Chapter 9 A Bet
I couldn’t get what he was planning, so I just nodded in agreement.
Sometimes, one could possibly feel inferior in a relationship for no reason. I was accustomed to following Trystan’s requests, and I would do whatever he asked, though I didn’t want to.
The car headed towards downtown. I had thought that Trystan would drop me off at the villa. To my surprise, he took me to the hospital instead.
The smell of antiseptic wafted in the air, permeating every corner of the hospital. I didn’t like it, but I said nothing. I followed Trystan quietly to Janet’s ward.
Janet was on an IV drip. She, who was originally weak, lay on the bed and looked at the door, her appearance all the more frail and petite.
When she saw me entering with Trystan, she shot daggers at me. She spoke to Trystan after a long silence, “I don’t want to see her.”
Probably because of losing her baby, she didn’t look as tender and lovely as before. Instead, she became increasingly cold and resentful.
Trystan went to her and put her in his arms. Resting his chin on her forehead in an effort to comfort her, he uttered, “She is here to take care of you. She should do so.”
A sharp pain came over me in my heart when I saw their intimacy.
Janet wanted to say something, but in the end, she decided against it. Hence, she flashed a smile at Trystan. “Okay, I’ll listen to you.”
They were talking about how to handle me.
Nevertheless, I was not allowed to join in the discussion, and I was merely forced to follow their arrangements.
Trystan was busy. Although he did not attend Arnold’s funeral, as a member of the Compton family, he had to deal with many funeral-related matters. In addition, he was at the helm of the Compton Group. So, his time with Janet in the hospital was short.
It seemed that the only person who had time to look after Janet was me.
At two o’clock in the morning, Janet was still awake since she had slept too much during the day. There were no extra beds in the ward, so I resorted to sitting on a chair next to her bed.
Sensing that I was still awake, she turned to me and said, “Evie, you have such low self-esteem.”
I did not know what to say in reply to her words. I stared at the ring on my finger for a long time before I looked up. “Isn’t a person in love supposed to be like this?”
She did not understand what I meant and put on a puzzled smile. After a long pause, she asked, “Aren’t you tired of it?”
I shook my head. Life was only a few short decades, and nothing could be easy. All I did was fall in love with a man.
“Can you serve me a glass of water?” Janet asked, sitting up straight.
I nodded and stood up to get her a glass of water.
“Don’t add any cold water. I want to drink hot water,” she said coolly, and I couldn’t tell her feelings.
After pouring out a glass of water, I handed it to her. To my surprise, she didn’t take it. She looked at me and said, “You are pitiful and pathetic. You did not cause my miscarriage. However, I couldn’t help but vent my hatred out on you.”
I didn’t know what made her say that. I just handed the glass to her. “Be careful. It’s hot.”
She gave me a sudden tug as she took the glass. I instinctively tried to pull away, but she gazed at me intently. “Let’s have a bet, shall we? Do you want to know if Trystan will be concerned for you?”
Stunned, I realized that Trystan was standing by the door. I was not at all aware of his coming. Gazing at me, Janet asked calmly, “Would you like to bet on it?”
I said nothing as I allowed her to pour the glass of scalding water down my hand. An agonizing pain hit me instantly.
I silently agreed to join the bet.
Janet placed the glass down and spoke innocently, “I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose. The glass was too hot for me to take it. Are you okay?”
What a hypocrite she was!
I withdrew my hand as I struggled to bear the burning pain. “I’m fine,” I replied, shaking my head.
