Chapter 95
Catherine bit down hard on the insid of her lower lip, tasting the faint metallic tang of blood.
Every sob from Rowan cut through her like a knife, making her feel the woman's pain as if it were her own.
When Rowan mentioned Elizabeth, her emotions completely collapsed into a mixture of fury and heartbreak.
"Alvin and I, we tried absolutely everything!" Rowan's voice trembled. "We tried reasoning, we tried ultimatums. In the end, we even threatened to disown her! We told her, 'If you marry Terry, don't consider us your parents anymore!'"
"But Elizabeth, my precious daughter!" Her entire body shook. "She chose to sever ties with us rather than give up that jerk! She willingly jumped into that mess!"
Rowan's body trembled visibly. "I've given up on her. It's as if I never had a daughter. Her life and future are no longer my business."
Those last words were delivered softly, yet they carried an immeasurable weight of sorrow.
Catherine watched Rowan's crumbling composure and felt her own heart wrenching painfully in her chest.
She quickly leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Rowan's shaking shoulders. "Mrs. Foster, please don't be like this! If Philip sees you so upset, he'll think I made you cry and he'll... he'll leave me."
She deliberately made herself sound pitifully vulnerable.
Rowan clutched Catherine's arm tightly, her eyes brimming with tears.
"He wouldn't dare! I've already lost one daughter; I certainly cannot lose a wonderful daughter-in-law like you!"
She buried her face against Catherine's shoulder like a helpless child.
Catherine felt the weight of this trust and dependence pressing down on her, making her heart ache with bitterness.
She silently took a tissue and gently wiped away Rowan's tears.
Rowan claimed to have given up, claimed to have severed ties with Elizabeth, but these torrential tears proved she had never stopped caring for her daughter.
Terry.
This bastard who had destroyed her parents, destroyed her family, and now had destroyed the mother-daughter bond between Rowan and Elizabeth.
A tidal wave of hatred surged through Catherine's chest.
Someday, she would absolutely make Terry lose everything, make him utterly disgraced!
Make him taste what it felt like to descend into hell!
At precisely five minutes past five, the hospital room door opened on time, and Philip walked in.
"Philip, you're back!"
Rowan immediately sprang up from her chair. "Perfect timing! I need to leave right away. I have a candlelit dinner with your father, and I can't be late! Catherine, dear, rest well and listen to Philip, alright?"
As she spoke, she kept her head lowered, trying to slip past Philip.
Philip was initially standing at a distance, only noticing that Rowan's movements seemed unusually hurried.
But in the instant she brushed past him, his keen eyes caught sight of her swollen, red-rimmed eyes!
He swiftly caught Rowan's wrist.
Rowan's body tensed sharply. "Philip! What are you doing? Let go, I'm really going to be late!"
"Look at me," Philip commanded.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was impossible to ignore.
Rowan sighed in resignation, knowing she couldn't fool her son.
She forced a smile and lightly patted Philip's arm.
"You difficult boy! Stop treating me like one of your business rivals! I'm your mother!"
Philip stared at Rowan's face, the swollen eyes and tear stains piercing him like needles.
"You've been crying," he stated with certainty.
Knowing she couldn't hide it, Rowan straightened her neck and admitted it.
"Yes, I've been crying! What about it? Is your mother not allowed to shed a few tears anymore?"
Philip's brows instantly knotted together, his cold gaze falling on Catherine.
Instinct, or perhaps his intimate knowledge of Catherine, immediately directed his suspicion toward her.
Seeing her son's accusatory stance, Rowan's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly improvised. "Don't jump to conclusions! It has nothing to do with Catherine! I was... I was watching a movie with her just now! I'm a sentimental fool, and I simply couldn't hold back."
"Is that so?" Philip fixed his penetrating gaze on Catherine. "What movie were you watching?"
Almost in the exact same second Philip finished speaking—
"Titanic!"
"The Pianist!"
Two completely different answers simultaneously burst from Catherine and Rowan's lips.
The air instantly froze.
Philip gave a cold smile, his sharp, profound gaze silently saying. Care to continue the lie?
Catherine felt a spike of anxiety, regretting her quick tongue!
Why did she have to answer so hastily!
Why did she have to speak first!
She quickly lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the edge of the blanket.
In contrast, Rowan clearly had more experience in such situations.
She only froze momentarily before seamlessly continuing without the slightest change in expression.
"Oh my memory! We actually watched both! First 'The Pianist,' and then 'Titanic' right after. No wonder my eyes are so swollen—I just couldn't stop crying!"
She made a show of rubbing her eyes, as if proving her statement.
Philip stared steadily at Rowan.
He knew perfectly well she was lying, but Rowan was clearly determined to protect Catherine. Pursuing the matter would only embarrass her further.
He slowly released her hand, his voice cold. "Alex's car is downstairs. Have him drive you to meet Dad."
Rowan secretly sighed in relief. "Good, good! I'll be going then! Philip, Catherine, take care of each other!"
She practically fled from the hospital room, but not before glancing back at Catherine with a reassuring smile.
The door closed softly, shutting out the outside world.
In the spacious VIP suite, only Philip and Catherine remained, the air so oppressive it was suffocating.
Philip turned around, took long strides toward the hospital bed, and looked down at Catherine from his imposing height. "Why was my mother crying?"
Catherine lowered her head even further, like a child who had done something wrong. "Really, it was just the movies."
She was still trying to salvage the situation.
"Catherine!" Philip's voice suddenly rose. "I want the truth!"
He leaned slightly forward, his powerful presence almost making Catherine unable to breathe.
She knew she had touched Rowan's deepest wound, making her cry, and this was indeed her fault.
But she truly, truly hadn't known the consequences would be so severe.
An immense sense of guilt and fear suddenly welled up in her heart.
A sob she couldn't suppress escaped from her throat.
Then, without warning, large tears began pouring down her cheeks!
She wasn't quietly whimpering—she was loudly, unrestrainedly wailing!
Her cries were miserable, aggrieved, earth-shattering, instantly breaking the deathly silence in the hospital room.
Philip was completely stunned!
All the questions and anger he had prepared were forcibly stopped by this sudden outburst!
He stood frozen, his brows furrowed into a knot, looking in disbelief at the Catherine who was crying as if her heart had been torn apart.
He hadn't even started his interrogation properly!
Yet she was already crying?
And crying with such righteous indignation?
Catherine cried so hard she could barely catch her breath. "It's my fault; I made Mrs. Foster cry, and I deserve to die."
"But how was I supposed to know things were so tense between your mother and sister..."
"Mrs. Foster cried until her eyes were swollen, so I should cry for just as long."
She sobbed, her face turning crimson from the effort, tears and mucus smearing her face in a most unglamorous way. Suddenly, she pointed toward the balcony and commanded between sobs. "Go, bring me that washbasin."
Philip irritably shouted, "What are you trying to do now?"
Catherine cried even louder. "I need the basin to collect my tears. You won't let me off until I've cried at least a gallon of tears."
Philip was speechless.
In his nearly thirty years of life, he had weathered countless storms in the business world.
What formidable opponent hadn't he encountered?
Yet at this moment, facing this unreasonable, emotional Catherine on the bed, Philip felt completely at a loss!
He even absurdly felt that he was the villain in this situation!