“Cassie’s in the operation room right now! How do you expect me to be calm?” Elizabeth exclaimed, overcome with emotions. Just then, a nurse walked over to them and reminded Elizabeth to behave. “Madam, this is the operating room. Please keep your voice down.” Charlie got hold of his wife. “My apologies. Our daughter is undergoing an operation right now and my wife’s awfully worried about her. She’s losing control of her emotions.” The nurse nodded. She sympathized with their situation but it was still her duty to warn them. “Still, this is a hospital. So you have to be quiet.” With that, the nurse walked away.
Elizabeth lay in Charlie’s embrace. When she got much more composed, she turned to face Oscar again and said to him, “Oscar, you should know that I practically watched you grow up. Back then, I can see that you were really in love with Cassie. Yes, she did flee from the wedding, but she was young and naïve then. All these years, she’s always loved you, otherwise, she wouldn’t have given up the opportunity to join a famous orchestra overseas and run back here.
She even turned down all invitations to performances in order to keep her unborn child. Do you see how much she’s willing to sacrifice, all because she loves you so much? Now, she’s in the operating room, maybe even at death’s door, and the baby might not survive. Why can’t you make any promises for her?” Oscar kept silent and merely looked sullen. Elizabeth was about to go on a rampage again when Charlie patted her on the shoulder, soothing her once more. It was his turn to speak to the young man. “Oscar, I understand how you feel. After all, Ms. Winters has been with you for five years.
Even if you didn’t like her in the beginning, humans are emotional beings and love can develop over time. Cassie has wronged you first, and frankly, it stands to reason that we can’t ask you to take responsibility for her. But since you’ve made up with her, and she knowingly fills the role of the loathsome mistress, added on by the fact that she’s in the operating room as we speak, shouldn’t you give her a rightful title?” Oscar and Charlie exchanged glances.
The younger man understood that this was a contest between two men, where one side could stand to lose out if he was not careful. Just when Oscar was about to say something, Olivia’s voice sounded from behind him, to his great relief. “I came as soon as I heard that Cassie’s been admitted to the hospital. What exactly is going on? How did she end up here?” Oscar, clearly relieved to see his mother, crossed the room to meet her. “Mom, why are you here?” Olivia gave him the side-eye. She whispered to him, “Oscar, look at the mess you’ve made. I’ll deal with you later.” Oscar heeded in silence. After another brief glance, Olivia summoned the right amount of worry to appear on her face again. She strode toward Charlie and Elizabeth.
“Charlie, I heard that Cassie’s been brought to the hospital. What happened? Why is she here?” Olivia asked, feigning concern. Elizabeth glanced at Olivia with complicated emotions in her eyes. “Now that Cassie’s admitted to the hospital, I bet you’re the happiest person around, aren’t you?” Olivia’s expression remained unchanged as she responded, “Your family and ours have been the closest friends for many years. If you really think of me so badly, then there’s nothing I can do to change that. But I’ll have you know that I don’t wish for Cassie to end up in the operating room.”
Elizabeth glared at the other woman, still simmering with anger. Charlie patted his wife on the shoulder before he turned to face Olivia. “Forgive my wife. She’s gotten overly anxious about Cassie that she’s become very careless with her words. Please don’t take it to heart.” Olivia shook her head, once again presenting the right amount of worry on her face. “How long has Cassie been in the operating room? What did the doctors say?” Charlie shook his head, worry evident on his face. “We’ve only just arrived. We aren’t quite sure about the whole situation either. Oscar was the one who called us. I’m guessing he should know what really happened.” Olivia turned to face Oscar. “Oscar, what the hell is going on?
Cassie’s been doing fine so far, so how did she end up in the hospital?” Oscar shook his head. “I’m not exactly sure either. I came here after receiving a call from someone else. But Cassie hasn’t come out of the operating room yet, so I don’t really know what happened to her.” By then, Elizabeth was already burning with rage. “Oscar, do you still call yourself a man? Cassie loves you so much. She’s willing to have your child. She’s willing to give up a promising career for you. Now, she’s in the operating room, her life practically hanging by a thread, and you’re here throwing tactless remarks!
Has your heart turned to stone?” Elizabeth, in a fit of rage, took her frustrations out on Oscar. Despite being reprimanded, Oscar’s expression remained indifferent. Olivia, on the other hand, did not like how her son was being treated. Her face darkened, and she told the couple, “Charlie, I know you and your wife are deeply worried about Cassie, but Oscar doesn’t even know the whole story. Yet you kept accusing him since the moment you arrived. Don’t you know how unbearable it is for me, his mother, to hear you blaming him?” Elizabeth was about to fire back when Charlie squeezed her shoulder. Then, in an apologetic tone, he said, “Olivia, please don’t get mad. She’s just very worried about Cassie, that’s all.”
Disapproval still hung on Olivia’s face. Just when the atmosphere thickened with tension, the lights outside the operating room finally went out. A team of medical workers made their exit. Charlie and Elizabeth quickly went to meet them. The latter grabbed the lead surgeon’s hand and asked anxiously, “Doctor, how’s my daughter?” The lead surgeon looked exhausted. Nevertheless, he remained patient and answered her query, “Madam, calm down. The worst is over for your daughter, but we didn’t manage to save her child. Due to excessive blood loss, her uterus is now badly damaged, and it will be difficult for her to get pregnant again in the future. I urge you to be mentally prepared.” Elizabeth’s legs gave out when she heard that.
The woman staggered for several steps and nearly passed out on the floor. Charlie’s expression grew grim as well. He put his arms around his wife and turned to the doctor. “You must be kidding, right? My daughter is in perfect health. Even if the baby can’t be saved, surely she can still get pregnant in the future, right?” The lead surgeon explained, “Sir, we’re very sorry that it has come to this. But she’s lost a lot of blood and it took too long for her to get here. We couldn’t save the child, and her uterus is so damaged to the point where I fear it will be extremely difficult for her to become pregnant later in life.
That being said, not all hope is lost. As long she’s nursed back to health, she may still be able to conceive in the future.” Elizabeth broke free of Charlie’s hold and grabbed the surgeon by his coat before erupting in anger. “What do you mean she may still be able to conceive? What do you mean she has to be nursed back to health? My daughter is a kind and beautiful young lady. She’s practically perfect! She can have as many children as she wants! How dare you curse my daughter like that, you quack!” The lead surgeon found himself in a bit of a pickle. His staff came up from behind him to console the erratic woman. “Madam, please, you have to calm down. When the patient arrived, she’s already bleeding heavily. We’ve tried our best to save her, and we’re deeply sorry for the loss of her unborn child. Please make allowance for our efforts.”
Elizabeth looked like she might go insane. “My daughter’s such a nice girl… You did this! All you quacks ruined her! If you don’t give me a good explanation today, I will sue your hospital! I’ll put an end to your medical careers!” “Madam, you may be a friend of our dean, but that doesn’t mean you can be unreasonable. We are sorry about your daughter, but we have done our best to save her.” Elizabeth got even more infuriated at that. “Everyone says that Principal General Hospital is the best hospital in the city, that every patient under your care can be cured. Now I see you for who you are! You’re just a bunch of quacks! If my daughter can never become pregnant again, I’ll make sure every single one of you loses your medical license!” At this point, Charlie pulled Elizabeth into his arms. He spoke to her in a gentle, reassuring tone, “Dear, you need to chill.
They did say Cassie could still conceive in the future. Let’s not rush into things.” Elizabeth stared daggers at Charlie. “Are you happy now that Cassie’s become like this? If she can’t have children, then you have an excuse to continue liking this woman, don’t you?” Elizabeth pointed at Olivia. “Don’t think I don’t know that you’ve been obsessed with her since forever. Even after marrying me, even after our daughter has grown up, deep down, you still have a soft spot for this woman.” Surprise flashed across Olivia’s face, whereas Charlie cast Elizabeth a pained look. He suppressed his agony as he said to his wife, “Dear, can we stop this? You’re the only one I love all these years. Why can’t you understand that there’s nothing going on between Olivia and me?” Elizabeth pushed him away. “You! You’d better pray that nothing happens to Cassie, or our marriage ends here!”
Another flash of pain crossed Charlie’s face. He had not expected things to go south like that. His heart was undoubtedly wrenching in agony. One nurse pushed Cassie out of the operating room. “Madam, it’s best for you to pull yourself together. The patient is still in a coma and needs absolute peace. You making a row will only disturb her.” Elizabeth lunged forward to look at Cassie and burst into tears at the sight of her pale and lifeless daughter. Cassie was the only daughter she had. Cassie was the apple in her eye, the thorn in her flesh. Elizabeth would never allow anything to happen to her. The crazy things that a mother would do for her daughter could be quite terrifying. “Cassie, don’t be scared. Mom’s here.
No one can harm you. We have all the money and influence to ensure your recovery,” Elizabeth said. “Madam, you have to calm down. The patient needs to be under observation at the intensive care unit for one day. If nothing unusual happens within twenty-four hours, she will be transferred to the general ward. Another nurse informed them gently. Elizabeth exclaimed in a rage, “Then what are you waiting for? Hop to it! If anything happens to my daughter,
I will never forgive you.” Elizabeth seemed to have lost all rational thoughts when it came to matters concerning Cassie. The two nurses were not pleased to be told off like that, but they knew that Elizabeth was not someone to be trifled with, so they bore with her. “Madam, we’ll be going now. If you want to visit her, you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” Elizabeth might be reluctant to leave Cassie, but she could not possibly take her daughter’s condition lightly. With that, Cassie was taken to the intensive care unit. Only after that did Elizabeth wiped away her tears and finally regained her composure. At least, some semblance of it.
