Chapter 910 Accepting Fate
Back in the day, Hannah wasn't exactly a knockout, but she had this delicate vibe that made folks feel real comfy around her.
But today? Man, her face was a mess of blood spots, and her eyes were all bloodshot. She looked like she was on death's door, ready to kick the bucket any second.
Stella dropped down and grabbed her face, "Hannah, what the hell happened? Why's your face all messed up? What did you do?"
She'd heard that only folks with some blood disease got those blood spots.
Could Hannah be sick? She didn't even wanna go there.
Charles was already a vegetable; Hannah couldn't go down too!
Hannah didn't say a word, just hugged Stella's waist, buried her face in her stomach, not talking or crying, just holding on tight.
Seeing her like this, Stella was sure something was seriously wrong.
Ever since Charles got back to Sunset Bay, Hannah had been kinda out of it, but never this down.
Stella held her head, gently rubbing the back of it with her palm.
Stella asked, "C'mon, spill it. What happened? Whatever it is, I got your back."
Hannah still didn't say a peep.
After a bit, Hannah whispered, "When's Charles gonna wake up?"
She couldn't wait any longer. Just mentioning Charles made Stella's face cloud over with sadness.
Stella cried, "I don't know! I called Patricia this morning, and she said Charles is still out cold! You miss him? If you do, I'll go to Sunset Bay with you to see him! I'll handle the school leave. With my dad's connections, getting a couple of sick notes is no biggie."
Hearing that, Hannah gently shook her head.
She did miss Charles. She was dying to see him.
But what was the point?
Her dad was using his life to blackmail her, and Charles was still out of it.
How could she convince her dad?
Without explaining, she just kept holding Stella tight, her mood sinking, making Stella a bit pissed, "Then what's wrong with you? If you don't tell me, how can I help? Even if I can't fix it, I can at least share the load!"
After Stella kept pushing, Hannah finally said, "Next month on the fifth, it's my birthday, and on that day, I'm marrying Austin."
Only God knew how much guts it took for her to say that.
When she thought she liked Austin before, his touch made her squirm.
Now that she liked Charles, Austin's touch made her wanna puke.
How was she gonna spend the rest of her life?
Just thinking about it made her feel like it was gonna be a long, hard road.
"What?" Stella yanked her head away from her stomach, holding her face in shock, "What did you just say? I didn't catch that, say it again."
Hannah knew she heard it, she just didn't wanna believe it.
Hannah repeated, "A few days ago, I told my parents I broke up with Austin!"
Stella said, "Yeah! Since you broke up, you should be straight with them."
Hannah gave a bitter smile, "But my dad got so mad he ended up in the hospital. You know, he had a liver transplant a few years back, and his health's been crap since! Because of this, he had a heart attack."
Stella shouted, "So you're marrying Austin because of that? But you don't love him!"
Stella knew that with Charles in a coma, it wasn't fair for Hannah to wait around forever.
As a friend, all Stella wanted was for Hannah to be happy, not necessarily to end up as Charles's wife.
Even though she felt that way, it didn't mean she was cool with Hannah getting back with Austin!
Hannah didn't love Austin!
Forcing herself to be with a guy she didn't love would be pure torture.
Hannah's eyes filled with tears, looking all kinds of hurt.
Hannah said, "I know, but what can I do? I don't want to be with him; I love Charles, not him. But my dad's threatening me with his life, and the doc said he can't handle any more stress. If he does, he could really die! As their daughter, they gave birth to me and raised me; I can't just think about myself and ignore them. I can't be that selfish."
Seeing her like this, Stella felt her heart break.
Stella asked, "Is there no other way? Do you have to marry Austin? Don't your parents care about what you want? Don't they care if you like him?"
Hannah's eyes filled with tears, and she gave a bitter smile, "They think I'll be happy if I marry Austin. Austin saved my dad's life; without him, my dad might have died long ago. So in my parents' eyes, he's the best guy in the world. They always think I'll fall in love with Austin and be grateful to them."
Stella was so mad her face turned red.
Stella shouted, "But you're the one who has to live with Austin, not them. What if you're unhappy? Can they turn back time?"
Hannah felt a sharp pain in her heart, her chest felt tight, and she hugged Stella's waist again, pressing her face against her stomach, as if only this could bring her comfort.
Stella said irritably, "It's too coincidental! If Charles hadn't had the car accident, with his looks and abilities, your parents would definitely like him!"
Hannah closed her eyes, tears squeezing out and wetting her eyelashes.
Hannah cried, "Maybe this is my fate! Fate has decided I can't be with the man I love. If that's the case, then who I marry doesn't matter! Whether it's Austin or another guy, it's all the same to me! Marrying Austin will at least make my dad and mom happy."
Stella almost started cursing.
The words were on the tip of her tongue, but thinking they were Hannah's parents, she swallowed them back.
Hannah was thinking so much for them, but what about them?
They were selfish and self-serving, sacrificing their daughter's marriage for gratitude, not caring about their daughter's happiness at all.
Parents like them might as well be dead.
After learning that Hannah was going to marry Austin, Stella immediately took leave from school and flew alone to Sunset Bay.
Patricia had just finished breakfast and was about to go to the hospital to take care of Charles when she saw Stella, panting and travel-worn, at the door, and she was stunned.
Patricia asked, "Stella? Why are you here? Why didn't you let me know before coming? I could have sent someone to pick you up at the airport!"
Stella didn't answer her question and anxiously asked, "Are you going to the hospital to see Charles?"
Patricia nodded, "Yeah! I go to the hospital every morning after breakfast."
Stella smiled, "Then I'll go with you."
Patricia asked, "Did you come all this way just to see Charles?"
Stella kept nodding, "Yeah! I miss him, so I came to see him and talk to him."
Patricia smiled with relief, walking over to take her hand, "Then let's go together! Have you had breakfast? Do you want to eat something first?"
Stella shook her head, "No need, I ate on the plane."
"Okay!" Patricia said no more, leading her to the garage.
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