08:51 Sat, 15 Feb
Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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My hand shook, and my phone almost slipped out of my grip. I quickly turned off the screen, forcing myself to act casual as I turned around. “What are you doing here?”
“My mom’s here,” Dexter said, his tone still as warm as ever. “I asked her to stay with Juno at home, but I wasn’t comfortable leaving you alone at the hospital overnight, so I came to keep you company.”
I was surprised. “She arrives so soon?”
“When she heard about your family’s situation, she couldn’t just stay home. Plus, it’s been a while since she saw Juno. She’s been missing her grandson,” he added, smiling. His gaze landed on my phone. “What were you doing just now?”
“The ward was stifling, so I stepped out for some air. The signal’s awful in the hallway, so I was just scrolling through a forum while waiting for the signal to improve… and then you showed up,” I lied, mixing in a bit of truth.
Noticing my tired expression, Dexter pulled me into a gentle hug. “You’ve been working so hard, babe. Once Mom’s out of the hospital, you’ll get the rest you need. I’ll take care of things at home.”
I shut my eyes, the images from just hours ago still fresh in
my mind.
“Dexter, when you left the hospital today, were you alone?” I asked, testing the waters.
“Yeah,” he replied, his face calm.
There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in his eyes. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would’ve never suspected him of lying.
“Really?”
“Silly, what are you thinking? I was alone. I didn’t bring you with me, did I?” He smiled wider, but there was something in his gaze–something I couldn’t quite read—that made me uneasy.
I nodded and tried to play it off. “I’m fine here. You should head home now.”
I still hadn’t checked the email from the hotel, and my anxiety was eating me alive.
“I’ll stay a little longer,” he insisted. “I’ll leave by ten.”
Reluctantly, I followed him back to the room.
With Dexter there, Martha seemed more at ease. He did everything–fetching water, washing dishes, cleaning up. The only things he couldn’t help with were the more personal tasks, like helping her shower or go to the bathroom. But other than that, he was all in.
Martha’s attitude toward him softened. I lowered my gaze, trying to hide the tear that threatened to fall.
At ten o’clock, I saw him off.
As I watched the car drive out of sight, I quickly pulled out my phone to check the email again.
But as soon as I looked at it, my heart stopped–I wasn’t holding my phone! It was Dexter’s! My phone must’ve been taken by him. My heart raced, pounding in my throat.
Dexter knew my phone’s lock screen password. I thought, ‘If he unlocks it and sees what I’ve been searching… everything will be exposed!‘
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Chapter B
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At that moment, I regretted everything. I thought, I shouldn’t have gotten us matching phones. They look so similar, and it’s so easy to mix them up. This wasn’t the first time it had happened.
Before, I thought it was cute, like a symbol of our bond. ‘Who else keeps using matching phones after all these years and with a kid? But now… I felt nothing but cold.
I immediately dialed Dexter’s number, praying he hadn’t seen anything. The phone rang, several times before he picked up.
When the call connected, I was about to speak, but then I heard Dexter’s voice faintly on the other end and it sounded as if he were far away. His words were muffled but clear enough to make my stomach drop,
“What do you want me to do? I’ve already told you, I can’t just let her go.”
“Enough. Don’t ever show up in my life again.”
“Yes, this is my decision. I don’t regret it.”
My heart was pounding in my chest. I thought, ‘Is he telling the other woman it is over? Is he finally choosing to come back to his family? But as I listened, there was no relief, no joy–just a cold, heart–wrenching sadness.
The call ended. I was the one to hang up.
I called a cab and headed straight home, slipping the driver some extra money to speed up. Just as Dexter’s car pulled up in front of our building, I stepped out of the cab at the exact same moment.
“Sylvia?” He looked surprised to see me.
I gave a quick smile and walked straight over to the passenger side door. Sure enough, my phone was right there on the seat. I grabbed it, slipped it into my bag, and handed him his phone.
“So I picked up the wrong one again. I swear, I’m hopeless.” He laughed awkwardly. “Why didn’t you just call me? I could’ve brought it back for you.”
“I did call,” I replied casually. “But when I picked up, I couldn’t make out a word you were saying. If the hospital hadn’t registered me with my phone, I wouldn’t have bothered. Your phone works fine.”
I shrugged nonchalantly. “By the way, can you reimburse me for the taxi fare?”
For a moment, Dexter looked flustered, but he quickly composed himself. “Of course. Whatever you need.”
I turned to leave, but he called after me. “Sylvia, let me take you back to the hospital.”
“No need,” I said, “Is this really fun for you, going back and forth like this? Go home and be with our son. I’ll be back tomorrow morning. It’s Saturday, after all. He doesn’t have school, and I can spend the whole day with him.”
He sighed in relief. “Alright, I’ll bring you breakfast tomorrow and pick you up to take you home.”
I waved goodbye to Dexter and took a cab back to the hospital.
In the car, I couldn’t wait any longer. I unlocked my phone… the page that had been stuck earlier reappeared, and at that moment, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders–thank goodness, Dexter hadn’t checked my phone.
I refreshed the page, and when the email appeared, my heart began to race. I scrolled down slowly, each line making my
heart beat faster.
The hotel check–in date was from over a year ago, at 3:15 PM. I kept scrolling, and finally, I reached the most important line
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Chapter 8
-the name of the guest.
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But when I saw the name, I froze, thinking, ‘How can this be?‘ The name on the hotel record was my name. It was written in black and white, crystal clear: Guest Name: Dexter, Sylvia.
A sharp pain shot through my chest, and everything went black for a moment. The lead I had been so desperately chasing had just slipped through my fingers.
I almost laughed bitterly at myself. I thought, ‘How can I have been so naive? Dexter, such a smart man–how can he have left such an obvious trail behind?‘ Looking at the absurd combination of names on the page, I almost wanted to slap myself.
‘Calm down, Sylvia. Don’t panic!‘ I took deep breaths, trying to steady myself.
Finally, I arrived at the hospital. I stumbled out of the cab and made my way back to the ward.
Martha was lying in bed, getting ready to sleep. Seeing her pale face, I couldn’t hold back the tears that welled up in my eyes.
When she saw me like that, her expression softened. She quickly tried to comfort me. “Sylvia is the best. Why are you crying? You’re not a child anymore. Didn’t the doctor say? My condition might be complicated, but it’s treatable.
“You and Dexter are doing well now. You’ve built a solid life in the city. So, what’s there to worry about? I’m not scared, so why should you be?”
I pressed my hands to my face, feeling the weight on my chest grow heavier. Finally, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Mom, if… I mean, if Dexter and I got divorced, what would you think?”
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