Chapter 159 I'll owe you one
"Sorry, Mom." Sandra half-knelt by the bed, crying uncontrollably. "I really ran into trouble yesterday; that's why I couldn't make it to be with you for the surgery."
Melissa had just come out of surgery and had almost lost her life.
Her body was covered with various tubes from the medical equipment, and she had an oxygen tube in her nose. She was struggling to breathe and couldn't respond to Sandra's words at all.
Sandra's tears regularly induced her distress, yet her current weeping seemed to extract the essence of her existence.
Especially since Sandra reeked of a strong, pungent smell of alcohol, which made Melissa's stomach churn.
Sandra had gone to the Peace Club yesterday. She had heard that it was a place Philip used to frequent, a place where wealthy and powerful people liked to hang out.
Sandra went there looking for an opportunity.
Subsequently, she was compelled to consume several bottles of liquor, which nearly resulted in a gastric hemorrhage. She didn't get her chance, let alone see Philip.
"Sandra, could you stop crying?" Melissa said weakly.
Seeing Melissa's frail state, Sandra cried even harder.
"Mom, if you're not here anymore, how am I supposed to go on?"
These days, Sandra had been thinking about this question every day.
She couldn't understand why Melissa insisted on divorcing David after falling ill.
Their relationship with the Greenwood family had completely broken down. Since Melissa was hospitalized, no one from the Greenwood family had come to see her.
Sandra, with red eyes, complained, "There are no reliable men in this world. Fred was like this, and David is the same! Fred left us for true love back then, and now David is no better. You're sick and want a divorce, and he can't wait to be free. I went back to the Greenwood family recently and saw a woman in his house. She can't be more than thirty! You're not even dead or divorced yet, and he's already found a younger woman!"
Melissa listened to all this, but it didn't stir much emotion in her heart.
In this life, no matter what her ending was, it was her own doing.
"I can see that David has been tired of you for years," Sandra, still not fully sober from last night's drinking, continued to ramble on, getting more agitated as she spoke. "Men all have that inherent flaw, especially when it comes to thinking with their lower body. They wish their women could always be young and beautiful. Over the years, he's just been trying to maintain the harmony of this family. After all, some bad scandals could cause him unnecessary trouble."
"Mom, even if you can swallow this, I can't." Sandra's eyes shifted as she began to 'plan' again. "As long as you don't initiate the divorce, we still have leverage over him. Isn't he afraid of scandals? We now hold his biggest scandal. Imagine, while his wife is battling cancer, he's having an affair with a woman twenty years younger. He hasn't even come to see you. How would the public view him if this got out? I think the Greenwood Group's stock price would plummet."
"Is this really the time to talk about this?" Melissa said helplessly and weakly.
Sandra paused for a few seconds, suddenly realizing she might have been too eager.
She reined in her ambition and put on a tearful face again.
"Mom, I'm just scared. You can't leave me. Without you by my side, I don't know how to take my next steps."
Melissa slowly opened her eyes and looked at Sandra, who was half-kneeling by her bed and crying so hard she could barely breathe. She forced a weak smile and said, "You have to learn to be independent and handle things on your own. Regina has walked her path alone all these years. We can't truly understand how much she has suffered."
Upon hearing Melissa's unexpected mention of Regina, Sandra's demeanor underwent a distinct transformation. Her eyes, previously brimming with tears, now harbored a trace of bitterness and resentment. "So, you mean I have to suffer as much as she did?"
"I mean, you shouldn't be afraid of hardship and suffering. You need to be like Regina. Even if I'm not by your side, you have to live well."
Sandra didn't like hearing this from Melissa, and her emotions started to spiral out of control again.
"I know you're praising her now because she's doing well. She married a good man, wealthy and powerful, and your heart has shifted to her side!"
Melissa's heart was bleeding, but her weak body couldn't make any drastic reactions. Her tone remained calm. "It's not like that."
"You don't need to explain anymore," Sandra said with a mocking smile. "The more you explain, the more it sounds like you're covering up."
The room was filled with tension.
Melissa hadn't expected Sandra to come to the hospital today just to argue with her.
She didn't know what to say.
At this critical moment, they ended up parting on bad terms.
Regina learned about Melissa's surgery from Douglas.
"The surgery was quite successful, but she still needs good post-operative care, and there's always a risk of complications."
"Thank you so much for this."
"No need." Douglas lifted her chin lightly and kissed her on the lips. "But seriously, Mrs. Semona, if you really want to be polite, you could show some sincerity instead of just saying it."
Regina chuckled at his teasing. "Sorry, Mr. Semona, I'll owe you one. I've been really exhausted these past few days."
Douglas never forced her.
If she said no, he wouldn't touch her.
The housekeeper served a glass of fresh orange juice during breakfast, prompting Regina's eyes to brighten upon sight.
She had been craving orange juice lately!
Regina quickly finished the glass and politely asked the housekeeper, "Could you please get me another glass?"
The housekeeper found it a bit strange.
Regina hadn't liked sour things much before, so there were rarely any sour foods on the table.
Now, not only did Regina like orange juice, but she also asked the housekeeper yesterday if she could make some pickles.
But the housekeeper didn't think much of it. She just made whatever Regina liked.
She quickly took the empty glass from Regina and poured her another one.
