As though nothing had happened, Anthony swirled the wineglass in his hand slowly. The light shone on him, illuminating his lips that curved up slightly.
“You just hurt your daughter’s feelings, but you don’t feel upset at all,” I joked. Turning at my shoulder, I finished the wine in a gulp.
Anthony reached out to take the wineglass from me before placing it on the coffee table out of my reach. Mirth shone in his eyes as he replied, “Why should I be upset? Can’t you see how delighted I am?”
“Delighted?” I repeated, dumbfounded.
Do all men think bullying girls is a way to show their love?
“Anthony, you should take lessons to learn how to be a good father.”
Summer was still a child, so he shouldn’t express his feelings and expectations to her as though she were an adult. His harsh actions might backfire on an adult, let alone a child.
“Seriously? I don’t have to learn how to do that,” said Anthony smugly. “Didn’t you realize Summer has chosen us?”
“Did she?” I couldn’t understand what he was talking about. “But neither of you mention Jared, right?”
“Yes, we didn’t.” Anthony looked up and sipped on his wine. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed the wine. His lips stained red, he answered slowly, “Summer decided to stay silent when faced with a choice of defending Jared or go against us. No one urged or forced her to make that decision.”
He paused to study me momentarily as the smile on his lips broadened. “That means we are more important than Jared to her. Shouldn’t I be happy that she has prioritized us?”
I wasn’t sure how to react. His words seemed to make sense, but not at the same time. More accurately, it was a bet, and Anthony had emerged as the winner.
“If that’s the case, does Jared still have to leave?” I asked.
Anthony’s expression changed at my words. There was only less than a mouthful of wine in his glass, but he still swirled his glass stubbornly. It reflected his current emotions.
“Yes, why not?” Anthony stared ahead. “But I’ll do Summer a favor by sending him to the villa in the countryside. He can’t live nearby.”
His gaze turned sincere, and I couldn’t help but get anxious.
“After Marcus’ matter is dealt with, stop interfering in other’s business. Spend more time at home with the kids. They are still young, after all,” he uttered.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t touched. However, he was too sincere to make me take his words seriously. “Are you sure I’ll be spending time with the kids instead of the kids’ father?” I teased.
Anthony chuckled softly. “I’m just benefiting from the kids.”
As the new year was approaching, everyone seemed to be in a festive mood. The streets were lit up with decorative lights.
Yet, the hospital remained white as it had always been. The smell of disinfectant lingered in the air, and there was a depressing air about the place.
After making the preparations, I went to the hospital and asked for a wheelchair. I then wheeled the wheelchair to Marcus’ ward.
From afar, I spotted Camelia at the door, observing the situation in the ward through the glass panel. I was surprised to see a smile lighting her face gently.
Sensing my arrival, she turned to look at me before her gaze returned to the skinny man in the room. “He’s in great condition today.”
“Really?” I smiled. Hopefully, we would only receive good news from now on. “Look, he’s getting better. If something happened to you back then, you won’t be able to see this.”
Camelia lowered her gaze and said nothing, but the sad air about her was already gone.
I pressed on the door handle before halting in my tracks. Turning back, I asked, “I’m planning on bringing Marcus out so he can get some sun. Want to join us?”
Camelia shook her head instinctively. “No. He won’t want me to join you both.”
Perhaps that was what Marcus wanted. She was right to put the patient’s wish as a priority.
However, I thought we shouldn’t treat him like a patient. Perhaps he’d give us a surprise like what happened yesterday. Persuading Marcus to eat didn’t work, but taking the opposite approach did the job.
“If you don’t try, you’ll never know,” I said as I walked behind her and subtly pushed her forward, encouraging her to wheel the wheelchair into the room.
Marcus had already heard all the commotion outside, and when we entered, he was staring at us disgruntledly. Still, I could tell that he wasn’t lashing out because Camelia was there as well.
I winked slyly at Camelia. See? I told you he wouldn’t say no.
Of course, Camelia was overjoyed. She hadn’t been anywhere near Marcus for a long time and even seemed to be nervously blushing as we got closer.
Just as I had thought, Camelia was still the girl who would risk anything for true love. She was always somehow both passionate and reserved in front of the person she loved, just like how I had remembered her to be.
Seeing as she was completely stunned by her nerves, I had to approach Marcus and help him get up.
“What do you want?” Marcus protested weakly.
“We’re going out for some fresh air!”
“I’m not going.”
I acted as if I couldn’t hear his protests and turned around, asking Camelia for help. “Camelia, help me out here. I can’t support both of his arms at once.”
Camelia stood still for a minute as she absorbed my words before nodding and walking forward.
She had barely touched Marcus when he shoved her away. “Don’t touch me!”
Camelia stood there in shock at the words he had just said. Frozen, she looked as if someone had just drenched her in cold water.
A gust of anger suddenly welled up inside me, and I pushed Marcus firmly. He was still recovering, so he couldn’t help but stumble backward onto the hospital bed. If he hadn’t been supporting himself with both arms, he would already have fallen over. Then, he glared at me as he slowly sat back up.
“Don’t look at me like that,” I said angrily. “None of us here owe you anything, especially Camelia! You left her alone and mistreated her. How dare you shout at her like that after everything you’ve done?”
“Sienna, please don’t. I’m fine.”
Camelia reached out to stop me as she defended Marcus weakly, but I pushed her hand away gently. “Not now, Camelia.”
I turned around to look at Marcus, who was still sitting there looking frail and sorry for himself. I felt myself get even more annoyed just looking at him.
Was every sick person like this? Would they all feel the need to project all of their pain and remorse onto the people around them before they felt at ease?
Since resigning myself to his poor attitude clearly wasn’t making the situation better, I decided to stop caring so much.
I looked at both of them and reached out again. This time, I forcefully pulled Marcus onto the wheelchair.
I didn’t know where my sudden burst of strength came from. Perhaps Marcus had truly lost more weight than it seemed because he got dragged onto the wheelchair with ease. Camelia jumped in surprise before hurrying over to support him so that he could actually sit upright.
“Let’s go,” I said sternly. My tone left no room for any arguments, and I opened the door after throwing that command behind me.
Marcus was panting heavily, but he couldn’t do anything about it. His dark brown eyes stared at me from within their deeply-set sockets as if trying to bore a hole through my face.
I looked away and reminded Camelia, “Don’t just stand there. Get a blanket to cover his legs with, and let’s go. The doctor said that some sun could help replenish his calcium, remember?”
Camelia finally came back to her senses and quickly laid a blanket over Marcus’ legs before pushing the wheelchair out.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.