Chapter 20

In the hospital room, Vanessa sat alone by Katrina's bedside and poured her a glass of warm water. She then carefully peeled an apple. Katrina watched her trying to avoid eye contact and chuckled. "What's this? You dared to fall for Harris, but now you can't even look me in the eye?" The long apple skin snapped, and Vanessa cautiously glanced up to meet Katrina's gaze. To her surprise, there was no trace of anger in them. "Mom, I…" Katrina said with a smile, "You know, when I first brought you home, I did think about arranging a marriage between you and Harris. But in the end, I decided to respect both of you. If you liked each other, I wouldn't interfere. If not, I wouldn't force it. It seems now that it just wasn't meant to be." Vanessa's eyes reddened. On the way to the hospital, she had prepared countless explanations and braced herself for the worst. Yet Katrina wasn't angry; instead, she offered comfort. "But why…" By conventional standards, a sister harboring feelings for