“Get out of here! Just get out!” Ranita pushed Brendon away with all her might, screaming at the top of her lungs.
The commotion caught the attention of a nurse who poked her head in and said, “You two can argue outside if you want, but don’t disturb the patients.”
Ranita’s eyes were red and swollen. She turned away, wiping away tears as she walked off.
“What happened? Did Brendon do something to you?” Jedidiah asked anxiously when he saw Ranita’s tear-stained face. He felt a tightness in his chest.
Jedidiah pursed his lips and silently led her to buy a cup of hot coffee.
“Drink up!” After a pause, Jedidiah sighed. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine… but no matter what happens, I’ll always be on your side.”
Ranita looked at Jedidiah with hoarse voice and said softly, “Brother… I actually married Brendon before.”
Her heart was pounding as she spoke; she thought it would be simple enough to tell him but now sweat was running down her back.
“That bastard! I knew I should have hit him harder!” Jedidiah was so angry he almost threw his coffee cup across the room. “I’m going to go find him right now!”
“Don’t go! All I want is for Ayaan and me to live peacefully,” Ranita replied calmly. As for any grudges or grievances between them, there will come a day when she will settle accounts with certain people herself.
Seeing how calm Ranita appeared despite everything made Jedidiah grit his teeth, “How could you keep something this big from me? And after all these years that I’ve been covering for you too?”
“I’m sorry! I just didn’t want to cause trouble for anyone else,” Ranita had already moved out from under the Bowman family household registration; strictly speaking, she wasn’t part of the Bowman family anymore. The Bowman family had done enough by raising her, and she didn’t want them involved any further.
“Ranita! If you say that, I will be sad!” Jedidiah paused and continued, “You did well. Since you’ve already separated, there’s no need to meddle together. The children of the Bowman family will be raised by us.”
“If Brendon misunderstands that I’m someone you like, then let him misunderstand,” Jedidiah said, pressing his lips tightly, with a cautiously inquiring look in his eyes, unsure whether it was bitterness or joy.
“Jedidiah, I’m sorry for causing you trouble! The situation was chaotic at first, and my claim about liking someone was just an excuse. I didn’t expect Brendon to misunderstand…”
“Ranita, do you really like someone?” The sudden question almost made Ranita spray her coffee. She had sweated a bit earlier, and her wet clothes were sticking to her back, making her nose feel ticklish.
Ranita awkwardly squeezed out an innocent expression to Jedidiah, “Jedidiah, no… I don’t like anyone…”
“We’re all adults now. It’s normal for you to like someone. Can’t you tell me?” Jedidiah smiled and said.
Ranita felt even more guilty, afraid that Jedidiah would really go and confront Brendon if he found out about her secret crush on him. Jedidiah had always been very fond of her.
“Really, I don’t. It’s just an excuse,” Ranita sighed. “It was all just a series of coincidences… Let’s not talk about it. Let’s go back; Ayaan is waiting for us!”
Halfway there, Jedidiah received an urgent call. He greeted Ayaan and left.
“Mommy, why doesn’t Uncle come to see me?” The little one held Ranita’s hand and blinked softly, asking with big eyes.
“Which uncle? Uncle Pearson? He said he’ll come by later. Don’t worry, Uncle Pearson likes you the most,” Ranita comforted the little one, not expecting the child to shake his head, “No, not him. I meant the other Uncle Brendon!”
“Even though he can’t be my new dad, he’s like a firefighting hero, and I like him,”