Chapter 412
Andrew hadn’t left the hospital; he had been crashing in his office. Before hitting the sack, he made sure the nurse would wake him up the moment Josephine came to. He quickly threw on his white coat and hustled over. As he walked in, Evelyn was just stepping out.
Andrew moved in to check on Josephine, while Evelyn stood anxiously by the bed. Once Andrew wrapped up the examination, Evelyn couldn’t help but ask, “Dr. Nelson, how’s my mom doing?”
“She’s out of the woods and stable now,” Andrew said, letting out a big sigh of relief.
Behind them, a nurse discreetly ended a call she had been on and tucked her phone away. On the other end was Dahlia. After leaving the hospital the day before, she had barely caught a wink, waiting for news that the old lady hadn’t made it through the surgery. She was itching to see Evelyn fall apart, maybe even lose her mind. But to her surprise, the old lady had pulled through.
The whole mess had been a fluke. Dahlia hadn’t meant to reveal her hand. But losing the jade pendant, which ended up with the old lady, had thrown a wrench in her plans. Now that Josephine was awake and in the clear, last night’s events couldn’t be swept under the rug. If the truth got to Evelyn and Charles, Dahlia knew she was done for.
Dahlia grabbed her phone and tried calling Charles again, but his phone was still off. She was drowning in panic, feeling like a sword was hanging over her, ready to drop and shatter her world into pieces.
…
Back at the hospital, Andrew advised Josephine to rest before heading out. Josephine, still feeling frail, watched Evelyn come closer. Holding Evelyn’s hand, she struggled to voice a truth she had realized before blacking out. “Eve, there’s something I need to ask you,” she managed to say, her voice weak.
“Mom, whatever it is, let’s talk about it when you’re feeling better,” Evelyn softly reassured her, knowing rest was the best medicine right now.
“I’m fine,” Josephine insisted, gripping Evelyn’s hand tightly and locking eyes with her, showing her determination.
Evelyn knew her mom’s stubborn streak; just like when she refused surgery, even with Charles using it as leverage over her.
“Evelyn, could you please step out and get us some breakfast?” she asked the nurse, prompting her to make a quick exit.
“Of course,” the nurse replied, leaving the room.
With just the three of them left, Josephine didn’t mind Adam being there. She turned to Evelyn and asked, “Eve, is Charles giving Dahlia special treatment because she’s his ‘ideal love’?”
Evelyn wasn’t sure why her mom brought this up, but seeing her serious look, she didn’t hold back and nodded. “Yes, Dahlia is Charles’s ‘ideal love.’ He searched high and low for her and, once he found her, put all his trust and favoritism in her.” swnovel
This was the part that Evelyn hated and felt powerless against. The title
of ‘ideal love’ had turned Charles into
Dahlia’s
hlia’s biggest defender. As Charles had put it, with him around,
Evelyn couldn’t touch Dahlia.
swnovel
Josephine’s suspicions were confirmed by Evelyn’s response. Dahlia had indeed used Evelyn’s jade pendant to impersonate her. Charles had mistaken Dahlia for Evelyn shifting his promises and affections from Evelyn to Dahlia, hurting Evelyn and Charlie time and again. swnovel
Josephine’s chest rose and fell with emotion. “Mom, are you okay?” Evelyn asked, worry etched on her face.
Taking a deep breath, Josephine steadied herself. “Eve, where’s Charles? Call him over. I need to talk to him.”
“Call him now!” Josephine’s tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
Adam chimed in, “Godmother, Charles is in the room across the hall. I’ll go get him right away. Please, stay calm.”
Understanding that Josephine’s urgent request meant something serious was up, Adam quickly left to fetch Charles.