Chapter 93 The Appearance of Albert
Yvette dragged her tired body home. She placed the yearbook on the shelf and, looking at the memories of high school, her mind replayed the scene from that afternoon.
Albert's high school life was almost inseparably tied to Violet's.
No, it wasn’t just high school.
She touched her belly. Leaving now could be seen as fulfilling Albert's wishes. This long-standing crush ended with her moved by her own desires.
Yvette laughed at herself, and suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Lassie shouted, "Yvette, open up. I need to talk to you."
Yvette opened the door to find Lassie standing there, looking troubled, rubbing her hands nervously. "Yvette," she said, her voice dragging.
Yvette frowned, her past experiences making her uneasy. "What's the matter this time?"
Lassie said, "Wayne's health is getting worse. He gets out of breath just from walking, let alone climbing stairs. I'm really afraid he'll have a heart attack on the stairs one day."
"Mom, don't think like that!" Yvette said helplessly. "The doctor said as long as he maintains a regular lifestyle, eats healthy, takes his meds on time, and goes for check-ups, he should be fine. If you have time to worry, why not help regulate his routine and diet?"
Lassie's eyes instantly reddened. "You know Wayne. No one can manage him. I'm getting old. I can still help by taking care of Kyle and keeping Zora settled for you. But what will happen to Wayne when I die?"
Yvette felt uneasy. She knew Lassie wouldn't come to her without a reason. Her anxiety must have a motive.
Yvette took a deep breath and asked bluntly, "What exactly do you want to say?"
"Yvette, Wayne's been struggling for breath after climbing the stairs recently. It feels like he's about to have a heart attack. We've been living in this walk-up apartment for so long, and it's several floors up. Wayne's health urgently requires us to change houses. I mentioned this last time."
"And I refused last time."
"I'm just trying to discuss this with you," Lassie said, crying and wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "With Wayne's health, we can't even bear taking out a loan. Yvette, you can ask Albert for some money. He's well-off. We'll pay him back when we have the funds!"
Yvette bit her lip, her body trembling uncontrollably. She had refused, yet Lassie wouldn't give up.
"When will we ever have money? I already gave you $100,000. What more do you want?"
"Yvette, please help us. I'm getting old, and I can't manage the stairs anymore!"
"Enough already!" Yvette couldn't bear it any longer, holding back the tears in her eyes. "All these years, I've been using my own fundsto support the family because of Wayne's illness. Whenever Zora runs out of money, you come to me. I've given all my savings from working to the family. From childhood to now, you've only ever asked me to help Wayne. And now you want Albert to support Wayne too? Do you really think he cares about me that much?"
Yvette's heart pounded, her hands trembling as she let out all her pent-up frustrations.
She and Albert were already on the brink of divorce, and Lassie had no clue, still thinking she could ask Albert for money.
Yvette wanted to tell Lassie about the divorce, but her last bit of reason told her now wasn't the right time.
Telling her now would only complicate things further.
"Yvette, please help Mom."
"No way," Yvette said. "I told you last time, you can ask him yourself."
With that, Yvette grabbed her phone and left the house.
Once outside, Yvette felt lost.
She had nowhere to go. After a moment, she called Sylvia.
"Can I crash at your place tonight?"
As she spoke, Yvette realized her voice was hoarse, and she still felt like crying.
Feeling unloved by everyone, it was no wonder her personality was so unappealing, always trying to please others and afraid of being disliked.
Sylvia was silent for a moment. "I'll come get you."
"No need, I'll come myself."
Yvette left the neighborhood, hailed a cab, and went to Sylvia's house.
She opened her mouth to explain, but Sylvia interrupted her.
Sylvia didn't ask anything, just walked over and hugged Yvette, gently patting her back. "I've made up a bed for you. Go sleep."
Feeling Sylvia's warm embrace, Yvette finally felt some warmth and strength.
Her eyes stung. "Okay. Thank you."
She thought she wouldn't be able to sleep, but she ended up having a sweet sleep at Sylvia's house.
The next morning, on her way to work, the lush trees and fragrant flowers made everything seem unreal.
Her unease was soon confirmed.
While she was on duty, the office door was knocked on, and a security guard poked his head in with a concerned expression. "Dr. Orlando, your mom is here to see you."
Yvette froze, her typing fingers halting, pressing a long string of random letters.
A few seconds later, Yvette snapped back to reality and forced herself to remain calm. "Okay, thank you. I'll be right there."
Yvette repeatedly pressed the delete key, erasing the random letters she had typed.
Even though she was mentally prepared, seeing Lassie anxiously running towards her as she left the office made Yvette feel uneasy.
Yvette looked around and said in a low voice, "We'll talk at home. I'm almost off work. Please wait a bit longer."
Lassie seemed not to hear, tears streaming down her face. "Yvette, Wayne went for a walk today and was gasping for breath after climbing the stairs. This can't wait. You have to help me, help Wayne! You can't just watch Wayne die!"
Lassie's tearful plea attracted the attention of her colleagues. Yvette felt humiliated. She couldn't imagine how a mother could embarrass her daughter like this.
Lassie stepped forward and shook Yvette's arm. "Yvette, I'm begging you, help me."
Yvette bit her lip until it turned white. Just as she was about to speak, a deep male voice interrupted.
"Lassie, are you here to pick up Yvette from work too?" Albert strode over to Yvette and shielded her. "Don't shake her. She's pregnant and can't handle it."
