Chapter 56
“Calista, don’t think that just because you married into the Fenwick family, you can better get back here immediately. Do you hear me?”
as you please! I’m giving you an hour. You’d
Astrid didn’t even give Calista a chance to respond. As soon as she finished yelling, she immediately hung up the phone.
Staring at her phone, Calista felt thoroughly drained.
She didn’t know why Astrid was in such a foul mood today. She turned to look for Rebecca, only to find her in the restroom, furiously scrubbing her hands.
“Mom, that’s enough.”
Calista tugged at Rebecca’s arm, but the latter simply said with a faint smile, “I’m just washing my hands. I’m fine. Mr. Irvin is actually really nice. I have to stay here and take care of you anyway, so I might as well pick up some odd jobs.”
Her tone was light and casual, yet it made Calista’s heart clench painfully.
“Mom, that’s enough. Your hands are already clean.”
Calista watched as Rebecca continued to wash her hands. She kept scrubbing her palms and pumping soap over and over again. Her hands soon became red and raw from all the washing.
“Mom, that’s enough!” Calista couldn’t bear to watch anymore. She quickly turned off the tap and pulled Rebecca out of the restroom.
Rebecca felt awful, and tears began to stream down her face.
“I know I’m getting old and useless. But Anthony’s medical bills just keep piling up. There’s still the whole mess at home. We failed to bring Justin back, and the factory can’t reopen either. I really don’t have any other choice.”
She sighed. “Cali, I’m not trying to beg for alms, but this time, I truly have no other choice.”
Rebecca was on the verge of breaking down.
All these years raising Anthony and Calista, no matter how hard life got, Rebecca had never done anything like this for anyone. Now, with her current circumstances, even she couldn’t accept what she’d become.
“Mom, things aren’t as bad as you think. I’ll figure something out.”
Calista gently hugged Rebecca, trying to comfort her. But Rebecca’s expression remained cold.
“What could you possibly do? Don’t tell me you plan to beg that man from the Fenwick family?”
Rebecca had seen through it all. Whether it was the Fenwick family or the Marchand family, none of them cared about their own.
“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way. Please just trust me this once.”
Calista and Rebecca hugged each other tightly.
Although Rebecca wasn’t willing to say anything, seeing her cry so helplessly in her arms, Calista decided to take matters into her own hands. She handed Rebecca’s resignation letter to the patient she had been looking after, Frank Irvin.
Surprisingly, Frank turned out to be an understandin
man. After hearing that the resignation was tendered out of concern for
Rebecca, he immediately reached into his bag and pulled out several hundred dollars.
He said it was payment for the past few days of work, and even offered a few comforting words to Rebecca.
When both of them stepped out of the ward, Calista couldn’t help but feel slightly taken aback.
She had grown used to the pretentiousness of wealthy people on the top floor, so occasionally meeting someone as humble and kind – hearted as Frank was unexpectedly refreshing.
Back in Anthony’s ward, Calista didn’t mention a word about what had happened. Even when Anthony asked, she simply brushed it off.
After making sure that Rebecca was settled, Calista hailed a cab at the hospital entrance and headed straight to the Marchand residence.
The scenery grew increasingly familiar as they got closer, yet Calista didn’t feel the slightest bit of joy about returning home. Instead, she felt a sense of uneasiness grow in her chest.
The Marchand family disliked her. Even though she was their biological daughter, everyone in the family treated her as nothing more than a country bumpkin. Neither her parents nor the housekeepers and maids took her seriously.
Chapter 56
As expected, when she arrived at the entrance, no one even bothered to open the door for her.
THE
