Chapter 99
Chapter 99
Doris still went to the hospital to take care of Peyton.
Lewis dropped her off at the hospital and said before leaving. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Okay.” Doris waved at him.
She went upstairs and entered the ward.
Inside, only Peyton was there, lying on the bed with her eyes closed–she seemed to be asleep.
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Hearing someone coming, Peyton opened her eyes. At the sight of Doris, there was a look of surprise and unexpectedness in her gaze. She thought Doris was too angry to come again–after all, it was already this late.
“Doris, you… you came.” A smile surfaced on her face.
“Yep.” Doris responded with a simple sound. “Have you eaten?”
“I ate earlier. Your dad bought me food before he left.” Peyton propped herself up against the bed.
Doris nodded again.
There seemed to be no more topics between them, and the vibe grew colder.
Peyton knew that what happened today had hurt Doris and pushed her heart even further away.
“Doris, I’ve decided to go through with the surgery. I already had your dad talk to Dr. Zain.” Peyton watched Doris carefully for her reaction.
“Alright.” Doris‘ tone remained indifferent.
“Doris, please don’t be mad, okay?” Seeing Doris‘ cold response, Peyton felt a pang of sadness.
“I’m not mad,” Doris denied. “Go to sleep. I’m going to rest too.”
Doris lay down on the accompanying bed beside the hospital bed, pulled up the blanket, and turned her back to Peyton.
Looking at Doris‘ back, Peyton suddenly felt a deep sorrow. “Doris, I know you’re angry. All these years, we’ve always favored Rupert, giving you far less attention.
“We’ve even forced you to do things you didn’t want to, making you take on responsibilities that weren’t yours. But what could I do? He’s your brother, the son of the Reed family.
“He never liked studying. He barely managed to get into a community college, and even then, he’s not capable.
“Unlike you and Laura–you’re girls. If you don’t have the skills, you can still marry well. As long as you choose the right husband, you’ll have a lifetime of security.
“But if we don’t put in extra effort for Rupert, what will he do on his own? Don’t blame your brother–if you must blame someone, blame me.
“This time, I’ve hurt you, and I’m sorry, Doris. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but don’t be angry at yourself. It’s bad for your health. Doris, I… I do care about you.”
Peyton choked up, her vision blurring as she murmured into the air.
Doris didn’t respond. She just silently closed her eyes. Her raven–colored lashes trembled slightly. She bit her lip gently, and
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Chapter 99
crystal–clear tears quietly rolled down from the corners of her eyes, trailing down her cheeks.
“Go to sleep.” Peyton lay back down again.
Laura had been taking care of leyton during the day. In the afternoon, she picked up Arianna from school and returned to the Webb residence.
“Sweetheart, go play for a bit. Mommy is going to make dinner.” Laura stroked Arianna’s head.
“Okay.” Arianna obediently went upstairs.
“Laura, you actually remember to come home? A furious voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
Just as Laura turned around, a slap landed squarely on her face, catching her completely off guard.
Laura stumbled, a burning pain spreading across her cheek. She looked in confusion at Sofia, whose face was twisted with
rage.
“What right do you have to hit me?” Laura suppressed the pain and questioned her.
“Laura, you spend the Webb family’s money, eat the Webb family’s food, sleep in the Webb family’s house, yet you keep running back to your maiden family every day. I told you to take care of Chloe, but instead, you go back to care for your mother? Are you deliberately defying me?”
Sofia unleashed a barrage of unreasonable accusations.
Doris said, “I told you my mother was injured and hospitalized. As her daughter, of course, I had to take care of her.”
“Your mother doesn’t just have you as a daughter. She still has your sister and brother to look after her–why do you have to play the hero? If nothing else, your father is still there.
“Besides, a married daughter is like spilled water. Your duty now is to take care of the Webb family and Chloe.” Sofia was completely unreasonable.
Laura smirked and turned her gaze to Chloe, who was standing beside Sofia.
Under Laura’s scrutiny, Chloe felt uncomfortable and moved closer to Sofia.
Laura said, “Yes, you’re right. A married daughter is an outsider. Since Chloe is married to James, she belongs to the Harkin family. The Harkin family should take care of her. Why should I be responsible for looking after her? I have no obligation to do so.”
Laura straightened her back. “If you’re worried about your daughter not having anyone to take care of her during pregnancy, you can do it yourself. That way, you’ll be completely at ease.”
“Laura, you’ve really got some nerve.” Sofia was fuming at Laura’s rebuttal, her anger boiling over. “My daughter is not someone you can compare yourself to.
“When you married Matteo, your father demanded a wedding gift. We gave you 560 thousand dollars as a wedding gift.
“That wasn’t marrying off a daughter–it was selling one! Since we ‘bought‘ you into the Webb family, you have to serve us, including my daughter. If you don’t want to, then return the wedding gift money and get out of the Webb family. We won’t support a useless woman here.”
Laura’s lips pressed into a tight line. Right now, she didn’t have the means to leave with Arianna. She had no financial foundation and no job. She couldn’t even support herself, let alone give Arianna a good life.
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“Alright, starting tomorrow, I’ll find a job and support myself. I’ll leave everything at home to you‘ Laurs were domy with She was still young, and she didn’t want to be a housewife for the rest of her life.
When Arianna started kindergarten, she wanted to go out and find a job, but the Webb family was against ir
Matteo also persuaded her for a long time. For him, for this family, Laura gave in. Now, after dedicating so much fese and effort to this family, sacrificing herself, she still didn’t get the respect she deserved.
Sofia constantly scolded her for freeloading at home, wasting money. It was like trampling all over her dignity
“Laura, you’ve really grown some guts, huh? I’ll beat you to death. Sofia, furious, grabbed the cane beside her and swung in toward Laura.
This time, Laura didn’t let Sofia have her way. She reached out and caught Sofia’s raised hand in mid–air
Sofia struggled. “Laura, what do you think you’re doing? Let go of me!”
“My body was given to me by my parents. You have no right to hit me. Using Sofia’s struggle as leverage, Laura showed her.
Sofia staggered backward, and Chloe quickly caught her to steady her. “Mom, are you okay?
Then she turned to Laura, reprimanding her, “Laura, how can you treat Mom like this? She’s your elder
“So just because she’s an elder, she gets to be unreasonable, twist the truth, and talk nonsense?” Laura’s gaze was sharp as the stepped forward, closing the distance.
Sofia’s eyes widened. “What? You want to hit me now? Go on then. I’ll fight you to the end?”
“What are you all arguing about? I could hear the noise from outside.” Matteo walked into the living room, frowning, and saw the confrontation between Sofia and Laura.
“You’re finally back. Laura’s gone crazy,” Chloe pouted, looking pitiful.
“Son, this wicked woman is trying to kill me! You came back just in time. Otherwise, your sister and I wouldn’t have survived the night.” Sofia clung to Matteo, wailing.
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