On the eve of Eva’s surgery, Rosalind opted to stay by her mother’s side at the hospital instead of staying at Tilda’s house.
Rosalind understood that despite Eva’s outward strength and bravery, it was inevitable for her to feel some fear. After all, the upcoming surgery was invasive.
“The doctor mentioned that the success rate of your surgery is very high. You’ll likely be discharged in ten days to two weeks,” Rosalind said, trying to provide her mother with some comforting news.
“I’m aware. The head surgeon discussed it with me yesterday,” Eva replied. Due to the surgery, she had to fast and remain in bed, limiting her movements and even restricting her water intake. “You need not worry about me, I’m more concerned about you.”
As Rosalind gently wiped her mother’s arms, she paused momentarily. “There’s no reason for you to worry.”
“You two obtained your marriage certificate but haven’t had a wedding yet! Is Malcolm deceiving you? Legally, you’re married, but perhaps he’s involved with other women behind your back,” Eva expressed her greatest fear, influenced by her own past experiences. Naturally, she worried that her daughter might endure a similar fate.
“He won’t,” Rosalind assured her, fully aware that her mother had a skeptical view of all men.
“I believed the same when I was young.”
“…”
“Look at you, you’re just like I was back then! No, I need to talk to this man again, and his parents must come as witnesses,” Eva declared, reaching for the phone.
Rosalind promptly intervened, stopping her. “It’s late, what are you doing? People need their rest!”
“It’s only seven o’clock! Besides, I want to inconvenience them and test the sincerity of the Hines family!” Eva insisted, her approach and ideas always catching Rosalind off guard.
“If you persist like this, my marriage will face problems even if there weren’t any.”
Fortunately, Malcolm was merely a pretense. Once her mother’s surgery was over, the charade would come to an end as well! If she were genuinely married, no man could tolerate her mother’s unpredictable behavior.
In fact, this was the underlying reason why Rosalind had avoided relationships all these years.
She didn’t desire to entangle a normal person in this dysfunctional family environment.
“Are you blaming me again?” Eva expressed her displeasure. “Rosalind, think about it. Every action I take is for your sake. I’m your mother, and I fear you’ll be deceived as I was!”
Rosalind sighed. “I understand you’re doing this for my well-being. How about this: after your surgery, when my project at work is nearly complete, I’ll receive a bonus. I’ll repay the money and then… divorce him.”
By “him,” she meant Ulric.
“No way!” Eva immediately rejected the idea. “You’ve just gotten married, you can’t simply get a divorce!”
“Don’t you think that if two people are constantly plotting against each other, it’s better to be single?”