Chapter 88 Apologize to Yourself
When saying this, Joanna didn't dare look at Sandra's expression.
"I'm not the one you should apologize to, Joanna. Actually, I've questioned myself just like you did—does putting up with things really help?" Sandra sighed, her eyes tinged with sadness. "You were brave. You did what I didn't dare to do back then. If anyone deserves an apology, it's yourself. You're the one who's been wronged all these years, the one who's been sad and angry. Even I can't share that burden with you."
Joanna froze for a long time, not knowing what to say. She hadn't expected Sandra to respond like this.
She watched as the sadness in Sandra's eyes turned to happiness, and eventually both mother and daughter had tears in their eyes, smiling with relief.
"Thank you, Mom! I didn't think you'd support me. I thought... I thought you'd blame me for not putting family harmony first, for not keeping the Coopers as a cash cow for the Jones family."
Joanna's voice choked up, touching the soft spot in Sandra's heart.
Sandra even felt regret—how stubborn must she have seemed before to make Joanna misunderstand her like this?
She gently touched Joanna's head. "I was wrong before. From now on, I'll try to understand and support all your decisions. But I'd also like to know what problems came up between you and Chris that made you choose divorce. I remember you really liked Chris before, and things were sweet when you first got married."
Back then, Sandra's condition had worsened, but she hadn't been completely unconscious.
During the few times she was awake, she'd listened to Joanna describe her hopes for marriage, and even heard about some of the wedding house arrangements.
Joanna pressed her lips together, and after building up her courage for a while, she talked about how Cynthia's return to the country had changed her marriage.
Of course, it wasn't just what happened after Cynthia came back—there were also many conflicts she'd had with Chris and his family before that.
Sandra had experience with these things and quickly understood what was going on. She asked, "Have you considered that maybe Cynthia was trying to ruin your relationship with Chris? She might not seem like she's competing with you, but by controlling his thoughts and making Chris take her side again and again, she's pushed you to despair."
Joanna paused and lowered her head without speaking.
At first, she might not have understood all the twists and turns.
But during the time since she'd asked for divorce, she'd figured it out—Cynthia wanted to be Mrs. Cooper, which was why she was sabotaging their relationship.
And Chris, because of his childhood connection with Cynthia, kept favoring her. At first, he treated Cynthia as a guest and playmate, so naturally he was polite to her.
Chris always chose to show courtesy and kindness to outsiders rather than family.
This created a distorted perception in Joanna's mind, making her heart ache.
Sandra could tell from her expression that she'd guessed right. "Since you've figured it out, why not try to explain things clearly to Chris and continue your life together? If you can't bring yourself to say it, I can help you."
"No need, Mom." Joanna forced a smile. "It doesn't matter anymore. Cynthia's already pregnant. They went abroad to meet Cynthia's parents recently and are discussing wedding dates."
She didn't want to win Chris back, because even without Cynthia, in this marriage where she was the only one giving, Joanna hadn't received the respect she deserved.
Now she could work and earn money on her own, and she could study medicine and treat more patients—that was something worth being happy about.
She had a sense of accomplishment now, and she would never look back at that life full of grievances.
Sandra fell completely silent.
If Cynthia had been the intruder at first, making Joanna suffer all kinds of wrongs, then Chris was also at fault now.
Since he'd started a family with someone else, it was a good choice for Joanna to pull herself out early.
"I'm relieved that you feel happy with your life now."
After saying this, Sandra didn't bring up the topic again.
She was still recovering from her serious illness and didn't have much energy. After talking for a while, she started to feel tired.
Joanna stayed with Sandra while she rested, and only left the nursing home late at night.
She had some money now and needed to travel back and forth between work and the hospital, so she was planning to buy a car.
The cars that Henry and Chris had supposedly bought for her were all parked in the garage, and she didn't want to touch them anymore.
It would be more reassuring to use her own salary to buy a car that was completely hers.
The next day was a day off. After Joanna finished choosing a car and was about to go home, she got a call from Fiona.
Since the incident with Chad forcing that girl to get an abortion, she'd been in more contact with Fiona, occasionally meeting up for afternoon tea.
"Joanna, do you have time this weekend? My boyfriend and I are planning to get married, but he can't get away from work to go wedding dress shopping with me. Would you come with me?"
Joanna knew Fiona had been dating her boyfriend since college—it had been over seven years now, and they had a great relationship.
She was genuinely happy for her friend. "Sure, I don't have any work scheduled tomorrow. I can go with you."
"You're the best, Joanna!"
After chatting with Fiona for a bit, Joanna brought some porridge to the nursing home.
Surprisingly, there was an unfamiliar man in the room who looked to be in his fifties, like a friend of Sandra's.
She was a bit surprised. "Mom, do you have a visitor?"
Sandra smiled and took the porridge. "An old classmate. You can just call him Mr. Reyes."
Joanna nodded and greeted him politely.
Byron smiled and nodded, then said to Sandra, "Since your daughter's here, I won't interrupt your conversation. I'll head back now. Just keep that matter in mind."
Sandra didn't ask him to stay, just had Joanna see him out.
Joanna watched him get in his car before returning. She asked curiously, "How come I've never seen this Mr. Reyes before? Mom, what's the matter he wants you to keep in mind? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"He wasn't in Austin City before, and we hadn't been in touch for a long time. As for that matter, there's nothing you need to do yet. He was just telling me about some things." Sandra ate a few spoonfuls of porridge and put it down.
She wanted to get out of bed and walk around. As soon as she moved, Joanna rushed over to help her.
"The doctor hasn't said you can get out of bed yet. Be careful."
Sandra smiled. "These old bones can't just lie in bed all the time. I'll just walk around the room."
She didn't tell Joanna that during the time right after she woke up, when Joanna wasn't there, she often got out of bed and walked around on her own.
"Let me help you."
Joanna wasn't comfortable letting her go alone and stayed with Sandra as she walked. After she worked up a sweat, Joanna got water to help her wash up.
"Joanna, if your father... did something wrong, would you blame him or help him?"
While wiping her hands, Sandra suddenly asked this.
Joanna was surprised. She even wondered if Sandra knew something, and didn't quite dare look Sandra in the eye.