I shook my head. "No. As long as he’s healthy, that’s all that matters."
If I didn’t see him, there would be no thoughts.
Because if I did, I’d never be able to let him go.
But there was no way I could continue to stay in the Carter Family.
It was better than leaving with me and living a life of uncertainty.
It would be best for him to stay in the Carter Family.
I lay on the hospital bed and looked out the window.
Thinking about leaving here and where I can go.
I was abandoned from birth and grew up in an orphanage.
No relatives whose blood is thicker than water, no friends who can depend on each other.
I was like a tiny sailboat adrift on the vast ocean, without a port to call home.
My mother-in-law felt sorry for me and was even more angry at Sean's inaction. She took out her cell phone and called him frequently, trying to get him to come and see us.
Finally, on her last attempt, someone answered. All she got in response was a cold, mechanical female voice. it wasn’t Sean.
"Madam, Mr. Carter is in a meeting right now. You can call back later ..."
Before she could finish, a faint, unmistakable moan leaked through the phone.
Mother-in-law was no fool. She knew exactly what was going on and turned pale with rage.
"Tell Sean this: If he still considers me his mother, if he still recognizes me as his mother, hurry up and come to the hospital; otherwise, I'll just pretend that I haven't given birth to him in this life!"
After ending the call, my mother-in-law's moist eyes overflowed with tears. She held my hand tightly, her voice trembling with a cry, "I'm sorry, Aria…. This is all my fault. I should never have forced you to stay with him, causing you to suffer so much …."
It was true — she had orchestrated my marriage to Sean.
After I graduated from college, she arranged a blind date and told him bluntly that I was the only suitable daughter-in-law for the Carter Family.
He protested and fought against the idea, but he couldn’t overcome her persistence. We got married.
At first, I thought I’d found my safe harbor, someone I could rely on. I was filled with hope for our future.
I poured my heart into being a good wife, putting him first.
Whenever my colleagues invited me out for dinner, I declined, worried he wouldn’t eat properly if left alone.
Eventually, they stopped asking.
I put all my thoughts on him and did not care about contact with the outside world.