“That night, I suggested seeking help after Sienna fell into the pit. The plantation is huge! Besides, I was never good at directions. After I got lost in the wilderness, a heavy downpour began. When I returned to camp, I saw that you have returned. Due to my exhaustion, I decided to retire to my tent!” Tessa defended herself confidently.
Yet, Nora burst out in laughter upon hearing Tessa’s excuse. “Why don’t you tell me who brought Sienna back?” she asked in a voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Who else could it be?” Tessa jolted in shock before she replied, “I heard your voice when I was in my tent. I missed the specifics of your return!”
Nora laughed humorlessly. “Earlier, you claimed that you saw us when you returned. Now, you are saying that you were in your tent when we arrived at camp and missed our arrival. Tessa, you are a hypocrite!”
“You…”
“Stop it!” I interjected, “It’s no longer important!”
“However, what do you think would have happened if Nora did not find Laurel and me? The mountain is prone to landslides. If something happens, we would have been in grave danger. Have you ever thought about the consequences of your actions?” I asked Tessa solemnly.
Tessa hung her head in shame as she remained silent.
“Tessa,” Tabitha called out, “I think it’s best if we stopped contacting each other. Although I do not understand your actions, I cannot befriend a person with such malicious intentions. Let’s pretend that we’ve never met! You should take good care of yourself!”
“Amongst friends, I understand that we should be forgiving. Yet, you’ve crossed the line this time. I’ve always regarded you highly! Today, I’ve finally realized your true colors!” Laurel added.
“Sienna, you are using other people for your own sake again!” The mortification on Tessa’s face shifted into fury. “How disgusting!” Tessa said as she swept a resentful gaze over everyone.
“You must be proud of yourselves! However, I’m not the villain here! Instead, Sienna is the one that you should be accusing! Look at her! She has remained silent the entire time whilst everyone speaks on behalf of her!” Tessa cackled.
I scowled at her remark. How annoying! She is distorting the truth to her advantage!
“Leave!” Nora ordered coldly, “This is your last warning! You should stick to your own lane and stop your antics! If you don’t, there’s no guarantee that I won’t lash out.”
“Do you think that I’m afraid of you? You are nothing without your family’s help! How pathetic!” Tessa scoffed haughtily.
After her last statement, she left the ward without another word.
Nora would have leaped to her feet in anger if it weren’t for Tabitha’s restraint.
After Tessa’s departure, the mood around the room seemed to drop. After all, we had all experienced the same hardships. Tessa’s betrayal left everyone emotional.
As Tabitha and Laurel had matters to attend to, they decided to leave the hospital. On the other hand, I chose to remain and keep Nora company.
“Where did Armond go?” Nora asked when she realized his absence.
“After you got into the accident, all projects in Lavelian Village have been put to halt. He must have a lot to deal with because of these continuous incidents. I don’t think he can visit you so often,” I told her.
“That’s true. He hasn’t slept a wink last night! In addition to his workload, he must be under tremendous pressure!” She nodded in agreement.
“You should nurse yourself to health before taking care of him,” I advised her with a gentle smile.
All of a sudden, Nora turned to me with a sly gleam in her eyes. “Armond told me that you moved in with Anthony? What happened last night? Did the two of you sleep together?” she teased cheekily.
This woman had such a dirty mind! “How can you think of such stuff all the time! Are things between you and Armond smooth sailing?” I replied.
The topic of their relationship seemed to put a damper on her bright mood. “Would you believe me if I said that we are platonic lovers?”
A little astonished, I said, “You’ve never gone to the hospital?”
“I’ve suggested it many times, but he always refuses.” She shook her head. “He was alright in the beginning, but his condition gradually got worse. I thought it could be a psychological issue. However, I’m not familiar with his past, so I couldn’t ask him.”
“Well, you could try asking Linda. She’s been working under Mr. Murphy for a long time. She should know something useful about Armond.”
She hummed, deep in thought. “Do you think he might have been in love with a girl who later left him, traumatizing him and causing him to become unable to love? Why else would such a rich, handsome bachelor of his age still be unmarried and have no woman by his side?”
“Do you not count as a woman?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Um… I meant prior to me!”
“You should really consult Linda directly about this.” When trying to solve a problem, you had to start at the possible source of it.
Changing the topic to focus on me, she leaned in conspiratorially. “I take it things are going well with Anthony?”
I sighed. “I’m not too sure what I should do from now on, actually. So many unexpected things have happened. I continuously rejected Anthony and pushed him away because I think I’m not good enough for him. But I can’t deny the fact that I love him, and I miss him, and he will always be the first person I instinctively go to when I’m in trouble. I also know that no one on this earth will ever love me as much as he does.”
“You know what, Sienna?” She rested her chin in one hand. “I’m envious of how persistent Anthony is towards you. I used to imagine what kind of man I would meet in the future. He doesn’t have to be wealthy or especially outstanding, as long as he’s truly, madly, and deeply in love with me. Too bad it didn’t turn out that way in the end. Although, to be honest, I know all too clearly that Armond may not love me a lot, and neither do I love him a lot. I’m sure the both of us understand that we’re expendable to each other.”
That was the first time that I had an insight into Nora’s perspectives on love. Her opinions somewhat surprised me but hadn’t been completely unexpected.
After a moment of silence, I spoke up, “I was lucky to have met Anthony. Even though I have been through a lot in the past several years, I’ve never since experienced the hesitation and aimlessness that I felt after first leaving Anthony. I think I can now confidently say from the bottom of my heart that no matter what, he and I are destined to be together.”
“That’s exactly why I envy you. I’ve never been in love. When my classmates started dating in middle school, I thought they were too immature and that I was too good to get myself involved with them. Everyone seemed to be falling in love with other people left and right at university, too. I guess it was fate that I never found anyone compatible even after graduating from university. I was so wrapped up in my own loneliness until I met Armond. He was the very definition of the Prince Charming that I’ve been dreaming about all my life—wealth, power, and good looks! But now, I’m learning that maybe, just maybe, he isn’t all that I made him out to be.”
“You only think that because your relationship with Armond is progressing too smoothly,” I reassured her. “You had a subconscious belief that dating such a great guy would bring about suffering and pain and hurt, but none of that happened. You just naturally and peacefully got together, and that makes it seem all the more unrealistic to you.”
“That sounds about right.” She nodded. “He’s way out of my league. In the beginning, I’ve thought up countless methods to try and make him fall for me because I thought it would be a painstakingly long process, but I never expect things to happen so easily.
“Maybe it was because we got together so easily that I ended up thinking, if I met another handsome, fine man one day, I would eventually fall in love with him, and if he met another proactive girl who took the initiative to pursue him, he would eventually fall for her too. These thoughts just kept bothering me so much that my mundane daily life with Armond started feeling more and more like it was just a dream, with no sense of security nor belonging.”
“Have you ever thought about whether he would stay with you if you weren’t Channing Oberick’s granddaughter?” I smiled softly.
“Of course he wouldn’t!”
“So, you both understand deep down that you are actually the most compatible partners. The Oberick family has clout, and the Murphys have wealth. He knows that you’re not like other girls. Other women may only like him for his fortune, but you didn’t. You genuinely fell in love with him and think he’s a good person, and you want to be with him. That kind of marriage is the most blissful, simply because you both like each other.”
Tilting her head to one side, she was rendered speechless. After a long pause, she sighed, “Whatever. I can’t wrap my head around this anyway, so I’m just going to stop thinking about it!”
Glancing up at the clock, she asked me, “Don’t you plan on heading back soon?”
It was indeed getting quite late, but I didn’t want to leave her alone in the hospital ward. “I’ll stay with you tonight. What do you want for dinner?”
“What if Anthony gets mad at you for not going home?” She fretted instead, making me laugh.
“It’s fine. He knows where I am.”
I stood up and was getting ready to go downstairs to the hospital’s convenience store when the door suddenly opened.
It was Armond, clearly tired and carrying a large plastic bag of food and various snacks in his arms.
“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?” he said to me. “I’ve brought a lot to spare, so have some before you leave.”
I was stunned at the sight of him. Did he rush all the way back here just so he could make sure that Nora is well-fed?
Nora’s face immediately broke out into a bright smile when she saw him, tugging on my arm. “Don’t go just yet, Sienna! At least eat with us first!”
Armond nodded in agreement, taking out the items from the bag one by one. “Linda recommended me Northern City District’s seafood, so I specially made a detour to buy some. I also got some soup for you.”
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.
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