جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 520

Evelyn shot a glance at me with a hint of regret. "I'm fine. I don't get mad over things a child says," I replied.Jolene might be in her 20s, but her mannerism was like that of a womanchild. Just the thought that Evelyn gave every ounce of her love to this one girl made me jealous. I had to admit, the fact that Jolene didn't like me was good news to me. At least I didn't have to assume the role of the kind older sibling despite harboring zero affection for her. Unfortunately, my words had provoked Jolene. She marched toward me and stared me down. "Who are you calling a child?! I'm 22, bitch!" I frowned. How rude could this girl be?"Excuse me, but can you please keep it down? This is a hospital. It's not a place for you to shout," Mason spoke up disapprovingly. Jolene hadn’t expected anyone to stand with me. She turned sharply, ready to shout at her next victim when she saw Mason. Her eyes shifted a little. Exasperatedly, she hung her head. "Sorry. I got a little emotional t

"Okay, Mom. I'll change into something more comfortable and come back down." I smiled and went upstairs. Thank god I had Doris to help me out.Through my exhaustion, I stepped into the shower. There wasn't much for me to do in the hospital, but caring for someone felt like a more taxing job than actual work.Jethro arrived home right after I was done. He scanned me from head to toe before pulling me into a hug. "How did the visit go? Was it tough for you?""No. Jolene was a bit of a problem, but overall, the visit was fine. I still can’t really forgive Evelyn though.""Take it slow. Forgiveness takes time," he said, setting his chin on my head. I sighed.I stayed home for slightly over an hour. Jethro had offered to drive me to the hospital, but I declined. He must have been tired from work as it was. I knew he was worried about me, but in the end, my insistence outlasted his persistence. He reminded me over and over to be careful on the road.I bumped into Mason on the floor w

I had never seen Mason look so awkward before. He probably wouldn't even bother answering if this was anyone else, but because Evelyn was my mom, he had to answer. I listened to their exchange emotionlessly. Evelyn had the right to care for Jolene's welfare, yes, but I still didn't feel good seeing it. "So you're single!" Evelyn chirped, sounding very pleased."Yeah, at the moment," Mason replied slowly, his smile wooden."Jojo has a great impression of you, but she's not here at the moment. Otherwise, you two would have gotten to know each other. That would be great," she said. Her eyes showed momentary worry when she mentioned Jolene. "Good joke, Mrs. Evelyn. I don't even know your daughter though. I doubt she was talking about me," Mason replied in a roundabout way.I could tell he had no feelings or interest in Jolene. This was probably his attempt to clue Evelyn in."Nonsense. The two of you met this afternoon. But maybe there were too many people in the room, so you don

"What choice do we have? The thought of Evelyn worried over Jolene makes me uneasy." I understood the difficulty of finding someone without leads but still felt compelled to try."We should head back and rest for tonight. I'll get the police involved tomorrow. They have more resources and tracking systems to locate people.""All right, that sounds like the best plan for now." I acquiesced to Jethro's suggestion, recognizing the futility of a blind search tonight.Once back at the Willow residence, I was overcome by exhaustion and instantly fell asleep despite not having worked during the day. My concerns for Jolene caused me to wake up early the next morning, but there was still no news about her. I couldn't help feeling anxious as I thought about the situation.Jethro, who had already started his day, returned to the room when he noticed I was awake. He sat by my side and gently drew me into his arms. "It's still early. Get some more rest. I've called the police, and they've alrea

I intended to stay with Jolene, but considering my presence might exacerbate her distress, I simply prepared some food for her before departing with Jethro.In the car, my brows were deeply furrowed, my mind troubled by Jolene’s situation. I was at a loss about how to break the news to Evelyn. A part of me questioned whether things might have been different if I had begun searching for Jolene earlier. The guilt of not finding her sooner weighed on me."Still thinking about Jolene?" Jethro’s soft query broke the silence, turning toward me with concern."Yeah. I don’t know how to explain it to Evelyn. How could such a thing happen?" I voiced my worry."Whatever happened, it's not something you are to be blamed for." Jethro’s tone was pragmatic, though his words lacked empathy for Jolene’s plight.Although his words made sense, I felt that being a victim of such an incident was something no one could ever be prepared for."Last night's incident has damaged her reputation. It’ll affe