Chapter 3

When I limped to the hospital to get myself a cast, the doctor wondered why no one was accompanying me. "Miss, did you come here by yourself? Why didn't you bring a relative?" Just as I was about to answer, I heard two nurses gossiping as they passed by the entrance to the room. "Mr. Ford spoils his wife so much. He summoned all the specialists in the hospital for her. He even booked an entire floor to ensure that no one could interrupt her rest." "You didn't see the panic on his face when he brought her to the hospital. He looked like he was going to die if anything bad happened to her." "Their children, grandchildren, and even their children's spouses refused to leave her side. They were all so worried for her." Seeing the lack of messages and calls on my phone, I smiled bitterly at the doctor. "I don't have any relatives." The doctor looked at me sympathetically and gently comforted me. Suddenly, someone kicked open the door. Jeffery rushed into the room with a furious expression and grabbed my arm. "Jessica lost too much blood. She needs a blood transfusion. Both of you have the same rare blood type, so donate your blood to her." Seeing how frail and thin I was, the doctor frowned. "Ms. Glade is in poor health. She shouldn't be donating blood." Jeffery scoffed and said, "Jessica got injured because of her. She needs to take responsibility." "But there's a high chance Ms. Glade will die from the procedure!" "Then let her die!" In the end, they forcefully dragged me into the operating room. I watched as the doctor transfused a liter of my blood into Jessica's body. … Jeffery didn't visit me again for the next three days, staying by Jessica's side the entire time. Similarly, my children and grandchildren only visited Jessica's ward. On the fourth day, I was finally discharged from the hospital. I ran into Jeffery and Jessica when I was paying my hospital bills. Jeffery carefully held Jessica as she walked. He treated her like a fragile treasure. My children, their spouses, and my grandchildren trailed behind them, helping them carry their belongings and checking up on Jessica now and then. When Jeffery spotted me, he paused and walked up to me. "Since we've already divorced each other, you shouldn't stay at our home. You should pack up and leave the house today." I nodded without hesitation. "Okay." Jeffery was shocked by my quick response. My indifference made him feel as though he was about to lose something. He was about to speak again when Jessica suddenly held her head and cried out, "Jeff, my head hurts!" Jeffery immediately turned away from me to check up on Jessica. The others also held their breaths worriedly. I ignored them and left the hospital. I started packing my luggage after I got home. Despite staying in this house for 30 years, my belongings weren't even enough to fill two suitcases. The entire house was filled with the things I had meticulously placed for Jeffery and the kids. I pulled out a metal case from under my bed. It was filled with gifts from Jeffery. Inside was a fake rose worth five dollars and a can tab, along with the album that recorded the growth of my children and grandchildren. I wrapped them up and tossed them all into the trash. Jeffery walked in on me doing so. He frowned. "I only asked you to move out—you didn't have to throw them out. We're going to remarry anyway." I didn't even spare him a glance. "They're old and useless. I'm throwing them away to clear up space." Jeffery sensed something was off, but his phone buzzed when he was about to speak. It was a message from Jessica. He suddenly recalled the reason he returned home and told me, "Jessica was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer. "At most, she'll only have one month left to live. She wants to see the snowy mountains of Gryndale before her death, so the kids and I are taking her there." Saying that, he paused and looked at me hesitantly. "We're already divorced. "Outsiders will make wild speculations if I bring you along, so you should stay behind. I'll take you wherever you want after I get Ford Group back in order." I shook my head. "You don't have to." "What did you say?" My voice was too soft for Jeffery to hear clearly. I smiled. "It's nothing." I just wanted to let him know that there was no longer a future where we'd be together.