Since Melanie had taken Credence’s Maybach away, he had to hitch a ride in Marvin’s car. He leaned against the passenger seat with sunken eyes, and his face darkened.
When they passed the hospital Dorothy was in, Marvin deliberately slowed down. He turned around and asked Credence, “Credence, do you want to visit her?”
“No.”
Credence slowly opened his eyelids. He was wearing a black suit, and it matched the darkness in his eyes as if it was the last hour of darkness before dawn.
Marvin could sense a lingering pain from the dark aura that surrounded him. He was shocked and couldn’t help but ask, “Why not?”
“I’m the reason she almost had a miscarriage. She is still recovering from her surgery. If she sees me, she’ll just feel uncomfortable. This won’t be good for her physical recovery.”
Credence’s voice was hoarse and gloomy, but calm. It sounded as though he wasn’t the one who missed Dorothy day and night.
Marvin sighed. “Credence, if it weren’t for the fact that we’ve known each other for so long, I’d think that you’ve become a completely different person. You’ve always been so decisive in the past. When did you become so hesitant?”
“It’s probably because I’m in love with her.”
Credence narrowed his eyes, and his lips curved into a faint smile. His smile was soft, and it almost dazzled Marvin’s eyes.
He said, “Marvin when you fall in love with a woman, you’ll love her. You will respect her opinions because of your love for her. You will always want her to be happy. You will feel fear because of love.”
“Now, I won’t be using my power and determination to make her stay with me. I just want her to be comfortable and free. I’ll let her follow her own mind, she can do whatever she wants.”
“If I continue to ignore her needs and wants, and force her to stay by my side as I always do, I’d only be pushing her further and further away.”
“Therefore, once I’ve resolved this issue with Melanie, I’ll consider seriously pursuing her again, like how an ordinary man would. We’ll have all kinds of normal experiences, I’ll get her back.”
He felt the warm autumn sunshine as he rolled down the car window. He stared at the window of Dorothy’s ward, with a gentle look in his eyes.
When Marvin saw this, he took out his mobile phone and searched the Internet for ways to romantically pursue a woman.
After the web page returned some results, he tapped on a link and handed it to Credence, “If you want to experience the disenchanted hustle and bustle of the secular life, then you should start with this.”
Credence glanced at the first line of words. It stated that he had to take her to a merry-go-round. His face instantly darkened.
He was already in his thirties, was it appropriate to take Dorothy to the amusement park and ride the merry-go-round?
Credence looked up at Marvin and spoke in a disinterested tone. “Turn left at that intersection and head to the Scott Manor, the one where my father used to live.”
If they were to go to the Scott Manor which was on the other side of town, the journey would take at least three and a half hours. This was already the best estimate that excluded traffic delays.
Marvin was aware that Credence was purposely making things difficult for him because of his suggestion. But since he couldn’t beat Credence in an argument, what else could he do?
Marvin told himself that he wouldn’t tease a man who wanted to seek revenge over the smallest of grievances. He put on a serious face and drove silently.
…
On the morning of the second day, Dorothy woke up because of a sharp pain she felt in her stomach.
She wasn’t fully awake from her nightmare yet. She felt intense pain from her abdomen, it was twitching.
It’s been nearly two months since she was pregnant. She wasn’t sure if this was because she almost had a miscarriage. She had been in immense pain for several days, especially this morning. The pain was so bad that she woke up from her nightmare.
“Baby, please, you have to be alright.”
Dorothy’s eyes turned red. She endured the heart-wrenching pain and clenched her teeth. She grabbed a few pieces of tissue in her hand and slowly inserted them inside her loose pants and gently cleaned her nether region. After that, she took it out and had a look at it. Luckily, it wasn’t stained with red blood, and her anxious heart eased a little bit. She let out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, there was no blood.
In such a tense situation, she figured she should inform the doctor immediately.
Dorothy could not help but wipe the cold sweat off her head. She stretched out her arms and pushed the call button on the bedside.
Just a few clicks of it was enough to drain away all of her strength. Layers of cold sweat drenched her pajamas and hair. She was sweating profusely, and she felt so hot that her face turned pale.
When Dorothy was first moved into this hospital, Juelz had specially informed the hospital to provide her with 24-hour care. He told them to use the best doctors, the best medicine, as well as the best service that they had.
Shortly after, a female doctor entered with medical supplies. Juelz rushed in from behind. He was nagging the doctor as he walked, “Dory is feeling uncomfortable, can you please hurry up?”
After walking into the ward, he continued to nag, “Don’t be so rough on her, be gentle, don’t scare Dory.”
So long as it came to Dorothy, he would become a nagging lunatic. The doctor had gotten used to it. She went straight to the bedside and asked her softly, “Miss Fisher, what’s wrong? Are you feeling ill?”
Dorothy was in so much pain that she clutched the sides of her bed. After using excessive force, her fingers turned white.
She frowned and took a deep breath. “Doctor, my stomach, it’s in great, great pain, but it’s not bleeding.”
When the doctor heard that she wasn’t bleeding, she relaxed. “Miss Fisher, please try to endure it for a while, I will do a full examination on you right away.”
“Okay.”
Dorothy was soaked in sweat as if she had been dragged out of the sea. From the corner of her eyes, she caught sight of Juelz’s shadow. She tried her best to force a gentle smile. “Juelz, you are here too? I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s just a little painful, I can handle it. I’m just a little scared, afraid that the child might…”
“Don’t say that. There are no ‘ifs’, Dory. With me around, there won’t be any ‘ifs’.”
Juelz bent down, tucked her sweaty hair that was on her face to the back of her ear and said gently, “Look at you, did you have a nightmare? What did you dream of? What made you so scared?”
Dorothy’s heart was filled with countless complicated emotions as if she was being crushed by a big rock. It was as tight as an iron bar, and she was almost out of breath.
She looked up at Juelz. Her voice was full of irrepressible pain. “I dreamt of Credence forcing me to abort my child for Melanie’s sake. This is the same type of pain I experienced seven years ago. It hurts so much. I can’t forget it, I won’t be able to forget it for the rest of my life.”
Juelz understood that she had many conflicting thoughts. That was why she had nightmares in the middle of the night.
In those four years of her marriage with Credence, he had abandoned her time and time again for Rosalie’s sake. Hence, this time, she feared that Credence would abandon her again for Melanie. That was why she was in such a panic.
She loved Credence, she loved him deeply. Credence, that damned man, just how lucky was he?
Juelz slightly narrowed his eyes and hid the sorrow in his eyes. He sighed, “Dory, your body hasn’t recovered yet. Don’t think too much. Right now, the most important thing to do is to cure Belle as soon as possible, so that she can be healthy and happy. Leave the rest to time.”
Those words seemed to have struck Dorothy and woke her up from her confusion and panic. She realized that nothing else was more important than that. Only her daughter’s illness mattered, which she should focus on.
After that, she smiled gratefully at Juelz, “Juelz, thank you!”
“Dory, you don’t have to thank me.”
Juelz moved his eyes from Dorothy’s pale lips to her teary eyes, but within her crystal pupils, he couldn’t see himself. His left hand which he hid behind his back clenched into a fist that was harder than a boulder.
She had never thought much of him, not to mention that aside from Credence, no other man had ever touched her heart.
However, none of that mattered.
As long as Credence continued to walk towards his demise, then she would one day take his existence seriously.
The female doctor massaged Dorothy’s stomach skillfully. After the pain was relieved, she checked the fetus’s heart and blood pressure. Looking at the clearly abnormal data, she frowned. “Miss Fisher, the baby’s heartbeat is slow. Also, your blood pressure is low as well, these will have negative effects on the baby. Try to eat plain food for the time being. Also, you should keep calm. I will come back to check on you tomorrow.”
Dorothy was in a daze. She really felt sorry for her child. Seeing how depressed she was, Juelz asked, “Should we do further examinations?”
“There are no signs of a miscarriage, there is no need for that for now. However, Miss Fisher needs to be taken care of all day and night, in case of other emergencies.”
Juelz found a clean towel from the bedside table and wiped the sweat off Dorothy’s face. He nodded and replied, “Okay, I’ll arrange it.”
When she was sure that she had finished checking everything, the female doctor excused herself and left the ward with her medical supplies.
After taking a few steps, a young man in a casual sports suit came over and flashed a handsome smile to the female doctor. “Hello, Doctor. The patient in this ward is Miss Dorothy, Mr. Scott’s wife, correct? May I ask how she is doing?”
The female doctor was confused. Since she was Mr. Scott’s wife, why was the president of the Sherman family taking care of her so intently? Why was he trying so hard to fulfill the duty of a husband?
But the young man’s smile was so dazzling, she was mesmerized. She told him everything.
“Thank you, Doctor. You are really a kind-hearted beauty that deserves to be loved by everyone.”
The young man turned around to walk towards the fire exit. He found a quiet corner and took out his cell phone to make a phone call.
“Hello? Mr. Scott, it’s me, Boden. I have some urgent news. Yes, it’s about your wife!”