Chapter 31 Taking Care
In the end, Chris ate the meal himself.
Although Joanna hadn't taken care of him attentively, at least she had brought him food.
As for the rest, he would take it step by step.
So when Joanna came again that evening, Chris pointed to the stool beside the bed. "You don't need to go home. Stay here and keep me company."
Joanna's face darkened as she said through gritted teeth, "I have to work tomorrow!"
"Perfect time to quit then," Chris said casually, but seeing Joanna's expression change, he changed his approach. "Are you really going to leave a sick patient alone in the hospital? As a family member, if you don't cooperate with the doctor to take care of me and my injury gets worse, what then?"
Joanna didn't know what Chris was up to. These unreasonable demands really annoyed her.
But she couldn't refuse. Because if she did, Chris would file an appeal to get back the money Henry had taken from him.
Joanna had no choice but to switch shifts with the on-duty doctor.
Seeing Joanna give in, Chris felt even more pleased.
Deep down, Joanna still couldn't bear to leave him. She had already stayed to take care of him—how far could moving back to the villa be?
After being forced to care for him for two days, Joanna began urging Chris to be discharged.
After all, he was wasting the hospital's resources!
But Chris didn't care about any of that. Whenever Joanna's care fell even slightly short, he would lose his temper and threaten her.
Gradually, Joanna started to sense something was off.
This routine was eerily similar to how things had been during her three-year marriage to Chris. Back then, whenever Chris was sick—whether it was something serious or just a minor scrape—she would go out of her way to take care of him, making sure he had home-cooked meals and whatever he needed to get better. Even when Chris wanted intimacy, she would go along with it, no matter how she felt. Honestly, Chris never had to go without anything when he was under the weather.
Now, with this behavior, wasn't he just trying to remind her of how she used to be?
Once she figured this out, Joanna stopped being angry.
She had her own boundaries. Aside from three meals a day, she stopped visiting Chris.
Anyway, Chris had money—if he wanted to waste money in the hospital, let him!
Just when Chris thought their relationship was finally improving, Cynthia and Matthew came to visit.
Cynthia pushed the door open carrying a steaming hot breakfast, just as Joanna was setting down her own food container.
Joanna turned her head and saw Cynthia standing in the doorway. She blinked and immediately had an idea.
Since Cynthia had released those photos before, it meant she couldn't wait to see her and Chris get divorced.
If she gave Cynthia a little more provocation, Cynthia would definitely take action, and then she wouldn't have to waste time here keeping Chris company.
Joanna smiled as she opened the food container, pulled over a chair to sit by the bed, picked up a spoon, and personally fed Chris. "Come on, Chris, your favorite bacon and eggs, plus freshly baked pancakes. I went to get these from that shop especially early this morning. They might not be as fancy as what our home chef makes... just make do for now, and once you're discharged, I'll make them fresh for you every day."
Chris's eyes sparkled with barely contained joy. Was Joanna apologizing and giving in to him? He knew it—he knew this method would work. Joanna couldn't bear to see him sick and suffering, and after caring for him for a while, she would have a change of heart!
Chris cooperatively ate the meal Joanna fed him.
Only when Joanna turned around did she pretend to just notice Cynthia. "Oh my, Cynthia, what brings you here? You brought food too! But I've already fed Chris."
From the moment she arrived, Cynthia had been digging her nails into her palm, holding back from speaking out.
She never expected that after things had gotten to this point, the two of them would actually show signs of reconciling.
Hadn't they already signed the divorce papers?
Thinking this, Cynthia asked out loud, "Joanna, I didn't expect you to be so responsible, still taking care of your ex even after signing the divorce agreement?"
Joanna gave her a playful look. "What are you talking about? As long as Chris and I are good, that divorce agreement will never count. We haven't gotten the divorce certificate yet."
Cynthia's face changed with anger, but she didn't dare show it and could only laugh dryly. "Is that so? Looks like you and Chris have cleared up your misunderstanding. Congratulations to you both."
Chris politely nodded, accepting the congratulations. "Cynthia, is there anything else?"
Cynthia set the food container aside. She actually did have something to report and claim credit for. "I've finished preparing the entry for the Blue Ocean Design Contest. Once you review and approve it, we can submit it. Chris, I haven't slept well for three days working on this piece!"
"Thank you for your hard work. I'll have Matthew give you a few days off when you get back. Also, you can pick out a gift, which will count as a company reward."
Chris felt blessed with good fortune—all the troubles from this period were finally starting to resolve. Not only had Joanna had a change of heart, but things with Cynthia were going smoothly, too. Life was finally getting back to how it used to be.
He smiled broadly. His genuinely sincere expression stung Joanna.
Although she had just put on that act to provoke Cynthia, Chris's happiness over Cynthia's excellent work performance wasn't fake.
Just because a work project was progressing smoothly, did that mean he should give a gift?
Looking at the empty food container in her hands, Joanna felt utterly bored.
She gathered her things and left, ignoring the two people in the hospital room.
But she'd barely taken a few steps when Cynthia chased after her. "Joanna, I'm so happy for you. Chris has been neglecting you lately because of my work, which has put you in a bad mood. Now that you've made up, I can finally feel at ease."
As she spoke, she casually pulled out a key from her bag.
But Joanna recognized that key at a glance. She had organized things at home before and put that key away. Seeing it now, it looked extremely familiar.
Joanna felt suffocated inside. She remembered how Chris had left her behind, all because he needed to pick out a house for Cynthia.
Her breathing took a long time to calm down, and her voice trembled slightly. "You're living in... that Heaven Heights apartment?"
Cynthia looked very surprised. "Yes, you know about it too? Chris gave it to me and already transferred it to my name. The interior design suits my taste perfectly, too. I've been wanting to thank him."
That apartment was a wedding gift Nicole had given to her and Chris.
When she first got the keys, Joanna had been overjoyed, picking out decorations and furniture. She wanted to create a warm home for her and Chris.
But faced with the decoration plans she'd worked so hard to prepare, Chris always used being busy with work as an excuse to ignore them. Even after it was decorated, he was too lazy to even go look at it.
Later, since they didn't need that apartment, the two of them kept living at Hillside Villa.
Joanna never imagined that the home she'd put so much thought into decorating would be casually given away by Chris to Cynthia!
A wedding gift had a different meaning—and he had even arranged for the transfer of ownership!
Did this mean he wanted Cynthia to become Mrs. Cooper sooner rather than later?
Then why was he still bothering and pestering her!
Joanna couldn't figure it out. She just felt terrible pain in her chest, and her vision was getting dizzy.
Looking at Cynthia's smile now, she only saw mockery.