Too Much to Bear, My Love Chapter 174
Olivia shook her head.
Owen held her in his arms and said gently, “Olivia, let me take you to get something to eat. We don’t know when Amelia’s surgery will end. After the surgery is done, you still need to take care of her, so you will need your strength.”
Olivia hesitated for a while but nodded her head eventually.
The two of them then left. Tiffany, who had her back against the wall and her head lowered, asked impassively, “Oscar, if Amelia miscarries the child, are you going to divorce her?”
Oscar tensed up instantly. He balled his hands into fists so hard that his knuckles turned white, and his veins popped.
He answered coldly, “Amelia will be fine.”
At that, Tiffany’s lips curled into a mocking sneer.
“Oscar, you have no idea how precious this child is to Amelia. If she loses this child, she will break down completely, and your marriage will be on the rocks,” said Tiffany. She paused before continuing, “The police have already said that this accident was man-made. Amelia mostly stays at home; she doesn’t go out much. She does not have any complicated interpersonal relationships. No one would hate her to the extent of harming her and her child. Therefore, you know clearly who caused all this to come about.”
Oscar raised his arms and tugged his hair. His eyes were shifting uncertainly, and his lips tightened into a line. It was unclear what was running through his mind.
Tiffany glared at him as she gritted her teeth and spat, “Do you know what I really want to do now? I really want to kill you! Back then, I should have just accompanied Amelia to go around borrowing money instead of letting her marry you. Throughout the five years she was married to you, she changed from a carefree girl to what we see now. From her appearance, one would think that she was a foxy vixen. But who would have imagined that deep down, she was pure and innocent! Ever since she fell in love with you, she had no interest in any other man. But you! You had unclear relations with so many other women! I really do feel sorry for Amelia. Now you got what you wished for. She got into a car crash. We don’t know whether she and her child will survive. Are you happy now? You can run off into the sunset with that lover of yours.”
Holding his forehead in his hands, Oscar didn’t say a word.
His silence angered Tiffany even more.
She rushed over and kicked his shins with all her might. She then shouted angrily, “Say something! Why are you pretending to be mute now? Your wife and child are inside! We don’t even know if they will survive!”
The man remained silent.
Tiffany was more enraged upon seeing him not speak, and she kicked him even harder.
“Oscar, you coward! If you really felt nothing for Amelia, you shouldn’t have done all those things to lead her on. You made her fall in love with you, but you keep getting entangled with another woman. If I were Amelia, I would hate you to death!”
Yet, Oscar was still silent.
Tiffany kept kicking him until she herself felt that it was meaningless due to his lack of response. She landed one last kick on him after coming to that conclusion on her own. Before she could retract her leg, a furious female voice shouted at her, “Hey! What’s up with you? How could you hit someone like a lunatic over here?”
As soon as the sentence flew out, Tiffany was heavily pushed aside.
She staggered for a few steps before regaining her balance. Her eyes soon focused, and she saw that it was none other than Stephanie.
Stephanie held Oscar’s hand anxiously and asked, “Oscar, are you alright? Why didn’t you fight back when this woman was hitting you? Have you gone mad?”
“I’m fine,” responded Oscar nonchalantly.
Stephanie grew flustered. “I saw from afar that this woman was hitting and kicking you. How can you be fine? Oscar, you are the most capable and most invincible person in my eyes. How could you just stand and let a woman hit you?” she demanded.
With a frightening look in his eyes, Oscar lifted his head and stated, “Steph, be quiet.”
Seeing her brother like this, Stephanie felt unbelievable.
She growled out in exasperation, “Oscar, when have you become such a coward? You even chose to keep quiet at this woman’s bullying. Are you still the brother I respect?”
“Shut your mouth,” Oscar lowered his voice and scolded with a disgruntled expression.
Stephanie finally quieted down reluctantly.
Looking at Stephanie making a fool out of herself, Tiffany felt sorry for Amelia.
Amelia was fighting for her life in the operating room, yet her sister-in-law was dressed to the nines. Stephanie did not look like a person who was here to visit somebody. Instead, she looked as if she was attending a party.
It was unfortunate, having a sister-in-law like this who treated her with utter disrespect. Tiffany could imagine Amelia’s hardship while living with the Clintons.
Tiffany crossed her arms and mocked, “Dear Ms. Clinton, do you know that your sister-in-law and nephew or niece are still in the operating room, fighting for their lives? You look as if you are about to go attend a party. Do you wish for your sister-in-law and her child to not make it?”
Upon hearing that sharp remark, Stephanie shot Tiffany a vicious glare. The former then scoffed with disdain, “Whether Amelia makes it or not is none of my business. Who knows whether the child is really legitimate? I would say good riddance if it’s gone. She’s just an unworthy and insignificant woman. If she’s dead, it will be convenient for my brother to marry another woman.”
Tiffany chuckled humorlessly. She had never encountered a woman who spoke so hatefully. Stephanie’s words could really drive a person up a wall.
The woman didn’t stop there. She went on to ask, “I heard Amelia was in a car accident. Did she die?”
Tiffany could feel her blood begin to boil.
She was about to tear that condescending smirk off Stephanie’s face, but someone else beat her to the draw. Smack! Oscar had raised his hand and slapped his sister. The force of the slap whipped her head to the right.
Stephanie was dumbstruck for a few minutes. She could only look at Oscar with widened eyes full of disbelief.
Watching from the side, Tiffany felt cathartic. However, she winced from imagining the pain that must be shooting up Stephanie’s face. Men were strong. It would be lucky if a direct slap like that did not lead to hearing loss.
Stephanie put down her arms. The handprint that was now on her left cheek was glowing red, and her cheek was beginning to swell.
“Oscar, did you just slap me?” Stephanie asked with incredulity.
Her brother looked at her icily and uttered one single word, “Apologize.”
Stephanie could not comprehend anything. She did not even realize what she had done was wrong.
“Amelia is your sister-in-law. The child in her belly is your nephew or niece. If anything happens to them because of what you said, I will not forgive you.” Oscar looked at his sister as he uttered every single word frostily.
Seeing the look in his eyes, Stephanie took a step backward with fear.
“Apologize,” repeated Oscar.
Stephanie was scared silly, but she could not back down due to her ego.
“What I said was the truth. Once she dies, you can marry Cassie. No matter how I look at it, Cassie is way better than Amelia, who is a total nobody.” Stephanie retorted stubbornly with her chin raised.
Oscar raised his hand once more. However, his sister held her head high and continued her speech with a mixture of anger and fear. “Oscar, even if you beat me to death, I will still say this. Amelia is no good for you. She does not deserve you. Cassie is the only one for you.”
Oscar’s hand stopped midair, and the look in his eyes shifted unpredictably. At long last, he lowered his hand and growled, “Get out!”
Stephanie was so shocked that she stumbled backward.
“Oscar, you’re chasing me out?”
“Anyone who does not welcome my wife and child is not welcome to me,” growled Oscar faintly, but anyone could see the truth in his words.
He was dead serious.
Stephanie bit her lips, feeling undecided. Ultimately, she realized the gravity of the situation and lowered that proud head of hers. “Oscar, I’m sorry,” she said.
“I’m not the one you should be sorry to.” In other words, he meant that she needed to apologize to Amelia.
Stephanie had never experienced such an amount of humiliation in her life.
She hesitated.
Without looking at her, Oscar ordered, “Steph, go home. Do not appear before me for the time being. I cannot guarantee that I won’t hit you again.”
As Stephanie struggled to extricate herself from the situation, Olivia’s voice chimed in at an opportune moment. “What’s going on?” she asked.
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Stephanie secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Olivia and Owen walked over. Stephanie threw herself into her mother’s arms and cried, “Mom, Oscar hit me.”
Olivia felt the tension build in her forehead, and she let out a deep sigh. “Steph, cut it out. Your sister-in-law is still in the operating room.”
At that comment, Stephanie felt even more aggrieved, so she let go of her mother. She sobbed, “Mom, you only care about Amelia. When are you going to remember that I am your daughter? She is just an unrelated outsider!”
Olivia’s head continued to throb slightly. She frowned and said, “Steph, that’s enough. Amelia is still fighting for her life. I have no time to put up with your tantrum. If you’re bored, go home and wait for the news. Also, what’s this you’re wearing? Your sister-in-law got into an accident, and you dressed up so gaudily. Are you trying to let everyone know that you are hoping for something bad to happen to your sister-in-law and her child?”
Stephanie shrieked, “Mom, you are too biased! I hope Amelia dies in this accident! You wish to hold her child? You will only get your wish in your next life!”
She placed a hand on her face and left after saying that.
Olivia was so angered by her daughter’s comment that her chest hurt. She held onto her chest, finding it hard to breathe.
Owen looked sullen. He held Olivia in his arms and stroked her back tenderly.
Tiffany felt that the day had truly been a mess. Amelia’s accident was already worrisome. At such a dire time, Stephanie just had to stir up even more trouble and make the situation worse.
She sighed, “Mr. Clinton, I think you better let Mrs. Clinton sit down to rest.”
Owen followed her suggestion and led Olivia to a bench, asking her to sit down.
With a gloomy expression, Oscar crouched down and asked with concern, “Mom, are you alright?”
Olivia soon exhaled a breath and felt a tad bit better.
She looked toward Oscar and said, “Don’t mind your sister. She has been spoilt rotten by us. That’s why she says what’s on her mind bluntly, without a care for the feelings of others.”
Oscar pursed his lips silently.
His mother sighed helplessly. Feeling unsettled, her chest started to ache again.
“Dad,” said Oscar, “You should take Mom home to get some rest. I will keep an eye on things here. We do not know when Amelia’s surgery will end. Everyone staying here and waiting blindly is pointless.”
Immediately, Olivia shook her head and said, “There’s no need. With Amelia in this condition, I would not be able to rest even if I went back. I am better off staying here. As long as Amelia is fine, it doesn’t matter if the child is lost. Both of you are still young. You can still have children later on in life.”
Tiffany was listening intently at the side, and warmth filled her heart at those words. These were the most comforting words she had heard all day. She felt glad for Amelia, learning that her previous efforts were not simply brushed aside.
Oscar did not say anything. He straightened himself and looked at the doors of the operating room silently. His thoughts were indecipherable.
