Paul shook his head hard and held her hand tightly. “Of course I do. How can I forget you, my darling girl.” Josie leaped into his arms and expressed how upset she had felt for the past four years. “You’re the worst. You made me endure these four years alone. Do you know how it has been for me?!”
With her father around, she could complain and throw a tantrum freely. It was as though she found someone to rely on again. Josie had never felt as happy as she did now. Paul listened to her and nodded repeatedly. He kept repeating, “I know. It’s been tough for you, Jo. It’s my fault…”
Matthew left the hospital room. He shut the door and gave the father and daughter alone time out of consideration. Josie cried for a long time. She rose when she was done. “Take care of yourself. You don’t have to care about anything else, okay? Just stay by my side from now on.”
Paul nodded. He reached out to wipe the tears on Josie’s face and said sincerely, “While I was unconscious for the past four years, she and Justin didn’t make things difficult for you, did she?”
It went without saying who ‘she’ was. Josie was quiet for a moment before she shook her head. “Don’t worry. I’ve been able to stand on my own. I stopped interacting with them.”
Paul was intelligent, and he quickly understood what she meant. He didn’t criticize her. Instead, he said worriedly, “From what Matthew said, you’re already working as the head of a design. department. Jo, I’m thrilled you succeeded in the field you like. But it’s too exhausting to live alone…”
Josie understood what he meant. She pursed her lips and thought he would find out sooner or later, so she told him. ‘Pop, I’m married.”
Paul froze and looked at her in disbelief. His eyes were dark, and he almost couldn’t catch his breath. Josie immediately held onto him and quickly added, “He… he treats me well. I wouldn’t have known how to care for you without him.”
Paul recovered slightly when he heard it. “I thought I was out briefly, but years have passed. My darling girl is married in the blink of an eye.” Josie concealed her sadness and frustration. “No wonder I always heard an unfamiliar man’s voice talking to me while I was unconscious.”
She smiled bitterly and said, “That’s right. Don’t worry. I’m doing well.” But Paul didn’t believe her. “Why did you come alone in the middle of the night? Where’s he?”
“He… he’s on a business trip and hasn’t been in Wavery recently. I’ll ask him to come and visit you once he’s back.” She couldn’t help but lie at this point. Paul was skeptical. He pulled her to sit down. “How is he like?”
Josie was taken aback at his first question. Dexter’s character. He frequently makes me jump through various hoops, and he doesn’t have a great personality. “He’s pretty good. He treats me well.” Josie forced herself to answer. “Tell me more.”
Josie was dumbstruck. She wracked her brain and thought about it before telling Paul about trivial affairs between her and Dexter. She wasn’t lying. “It sounds like he has a good family background, Paul said deliberately. “What did you do when you got married?”
Josie rolled her eyes. “Not much. We agreed to only do something once you woke up. His grandfather has been wanting to discuss it with you.”
This wasn’t a lie, either. Paul accepted it reluctantly. He wanted to ask further, but Josie stopped him. “You just woke up. Rest well. We have a lot of time, and I can slowly explain it in the future. There’s no rush, alright?”
Paul had no choice and was forced to lie down. He looked at her in exasperation, but his gaze was loving.