You need to come now!” Clara’s voice was shaking, her panic almost uncontrollable.
My mind went blank. I quickly sat up. “I’m on my way. You sign whatever needs to be signed, I’ll be there soon.”
I threw on some clothes, washed up quickly, and rushed out the door.
Dexter followed me, still trying to give me advice. As I got into the car, he shoved the bread into my hands. “Don’t worry, leave the medical stuff to the professionals. Trust the doctors.”
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Chapter 6
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But I couldn’t focus on what he was saying. My mind was entirely on Martha. Regret flooded over me. Why have I stayed home to rest last night?‘
Martha had worked so hard her whole life. I thought, ‘After Dad passed, she is the only close family I have left. How can I leave her when she needs me the most?
When I reached the hospital, Martha was still in the ER.
Clara grabbed my hand as soon as she saw me and broke down in tears. “Sylvia!”
I held her tight, my own heart a tangled mess. But I couldn’t fall apart. If I did, Clara wouldn’t be able to keep it together either.
“Don’t worry, I’m here, Mom will be fine…” I kept repeating the words, sounding like I was comforting Clara, but deep down, I was trying to reassure myself.
We waited outside the ER for over two hours before Martha was finally brought out, stable.
“Dr. Norman, how did this happen to Martha?” After we got her back to her room, I couldn’t wait to ask.
“There was an issue with her diet. Who’s responsible for her meals?” Jeremy, wearing a large mask that covered his face, spoke in a neutral tone.
“I am,” I said quickly. “But I’ve checked everything–I’m sure the food was fine.”
“The patient had an allergic reaction. You’d better double–check before you’re so certain about what you’re saying,” Jererny replied sharply. “Your mother’s condition is already critical because of her chronic kidney failure, and she’s already lost a lot of time with treatment.
“If you, as her family, aren’t careful, no matter how skilled the doctors are, it won’t matter.”
With that, he walked off. I was left stunned. ‘An allergic reaction? I thought Martha’s sudden decline was due to kidney failure, but that might not have been the cause after all?‘
I called the caregiver to ask for details. It turned out that in the middle of the night, when Martha got hungry, the caregiver had bought her some lobsters. The problem was… Martha was allergic to lobsters.
“How could she have eaten lobsters? She knows she’s allergic,” I said, baffled.
The caregiver, realizing her mistake, spoke carefully. “Maybe… maybe the smell was just too tempting, and she couldn’t resist. It really did smell amazing. Honestly, it didn’t even smell like lobsters.”
I called the restaurant that had sold the dish, and after getting some details, I started to piece things together.
All of this had made Martha even weaker. An allergic reaction could be deadly on its own, and with her already fragile health, I didn’t know how much longer she could hold on.
After everything that had happened, I made up my mind. From now on, if it was my turn to stay the night, I wasn’t leaving her side. Not for a second.
Around noon, Dexter came by to bring me some food. When he heard about Martha’s condition, his brows furrowed in concern. “How could this happen… this is really serious.”
“Yeah, I’m thinking of getting a fold–out bed to stay here,” I said, my voice tired. “The doctor said her treatment might take longer.”
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Chapter 6
Dexter gently patted my back. “Okay, I’ll go get one right now.”
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He came back soon after with the fold–out bed, setting it up with blankets and making it as cozy as possible. He even added a faint, pleasant scent. “I bought a perfume to help you relax and sleep better,” he explained.
“That’s thoughtful of you,” I said, though my words felt bitter in my mouth.
If it weren’t for everything that had happened before, I would never have believed Dexter capable of betraying me. Every action of his, every gesture, seemed to paint him as the perfect husband.
With Martha so seriously ill, maybe I didn’t have the time or energy to investigate his infidelity…
Just as I was about to speak, Dexter interrupted. “I’ve already called my mom. She’ll be here tomorrow to help take care of Juno. That way, I can stay with you at the hospital tonight.”
I was stunned. “Your mom’s coming?”
“Yeah, we need the extra help at home, and we’ll both feel better with her looking after Juno.”
Dexter kissed my forehead. “Honey, I can’t bear the thought of you being alone here.”
In an instant, tears filled my eyes, and I choked up. No matter how much my rational mind told me to stay calm, at that moment, emotions completely took over. I collapsed into his arms and cried like I couldn’t stop.
Later in the evening, I went to the pharmacy to get Martha’s medication. The pharmacy was on the other side of the hospital building, and walking through, I passed the parking lot exit.
I hurried past, but as I glanced over, I noticed a car at the exit. Inside, a man and a woman were kissing, wrapped up in each other…
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