"Mommy!"

In the hospital room, Jenna's eyes, big and bright like marbles, squinted into joyful slits as she hugged the gift Sherilyn had just unwrapped for her a limited edition Minnie Mouse plushie. "Thank you, Mommy! I love it so much!"

"Are you really happy, Jenna?" Sherilyn asked, her voice laden with affection as she gently stroked her daughter's hair.

"Yeah! Super happy!"

Seeing her daughter's beaming smile filled Sherilyn with a joy so profound she felt like crying. But she didn't want to tear up in front of Jenna, so she just smiled broadly.

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy."

Joyce came over with a glass of water, "Here, drink some water. You came straight from the airport, right?"

She knew Sherilyn was coming today and had made a point to rush over from her department.

By the way, Joyce was a resident doctor at the hospital and a PhD candidate at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine.

That's why she could take extra care of Jenna.

And it was also why Sherilyn could leave for Sunhaven with peace of mind.

"Joyce, I really appreciate everything you've done during this time."

The words were simple but heartfelt, something Sherilyn felt she had to express.

"Ah," Joyce chuckled and nodded, "Just accept my help without feeling guilty."

"Right," Sherilyn replied with a laugh.

That's just how Joyce was-despite being the one offering help, she never made others feel indebted or lesser.

"Sherilyn."

Joyce took her hand, glancing at Jenna playing with her new toy, and whispered, "William couldn't make it today, but I've got some news. The surgery is being scheduled, probably in the next couple of days. William will notify you soon."

"Oh!"

Sherilyn's hand flew to her mouth, her eyes quickly filling with tears.

"You must be relieved."

Joyce understood exactly how she felt. "Jenna's condition isn't life-threatening..."

But a successful surgery could vastly improve her quality of life. "Our Jenna is going to have a bright future!"

"Yeah." Sherilyn's eyes were red as she nodded, unable to speak.

That night, Sherilyn stayed with Jenna until she fell asleep before leaving.

The day before the performance, Gilbert was discharged from the hospital.

Charles asked him, "Mr. Gilbert, should I book a flight for tonight or tomorrow?"

"Why book a flight?" Gilbert paused as he dressed.

"Huh?" Charles was confused. "To go back to Sunhaven."

"Oh." Gilbert closed his eyes in annoyance. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Let's delay our return by two days."

"Why?" Charles didn't understand.

Gilbert smiled lazily. "We came all the way to Crestwood and just stayed in the hospital. Shouldn't we relax a bit?"

Relax? Charles was surprised.

Their frequent flying was hardly a secret. Wasn't it always for business? And yet, Gilbert never mentioned relaxing before.

"Tomorrow, I'll take you to a performance."

This...

"Sure." Charles was puzzled. "What kind of performance?"

"Contemporary dance."

Charles knew it.

The next evening, Gilbert, having dressed up, took Charles to the performance. The venue was hosted by RED Dance Troupe-the same place that had once tried to suppress Sherilyn. Gilbert thought to himself, Sherilyn had indeed had her moment of triumph.

As the showtime approached and the theater filled up, a sudden 'bang' echoed from backstage!

"Ah!"

"What's happening?"

Panic ensued throughout the hall.

From their VIP box, Gilbert stood up abruptly, having heard the commotion as well.

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you replace any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report