Chapter 216 Treat Her as Prey
Charles couldn't help but put on an innocent look: "Didn't you say I'd be staying at your place?"
"Yeah, I'm staying at my own home."
"Well, I'm staying here too. I already talked it over with my father-in-law." Charles looked at Mr. Turner.
Mr. Turner glanced at Zoey, then nodded somewhat sheepishly. Before boarding the plane, Charles had already arranged with Mr. Turner to stay at their house for the time being. Mr. Turner had initially been upset with Charles too, but after seeing him post several loving Facebook updates these past few days, constantly showing off his wife, and even hearing that he'd personally made chicken soup—Mr. Turner knew Charles must have realized his mistake and learned to cherish his daughter. So Mr. Turner discussed it with Mrs. Turner and agreed.
Zoey complained: "Dad, Mom, you're taking his side!"
Mrs. Turner quickly explained: "Zoey, a family should live together. Our house is big enough, it's not like we can't fit him. If he wants to stay, let him stay."
Mr. Turner added: "That's right. Besides, while you two were away, your house has been undergoing renovations, so you wouldn't be able to live there anyway."
"Renovation?"
"Yes, it's currently under construction," Mr. Turner said.
Zoey looked at Charles again, and he nodded too. "Can't he just stay at a hotel?" she said with a pout.
"Oh come on, a hotel isn't as comfortable as home. Enough talk, let's go inside and get something to eat. You must be tired from the flight." Mrs. Turner took another look at Zoey's waistline. "Your belly..."
Mrs. Turner noticed that under the babydoll dress, Zoey's stomach was already showing, and she'd gained some weight too. Could it be...
Charles came over to explain: "Mom, Zoey's been pregnant for several months. She never told us before. I only found out from Matilda."
"What?" The couple was stunned. In their eyes, their child was still a child, and now this child was pregnant with a child, meaning they were going to be grandparents?
In an instant, Zoey was treasured and protected by them. One moment they were talking about hiring a nutritionist, the next about finding a specialized prenatal care team. Mrs. Turner even notified Amelia. When Amelia heard Zoey was pregnant, she rushed over immediately, saying she'd give her shares and money, and when the baby was born, she'd double it.
...
A few days later, Matilda and Zoey had a video call.
Hearing about Zoey's treatment since returning home, Matilda couldn't help but feel envious. "Your relationship with Charles must have improved by now, right? Has he been approved to sleep in the bed yet?"
Zoey said indignantly: "That jerk keeps badmouthing me to my parents. He deliberately sleeps on the couch when my parents come upstairs to check on us just so they'll scold me. Let me show you what he said: 'Mom, Dad, I don't mind sleeping on the couch. I slept on the couch I slept on the couch for half a month in Cloud Town, a few more nights won't matter. The couch here is much more comfortable than the one in Cloud Town. Plus, sleeping on the couch lets me watch over Zoey. As long as she's safe, I'm at peace.
Matilda, listen to that! Isn't that outrageous?"
Matilda said: "The way you describe it, he really is being quite manipulative. So, you had no choice but to let him sleep in the bed?"
"What else could I do? My parents kept lecturing me about how that's no way to treat your husband, so I... ugh!"
Matilda laughed so hard she could barely breathe.
This was definitely something Charles would do.
After hanging up with Zoey, Matilda lay in bed.
She was the only one left in the house now.
Thinking about how lively things were on Zoey's end, she couldn't help but feel lonely.
She thought of her own parents.
If she and Wentworth were fighting like this, her parents would... forget it, better not to think about it.
She realized she hadn't thought about her parents in a long time, especially her mother—they'd practically lost contact.
Connor did call every few days, ostensibly out of concern, but it actually seemed like he was fishing for information.
A thought suddenly popped into her head: Could Connor be a spy?
When she was in Phoenix City or Brookford City, he never contacted her, but now that she was at the military compound, he was asking all sorts of questions. Could he be a spy?
Matilda immediately made a decision: If Connor was a spy, she would definitely put righteousness above family loyalty.
...
Since she lived far from the hospital, Matilda left at 7 AM every day.
That day, she ran into Sally and Nick on her way out. The siblings excitedly greeted Matilda.
"Ms. Spencer, I heard you started working? And you're a doctor too, that's amazing!" Sally said: "When I grow up, I want to be a doctor too."
Matilda smiled: "That's great. Being a doctor is good—you can save lives and help people."
Just then, they ran into Scarlett.
Scarlett overheard Sally's words and frowned: "Sally, being a doctor isn't that great. It's very busy, and you have to deal with corpses every day. I think being a teacher is better."
Sally shook her head: "No, I want to be a doctor. I want to be as excellent as Ms. Spencer."
And marry a military officer like Mr. Gonzaga.
Sally didn't say this last part out loud—it was the little girl's secret wish.
Scarlett said awkwardly: "Are doctors so excellent? Doctors and teachers are both respectable professions."
There was nothing wrong with what she said, but coming from Scarlett's mouth, it sounded petty.
Matilda said to the siblings: "You two should head to school. No matter what you want to become in the future, you need to study hard. Only by studying hard can you achieve your dreams."
The siblings skipped off happily.
Matilda noticed Scarlett was still standing there watching her, so she said: "Goodbye, Ms. Scarlett."
Scarlett turned away disdainfully and left.
Matilda didn't take it to heart. She had to catch the subway.
...
The work pace at Cloud Town Hospital was manageable, similar to Harmony Health Center. Dr. Cox saw that she was quite popular in outpatient services, so he often assigned her there.
One day, while she was seeing patients, a man in his thirties came in.
She looked at the name—this man had an odd name, Lonewolf, with no surname.
This person gave her an overwhelming sense of pressure.
Especially those eyes, staring at her as if she were prey, making her extremely uncomfortable.
"What seems to be the problem?" Matilda asked.
Lonewolf first stared at her, then stood up, lifted his shirt, and pointed to his waist.
There was a very long knife wound on his waist, as if someone had slashed him with a blade. Near the wound was a tattoo of a snake with its bloody mouth wide open, giving anyone who saw it instant goosebumps.
Matilda's instinct told her this person was no good. She forced herself to stay calm, then asked in a steady voice: "Is this where it hurts?"