On the floor below, in the general ward, the atmosphere was tense.
Charlotte had been crying ever since she woke up, her tears only pausing to hurl accusations at Hugo. She called him a liar and a cheat, lamenting that not only had she not received the promised dowry, but she had also been subjected to endless blood tests, which surely wasn’t good for the child. If anything happened to the baby, it would all be his fault!
Unbeknownst to Hugo, Charlotte wasn’t actually pregnant. Lysander hadn’t shared this crucial bit of information with him. So, Hugo stood there, taking her verbal assault without any defense, only trying to appease her with soft reassurances.
I promise I’ll figure something out, he murmured.
What could you possibly figure out? Charlotte snapped back, her anger flaring. The Montgomery family humiliated me, and you’re nothing but a useless coward!
The memory of past humiliations fueled her anger, and she slapped Hugo hard across the face. Just as she was about to strike again, her phone buzzed with an incoming call.
The number was unknown, but it distracted her from her rage. She quickly gathered herself, got out of bed, and despite her legs still feeling weak, she managed to walk towards the door, her resentment towards Mila simmering beneath the surface. In her mind, it was all Mila’s fault that Lysander had taken her blood, and that Hugo’s sister wouldn’t even give them a million dollars for the dowry. If not for Mila, she wouldn’t have fainted from the blood loss. Her hatred for Mila was palpable. One day, she would make her pay.
With clenched teeth, Charlotte pushed Hugo’s hand away and stormed out of the room. Don’t follow me! she ordered.
Hugo, touching his swollen cheek, sighed and returned to his seat, holding a bowl of nourishing soup that had spilled a little. Lately, Charlotte’s temper had been more explosive than ever, and he blamed himself for not getting what she wanted.
Even his sister, who was well-off, refused to help with the dowry, leading to this whole mess and leaving him with bruises. His parents had never even dared to hit him like this!
…
As Eugene descended the stairs, he noticed Charlotte stepping out of the ward with her phone, heading towards the stairwell. His curiosity piqued, he followed discreetly.
Once inside the stairwell, Charlotte closed the door behind her. Eugene pressed his ear against the door, catching snippets of her heated conversation.
Why does Giselle get to have… I deserve it too…
The divorce would be even harder to finalize.
…
Eugene returned to the hospital room, handing Mila a detailed breakdown of the hospital charges.
Thanks, Mila said, readying her phone to transfer money to Lysander’s account. But then she noticed Eugene’s troubled expression.
What’s wrong? she asked, curious.
Eugene hesitated, then took a deep breath. Sis, something happened when I went downstairs to the billing desk. I’ve been thinking it over, and I feel I need to tell you about it.