A family dinner, huh? And to think Crystalâs the one sending me the invitation instead of them. What a failure I am. Nathan hadnât even called me up until this moment, nor did anyone send me an invitation.
Nathan did call me to ask for my help when the Martins were trying to make them go out of business, but he never came to me again after that.
I handed the invitation to Christopher and shrugged in dismay, while Crystal strutted away like a peacock. âDo you think I should attend this wedding?â
âOf course you should. You are the young lady of the family, arenât you?â Christopher puffed his chest proudly. âYouâre my wife. You can go wherever you want, and nobody can stop you.â
âThanks to you, darling.â I grinned cheekily.
Monica was hospitalized for two days, but Christopher never went to see her again after the first day. He was at home with me while I prepare my artwork. The exhibition last time was a mess; however, an opportunity was still an opportunity, so I would definitely take another shot.
If I could draw together with Remington, it would have been perfect, but such a perfect chance wouldnât come knocking twice.
Christopherâs phone was ringing incessantly, so I looked at him, wondering if heâd take it. At that time, he was working on his PC and delegated tasks to his employees through an online meeting. I went over to him to see who was calling, and as expected, the caller was Julia.
I handed the phone to him. âTake it. She knows where weâre staying anyway. Sheâll come knocking if you donât take her calls.â
âAh, itâs always the same thing with her. Taking her calls is just a waste of time.â Christopher turned away, stubbornly refusing to take the call.
I didnât want Christopher to get into a fight with Julia because of me. He loved his family deeply, so I couldnât be so selfish. After a moment of silence, I took the call for him.
âYou sure took your own sweet time, Chris. You donât care about me anymore, donât you? Come to the hospital right this instant or youâre getting it!â Julia bellowed furiously.
I looked at Christopher and nudged him, telling him to answer. Nope. He closed his laptop and turned away. Left with no choice, I said, âWeâll come over right away, Mrs. Lane.â
âYvonne?â Juliaâs fury was stoked further when she heard me. âMonicaâs still in the hospital right now. I donât care what youâre doing, but donât you dare stop Chris from coming over.â
âWell, weâll be right there.â I smiled awkwardly and hung up. Then, I dragged Christopher by the hem of his shirt. âLetâs go.â
Christopher knew he couldnât dissuade me, so he sighed and pulled me into his embrace. And then he put me on his lap before he leaned against my head. âMy mother can be really harsh. It wonât end well for you if you go to the hospital.â
I shook my head and leaned against his chest. âBut sheâs still your mother. You canât run from her your whole life. I know youâre angry at her and Monica, but sheâs acting like this because sheâs worried about Monica. After all, she is injured. But Juliaâs a smart woman, so sheâll know what you want once she thinks this through.â
âFine. Letâs go then.â Christopher and I put away the canvas and art materials before we went to the hospital.
But we realized something was off the moment we came into the ward. Everyone was staring at me curiously, as if my arrival was something to be surprised about.
I tried my best to stay calm and greeted everyone, while Monica was staring at me darkly. To be precise, she was staring at Christopher and me, who were holding hands. Her face fell, and she bit her lips. She wanted to say something, but she remained silent as if seeing us together was torture for her.
Julia noticed that, so she came up to me. âI need to talk to you, Ms. Tanner. Please come with me.â
âHuh?â I blinked and gave it some thought, then I nodded. Just when I was about to leave, Christopher held my hand. âNo,â he growled.