Chapter 789 Insisting On Being Discharged
The moment Derrick arrived at the hospital, he asked anxiously, “Amelia, how is Tiff?” Before he knew it, Amelia slapped him forcefully across his face.
Despite being momentarily stunned by the impact, he ignored his burning cheek and repeated his question, “What happened to her?”
Waving the photos in her hand, Amelia sneered, “Derrick, during your wedding not too long ago, you vowed to go through thick and thin with Tiff. Therefore, is this the way you live up to your promise?”
Derrick smiled wryly. “Would you believe me if I told you there’s nothing going on between Crystal and me? And that I’m a foolish victim of someone’s plot?”
After a brief hesitation, Amelia eased her tone. “Why did you even go to a bar with her? The dim lights and sensual atmosphere make it tempting for men and women to flirt. This is something you know better than anyone else. Furthermore, Crystal’s feelings for you are obvious. Therefore, regardless of your reason, you shouldn’t have gone there with her, but you did. That, to me, is considered a form of betrayal.”
With a darkened expression, Derrick explained, “My mom was in a coma for a few days, and the doctor even warned that she might not ever wake up and could become a vegetable. With the Hissons blaming Tiff for it, I was torn between my mother and my wife. So, when I was feeling extremely pressured, I agreed to her invitation for a drink in a moment of weakness.”
Having heard his explanation, Amelia laughed out loud instead.
“Derrick, it’s not that I’m unwilling to believe you, but your excuse is a terrible one.” Amelia added, “Anyway, this is between Tiff and you, so I’m staying out of it. You can tell her yourself when she wakes up.”
As Amelia and Oscar had sent Tiffany to the hospital in the nick of time, her high fever didn’t deteriorate into pneumonia. Therefore, she had recovered that night itself.
The moment she woke up, she saw Derrick sleeping on the chair beside the bed.
As her heart ached at the sight, she felt the urge to stroke his head but ended up being restrained by her IV drip.
Just like that, she quietly observed him under the dim yellow light of the room. While doing so, her mind couldn’t help but playback Kate’s words before the latter fell into a coma. “Tiffany, as Derrick has become increasingly successful in his career, he deserves to have a complete family with children. However, what’s the point in him marrying you when you can’t bear him any?”
Kate’s words struck Tiffany like lightning.
After all, she was a conservative person at heart. Despite having a successful career, she still firmly believed that a married woman should bear children for the man she loved. Otherwise, their lives would never be perfect. As a result, she was deeply troubled when she learned that getting pregnant was unlikely. In fact, she even considered divorce.
Due to her overwhelming love for Derrick, she couldn’t bear to see him not experiencing a perfect life. As a result, she didn’t want him to be filled with regret for not having any children in his later years.
On top of that, her inability to bear children would likely cause Kate to come up with all sorts of schemes to force her into a divorce. Fainting might be one of Kate’s attempts to apply pressure on her, and the former might stake her life on it next time.
Just like how Derrick couldn’t bear to see her suffer in front of the Hissons, she couldn’t bear to see him torn between his mother and her.
Therefore, she didn’t know how much longer she could endure their turbulent marriage.
After watching Derrick for about an hour, she gradually fell asleep out of exhaustion.
The next time she woke up, Derrick was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she was given a fright when she saw Kate staring intently at her.
Scrambling up on her bed, Tiffany asked warily, “Mom, what are you doing here?”
Scorn flashed across Kate’s eyes as she replied, “You look pretty energetic for someone who was supposed to be having a high fever. I didn’t expect it to be nothing but one of your schemes to avoid being scolded. Why are you doing this? Do you enjoy making Derrick worry?”
Leaning back against her bed in a relaxed manner, Tiffany answered calmly, “Mom, I didn’t even know I had a fever. Sorry for inconveniencing you and Derrick.”
Arms folded across her chest, Kate continued to pile on the pressure, “I don’t care whether you’re really sick or not. I just want you to give me a firm answer. When are you planning to divorce Derrick?”
Her words stunned Tiffany.
“Mom, Tiffany and I aren’t getting a divorce,” Derrick replied angrily when he returned with breakfast and heard his mother’s question.
As guilt flashed across Kate’s eyes for a fleeting moment, it was quickly replaced by anger.
“Derrick, I’m not going to argue with you any further. When I was in a coma, you couldn’t even bring yourself to reprimand her. Therefore, there’s nothing left for me to say, and I’ll stop pressuring you both. After all, you don’t care whether I live or die,” Kate ranted, causing Derrick to furrow his brows.
Tiffany requested flatly, “Derrick, I want to be discharged now.”
“You still haven’t fully recovered. Why don’t we monitor your condition for one more day? If the doctor confirms that your fever has gone down, I’ll arrange for you to be discharged at once.”
“Forget it. I’m fine. I just want to leave now, so please get the formalities done.”
Faced with Tiffany’s persistence, Derrick had no choice but to get her discharged.
When he wanted to send her home, he didn’t expect her to decline.
“Tiff, can you not keep me at a distance?” Derrick pleaded.
Shaking her head, she replied, “Derrick, you said that you would give me time to clear my head. Besides, I can’t stand the sight of you now. I need to think about our marriage and find a reason to continue it amidst such heavy opposition.”
When Derrick tried to grab her hand, she unexpectedly shoved his hand away.
“Tiff, it’s all right to just reflect upon it, for we’ll never get divorced.”
“Derrick, you should go back in and take good care of your mother. Also, please convey my apologies to her.” Tiffany had barely finished when she hailed a cab and left.
After receiving Derrick’s phone call, Amelia found Tiffany under a large tree in a park.
“Tiff, are you trying to get yourself killed? Do you know that you had a thirty-nine-degree fever when I found you yesterday? The doctor said that it would’ve deteriorated into pneumonia if you had arrived five minutes later. Anyway, why did you leave the hospital when you haven’t fully recovered?” Amelia lectured in frustration.
Tiffany popped open a bottle of beer and raised it at Amelia. “Babe, drink with me.”
When Amelia noticed the half-dozen empty bottles on the floor, she was infuriated.
Snatching the beer from Tiffany’s hand, she raged, “Tiffany, do you have a death wish? Just look at yourself right now. Are you drinking your sorrows away? We have never done this despite all that we have been through. No matter how big the issue is, there’s no need to behave this way. So please, get a grip on yourself.”
Patting the spot next to her, Tiffany responded calmly, “I’m just depressed. That’s why I’m drinking to clear my head.”
As Amelia settled down, she put the beer on the other side. “Why did you insist on getting discharged?”
“I’ve already recovered, so what’s the point in staying in the hospital? Besides, it’s filled with people I don’t like. Staying there will just cause me grief.”
Reaching out to feel Tiffany’s forehead, Amelia breathed a sigh of relief when it no longer felt hot.
