Seeing these words, she felt a little lost.
Pretty soon, she received another message.
[Okay, the same place tonight, room 2307 at the Hilton Hotel, 9 o'clock. I'll be waiting for you.]
Olivia put away her phone; she didn't want to see that message ever again.
The operation took a long time, and all the while, she stood guard at the door, afraid to leave.
At nine o'clock, Freddie called her and said, "I'm already at the courthouse. Why aren't you here yet?"
She sneered, "I can't get there right now."
"You want to go back on your word?!" he accused.
"No," she answered, "I've never wanted to divorce you as badly as I do at this moment."
"Then hurry up! My time is limited, and I don't want to waste it on you!"
Olivia said coldly, "It's the same for me. I don't want to waste another minute on you. My uncle is in surgery now, so I can't leave. I'll contact you when his condition is stable."
"Olivia, what tricks are you trying to pull this time? Or do you want more money?"
"No need. Take your stinking money and take care of that heartless mistress of yours!"
She switched off her phone.
It was finally quiet.
The operation lasted until seven in the evening.
Finally, the door was pushed open, and the doctor came out with a relieved smile on his face, saying, "The operation was successful. As long as the patient goes through the appropriate recovery treatment, everything will be fine."
She suddenly lost her strength and fell back on a metal chair.
"Thank you, doctor, thank you…"
Her uncle was moved back into the general ward. His body was still connected to all kinds of instruments, and she couldn't leave, even for a moment.
His phone was next to him. It was an old Nokia model with peeled paint and a worn keyboard, but he was reluctant to throw it out.
He didn't want to spend money to buy a new phone. He would rather save the funds for Janet.
Fortunately, things went smoothly throughout the night.
The next morning, when her uncle opened his eyes and saw her face, he burst into tears and said regretfully, "Olivia, I failed your mother! So many people in today's world don't even want to take care of their own parents, and you're taking care of your uncle, and look what's happened!"
"Uncle…"
"Tell me honestly. Did Janet make a mistake? It wasn't you in a hotel room with a strange man, was it?"
Looking into her uncle's eager eyes, she couldn't lie to him.
Seeing her hesitation, he was very upset.
"Olivia, how could you do this?" he asked. "Freddie is a good kid. How could you let him down like this?!"
"Uncle," Olivia replied, "it's not what you think… Don't be upset, don't get excited…"
David wiped away his tears with his calloused hand. "Does Freddie know about this?" he inquired.
That was something she really didn't know.
Considering Janet wanted to curry Freddie's favor by playing the role of a gentle and considerate person, she probably had not told him about it.
"He probably doesn't know yet," answered Olivia.
"Silly girl. Pay more attention in the future, okay? You and Freddie must be okay. Otherwise, when I die, how will I explain it to your mother?"
As he was speaking, the ward door was pushed open.
The nurse brought Freddie and Janet into the room. "Director Chen," she said, "this is Mr. David Jacob's ward."
Olivia raised her head and looked at Freddie.
He was just as cold and detached as ever. His gaze swept across her face, and then he looked at David, saying, "I heard you're not feeling well, so I came to see you."
David was very happy. "Freddie," he said, "you're here. Sit down. Come on, quickly. Olivia, what were you thinking? Freddie is so busy with his work. Why would you ask him to come? I'm fine, I'm fine!"
"She didn't ask me to come here," said Freddie. "Janet did." Freddie was very direct.
However, Olivia understood what he meant.
He came to see David not because he was Olivia's uncle but because he was Janet's father.
Sure enough, David also sensed something strange in Freddie's words. His smile stiffened a little. "This… What's going on?" he asked.
Janet didn't hide the pride on her face. "Dad, I want to tell you; Freddie isn't my brother-in-law now, but my—"
"He's her boss!" Olivia interrupted hastily. Her uncle had just had surgery. She didn't want him to have such a shock.
She stood up, smiled, and said, "Uncle, Janet is currently working at Freddie's company. She's very good at her job; Freddie often praises her."
"Is that so?" asked David. "It looks like our Janet has a bright future! We didn't spend all that money on your education in vain!" He was very happy.
Olivia brought two chairs over from the side and said, "Sit down and talk."
"We won't be sitting," said Janet. "Freddie said that, as youngsters, we should visit our elders; but we still have things to do at the company, so we'll be leaving now."
We…
Olivia felt a stab in her heart. Of course, Freddie and Janet were an item now.
She looked at Freddie and asked, "What do you say?"
"The company is indeed very busy," Freddie replied quickly. "Uncle, we're relieved to see you're fine. We need to leave now."
Hearing this, Janet was already heading out the door. David could barely contain his disappointment. He smiled bitterly and said, "The company's problems are more important. You guys go ahead; I'm fine."
Freddie nodded and said, "Then we'll go. Tell Janet if you need anything. Since you're her father, I will fulfil my filial duty."
David had always been very satisfied with Freddie as his nephew-in-law. Seeing that he was well mannered and had taken the time out of his busy schedule to visit him today, he liked him even more, so he said: "Good, good, good. You are indeed a good person. If our Janet stays in your company, please take care of her. Her sister and I have spoiled her since she was young, so I'm afraid she'll cause you trouble."
"No, she's fine," said Freddie. "I'm very satisfied."
David smiled contentedly. A little concerned, he said, "One more thing. You and Olivia are not so young anymore. You should consider having a baby now."
Olivia's heart thumped suddenly.
Not having a child was her eternal weakness.
"Dad, you still don't know?" asked Janet. "It's not that my dear cousin doesn't want to have a child, it's that…"
"Janet!" interrupted Olivia, throwing her a warning glare. "The nurse just said that a family member should go to the pharmacy to get the medicine, so you'd better go. I have something to talk to Freddie about."
Janet retorted, "Olivia, if you have something to say, you can say it in front of all of us here. We're family, so there's nothing to hide; right, Freddie?"
Olivia smiled wryly and said, "Janet, while you were studying abroad, did you forget about basic manners? You're addressing your brother-in-law so informally, calling him directly by just his first name."
She didn't want to start a fight in front of her uncle, but Janet was being too presumptuous today. It didn't matter how Olivia herself was treated, but if something happened to her uncle because of this, she would certainly not let Janet off the hook!
In the end, David said with a stern face, "Janet, listen to your cousin and go quickly."
Janet still wanted to say something, but, seeing that Freddie did not raise any objection, she could only bitterly resign herself and go to the pharmacy on the first floor to pick up the medicine.
Olivia took a deep breath, trying not to let her uncle see that anything was wrong. "Freddie," she said, "can you come out with me for a moment? I want to tell you something."
David laughed, saying, "Is it about the matter of the child? Ha-ha-ha. Our Olivia is shy, isn't she?"
Olivia was a little embarrassed. "Uncle…" she began.
"All right, all right, I won't say any more," said David. "You guys hurry up and go."
Freddie's gaze wandered, and after hesitating for a moment, he followed Olivia out.
Olivia led him to the stairwell and closed the door behind them.
As expected, there was no one there to overhear them.
When she looked back, she saw Freddie standing not far away, glaring at her, his arms crossed. There was no warmth in his eyes.
"What do you want to say?" he asked.
Olivia closed her eyes, trying to suppress her emotions, and said calmly, "About our divorce; can you keep it a secret from my uncle for now? As you can see, he's just had surgery and is still recovering. The doctor said he shouldn't be upset, or they might not be able to save him next time."
Freddie was annoyed. "Olivia," he said, "you'd better realize the precarious position you're in. Are you giving me orders?!"
"No, I'm begging you," Olivia said with a forced smile. "We've been married for four years, and I've never asked you for anything. This time, I'm begging you."
Freddie's gaze was still cold.
Olivia sighed. "Even if you hate me and won't agree with me," she said, "my uncle is also Janet's father. Think about her at least."
"I'll discuss this with Janet," he said. His gaze suddenly fell on a small wound on the corner of her mouth. "What happened to your mouth?"