CHAPTER 49: CHAPTER 49: HE DOESN’T FIT IN

In the evening, Sienna Thornton was dozing off by the bedside.

She felt the frail hand she was holding tremble slightly, which brought her back to her senses. Indeed, she saw Melinda Linton looking at her, her face full of tears.

She immediately threw herself into Melinda’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably, "Mom, how are you feeling?"

Melinda moved her arm slightly and whispered, "I’m fine..."

Sienna wiped the tears from her cheeks and stood up to tuck Melinda in. "The doctor said you’re okay. The most important thing is to rest well. You’ll be discharged soon."

She didn’t mention the valve replacement to Melinda, fearing it might worry her too much and affect her health.

When she got up to pour water, Melinda noticed her right leg wrapped in a cast and struggled to sit up, "Annie, what happened to your leg?"

Pouring half a cup of hot water, Sienna quickly came over to press Melinda back onto the bed, "It’s nothing. I fell in the bathroom and got a small fracture. It’ll heal soon."

"You must take good care of yourself out there alone..." Melinda said, tears welling up again, "It’s all because I’m useless, making you live such a hard life..."

Sadness is always infectious. Recalling her own childhood experiences, Sienna felt not only wronged but also somewhat resentful of Melinda’s weakness.

And, a deep-seated hatred for the Raines family father and son.

This hatred was so overwhelming that it swallowed even the grievances and complaints, leaving only a faintly hostile expression on her face.

"Mom, please stop saying these things!" Sienna shouted.

Melinda understood her character, so she said no more. They sat in silent mutual understanding for a while until Simon Forrester knocked and entered, breaking the sorrowful silence.

Seeing the well-dressed, gracefully poised, and unusually charismatic Simon, Melinda’s eyes held not only surprise but also a hint of joy.

She thought that this distinguished young man must be her daughter’s boyfriend to appear here.

On the other side, Simon placed the packed food on the table and came forward to greet Melinda, "Auntie, are you feeling better?"

Flattered, Melinda nodded repeatedly, glancing now at her daughter, now at Simon, smiling brightly.

Sienna pulled out a chipped green-painted wooden stool from under the bed for Simon, gesturing for him to sit.

She introduced him to Melinda, "He is a friend of mine from Brimfield. Knowing I couldn’t drive, he took the time to bring me home."

Melinda kept thanking Simon, and although her daughter introduced Simon as "a friend," she was still very pleased. The face that was pale earlier immediately showed a hint of vitality.

Later, when Sienna was feeding Melinda, Simon sat nearby, eating his packed meal. Noticing him transferring his chicken leg to another portion of the meal, Sienna felt a warmth inside.

After settling Melinda for sleep, Sienna looked over to see Simon had finished his meal. His tall figure was crouched in the cramped corner of the hospital room.

It was late autumn, and Wrayhaven was colder than Brimfield. Simon wore a dark blue-checkered wool coat over a black sweater, looking both elegant and stable, clearly out of place in the old county hospital’s aged ward.

He had a laptop on his lap, reviewing some design plans.

Sienna sat beside him with a boxed meal, whispering, "You should find a hotel nearby to rest for the night, and return to Brimfield at dawn."

Simon nodded, his long fingers quickly tapping on the keyboard. Then he turned to Sienna and asked, "What about you?"

"My mom has to stay a few more days before being discharged. I plan to stay with her until she’s stabilized before going back."

As she spoke, Simon watched her seriously, noticing the dark circles under her eyes and her reddened nose. He sighed deeply, "Why don’t I wait until your friend comes over before leaving? In your current state, you’re hardly able to run if anything happens. How could you handle it?"

Sienna knew what he was worried about, but the Raines family father and son were impulsive and unreasonable. Even if she called Maeve over, Maeve couldn’t stand up to those two hooligans.

After a moment of silence, she said, "They are afraid of paying medical bills, so they don’t dare to come to the hospital. Once I take my mom home, I won’t be worried. Our village is full of relatives. One call from me, and my uncles would rush over. It’s fine."

Being able to hit the convincing points, Simon raised no further concerns after hearing her. When Jenna Raines arrived, he took the opportunity to leave.

At dawn, Sienna got up to go to the bathroom, and her phone just happened to receive a message. She opened it to see.

It was from Simon: I’ll be at the hospital soon, waiting for you at the ward door.