Chapter 706 Enough Torment
It had only been less than five days since Amelia Winters stayed in Saspiuburg, and she had already witnessed Eleanor experiencing symptoms such as headaches, hair loss, and diarrhea. The fact that Eleanor was losing the thick locks of hair she had taken great care of was horrifying for Amelia. The latter could not even bring herself to look at Eleanor’s head.
Amelia knew hair loss was a common symptom for leukemia patients. No matter how thick a patient’s hair was, it would still gradually fall off, and they would end up bald. Even so, she never thought Eleanor would become like that, too.
Amelia was utterly heartbroken when she saw Eleanor suffering so much from the headache.
Eleanor’s head hurt badly, and much of her hair had fallen. Though she was lying weakly on the bed, she still comforted Amelia, “Lia, I’m fine. I’m only having a headache from eating too much yesterday. You and Oscar are flying back today, right? You should get going then. Don’t delay your work because of me. Remember to pay me a visit whenever you’re free. I’ll go through the treatment for you. Don’t worry. I won’t die so soon. I want to help you take care of your children, after all.”
Amelia’s eyes reddened.
She choked, “I told Oscar to cancel the tickets already. I also told him to get his friend, who’s an expert in neurosurgery, to come over and be your attending doctor. You’ll be fine.”
A smile appeared on Eleanor’s pale face.
She caressed Amelia’s face and said lovingly, “Okay. I’ll do everything you say. I’m sure I’ll recover one day. I’ll never let anything happen to me so easily when I still want to carry my grandchildren.”
Amelia nodded.
“Won’t your work be affected if you and Oscar stay in Saspiuburg?” Eleanor asked concernedly.
“It’s still fine for Oscar. He listens to his subordinates reporting remotely every day upon returning to the hotel. Besides, he has many capable people working for him. The company’s operations will be fine with him gone for a while. As for me, I’m thinking of quitting. I’ll consider working again once you’re better.” Amelia could not help but feel she was “connected” to the hospital. Things were happening to the people around her one by one, and she had to visit the hospital every now and then. On top of that, she often applied for leaves, which was unfair to Shane. Hence, she would rather give up her position and give it to someone capable.
“Is it because of me?”
“It’s nothing like that. The Clintons are not in need of my salary. Besides, I haven’t worked for five years since I married Oscar. I returned to the workforce because I was too bored. And now, I have a perfect excuse to quit my job and take care of you,” Amelia said with a smile.
Eleanor said nothing in response.
After coaxing Eleanor to sleep, Amelia stepped outside to call Shane about her resignation.
However, Shane rejected her request immediately, “Amelia, I don’t approve of your resignation. Since Mrs. Hutton is sick, I’ll give you a six-month leave. You can resume your work once you’re back. I’ll keep your position as the director of the design department for you. You’re a talented person. I don’t want you to give up on a job you like so easily. You’re really talented in designing, you know?”
“Shane, I know you’re doing this for me, but my mom’s in an unpredictable condition. I don’t know when I can return. Besides, I might need to travel between Tayhaven to Saspiuburg. I won’t be able to carry out my responsibilities at work. It’s a waste of money hiring someone like me who can’t perform at their work. There are many talented people out there. You don’t need to hold on to me,” Amelia said rationally.
“Bah. That’s enough. Just think of it as me doing this so I can still rely on Mr. Clinton. Surely you know I’m a petty person who loves power? I’ll definitely keep this position for you. You’re extremely talented in designing, so don’t give up on it. I really hope you can show off your skills to the entire world one day,” Shane said confidently.
In truth, Amelia never thought that far ahead. If she had, she would not have chosen to work full-time after getting married to Oscar. Amelia did not have lofty aspirations. All she wanted was for her family to be alive and well. Yet, for some unknown reason, some people saw her as a vixen who liked seducing other men.
Sometimes, people enjoyed judging a person’s qualities based on their looks.
“I’ll hang up now. I’ll continue talking to you about work once my mom’s condition has stabilized. I’ll return if you still need me by then.”
“You’re welcome to come back anytime. In fact, I’d be worried if a pretty lady like you leaves. That way, I won’t be able to rely on Mr. Clinton anymore.”
“Shane, you’re not that kind of person. Stop pulling that act already. I’m hanging up now.” With that, Amelia ended the call right away.
Meanwhile, Shane chuckled into the phone. He enjoyed being Amelia’s colleague, for it made him feel relaxed. On top of that, he did not have to worry about her taking his words to heart, no matter what he said.
After hanging up, Amelia returned to the ward. Seeing Eleanor was still sleeping, she whispered to Oscar, who was carrying Tony, “Oscar, why don’t you take Tony back to Tayhaven first? I’m sure Mrs. Clinton misses him already.”
“It’s fine. I’ll get Hugo to take Tony back in two days. I’ll stay here with you.”
“Won’t your work be affected?”
“I didn’t spend so much money to hire them to do nothing.”
Amelia smiled.
She pondered for a while and changed the topic. “When is James coming over?”
“He’ll be reaching in the afternoon, but he recommends us to send Mom to Tayhaven. The hospital there has all the most advanced equipment he has prepared. Although Saspiuburg’s facilities are quite good, he thinks it’s not better than his.”
Amelia chuckled. “He’s still as confident as ever with his medical skills.”
Oscar said nothing and merely patted her head.
During the afternoon, Eleanor’s head hurt again, and she vomited all the food she consumed. She did not seem to be in good condition.
The doctor examined her and prescribed some painkillers. Benjamin asked, “Dr. Swan, how is my wife? She’s been having headaches and vomiting recently. When are you people going to operate on her?”
“Please calm down, Mr. Hutton. Our neurosurgery team is currently discussing her condition. However, what she has is a malignant brain tumor, which puts pressure on several nerves. Thus, we can’t operate on her for the time being. All we can do now is to give her injections to ease the pain. There’s really no other solution for now,” Nathaniel Swan explained apologetically.
Benjamin’s chest heaved with anger. Still, he suppressed his emotions and said politely, “I’ll be counting on you, Dr. Swan. We’re willing to pay any amount as long as you can save my wife.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Hutton. We will.”
Benjamin nodded.
As soon as Nathaniel left the room, Benjamin asked Amelia to take care of Eleanor before taking his leave.
Seeing Eleanor had already fallen asleep, Amelia passed the responsibility to Oscar before heading outside.
She found Benjamin at the staircase, talking on the phone. “Is this Mr. Tony Johns? Mr. David Joulon was the one who recommended you to me. I’d like you to come to Saspiuburg to treat my wife. I’ll pay you a fortune. Would you be interested?”
There was a brief silence as Benjamin listened to the other person’s reply. “Money isn’t a problem, so feel free to name your price, Mr. Johns. I’ll accept any amount you want as long as you can bring your team to Saspiuburg and save my wife.”
After some time, he said, “Okay. That’s a deal, then. I hope you guys can fly over by tonight. I’ll reimburse the cost of the flight tickets.”
After hanging up, Benjamin let out an exhausted sigh.
As Amelia stared at the old man’s back, she finally realized the man who appeared strong-minded and domineering on the outside was just someone who loved his wife. He, too, feared his wife would leave him forever because of an illness.
That realization made Amelia less wary toward Benjamin.
When he turned around with the phone in his hand, he saw Amelia. Immediately, an awkward look flashed through his eyes, yet he instinctively put on a stern expression.
“Why are you here?” Benjamin asked coldly.
“I wanted to go over to Dr. Swan’s office to get more information about Mom’s condition. I wasn’t expecting to meet you here. Anyway, you’ve hired a foreign doctor for Mom?” asked Amelia.
“An outsider like you shouldn’t interfere with my family’s affairs. Don’t you dare think you can do whatever you want just because my wife likes you.” Benjamin snorted and walked past her, wanting to quickly leave the scene.
“Mr. Hutton, I don’t think you actually hate me that much. Why do you always give me the cold shoulder?” asked Amelia in puzzlement.
Benjamin’s steps came to a pause, and he looked at her grimly, gritting his teeth. “An illegitimate child will always be an illegitimate child.”
“That illegitimate child is still your child. Are you hinting you’re an animal since you don’t recognize your own child?” Hold on. He might be worse than an animal since he doesn’t acknowledge his own daughter. ”Or are you afraid that by acknowledging me as your daughter, you’ll be admitting what you did back then was wrong?”
Just like that, Benjamin’s thoughts were dissected by Amelia. His expression darkened, and his face paled.
“Shut up,” he muttered.
“Sure, I can do that, but I don’t want my mom, who’s already suffering from the illness, to still work hard in making me return to the Hutton family. Honestly, I don’t find the Hutton family great, but who can bear seeing a sick mother still worried about her child? Don’t forget. She’s still your wife. Are you going to ignore her wishes just because of your pride and stubbornness?” questioned Amelia calmly.
Benjamin instantly fell silent. It was hard to tell what was going through his mind.
“Mr. Hutton, I’d advise you to think this through. I don’t want to call you ‘dad’ either, but it might be a good thing to put on an act in front of Mom. Besides, she loves this family, but you kept misunderstanding her for cheating on you and giving birth to me, the so-called illegitimate child. It’s been over thirty years. Don’t you think it’s time you apologize to her?” After saying that, she left in the opposite direction without waiting for Benjamin’s reaction.
Benjamin, who remained rooted to the spot, went into deep thought.
Without realizing it, he bit his lip as he watched Amelia disappearing into the distance. However, there were no traces of disgust on his face from before.
Finally, he sighed deeply. It was as if someone had removed the layers he built around himself and saw through his heart. All those years, he firmly believed his wife had done him wrong. The more he thought that way, the harder it was to admit it was a misunderstanding. In the end, he, too, suffered the consequences of his stubbornness.
Seeing Eleanor suffer tormented him as well, and a couple that tormented each other would only drift apart.
