Chapter 70 Chapter 70
I turned to look at the one who spoke, and all my excitement vanished, replaced by anger, when I saw my own mother standing in front of me. She was arrogantly removing the gloves she was wearing as she walked toward me.
“W-what are you doing here, M-mom?”
My voice cracked. Even my teeth were gritted, and my fists were clenched, hidden in the pockets of my white coat. This was far from what I expected. How much time does she have to even join our medical mission? And the head of St. Aveline allowed her to skip work at the hospital just to be here? I doubted it.
“Why? Did I surprise you? Well, it’s your fault for not answering my messages. I heard that you also went to St. Aveline but didn’t even dare to visit me. Just like today, you didn’t even greet me properly. What a disrespectful daughter.”
Dr. Apolinaris stepped back in fear. Who wouldn’t tremble at witnessing the wrath of the woman who gave birth to me? And on top of that, my mother is a well-known doctor. All doctors respect her. Just hearing her name makes many tremble.
Well, except me. I’m no longer like before, someone she could control. I have earned my right to maintain a reasonable boundary, one even my mother cannot cross. I no longer want to compromise, because the one relative I least expected to betray me—my own biological mother—is doing just that.
I exhaled, trying to maintain my composure. I slowly blinked and looked up at her.
“I don’t remember having a reason to hold a conversation with you, Doctor Solieza,” I said formally once I recovered. I saw the effect my words had on her.
She just brushed it off with a cunning smirk. “Well, you have your reason now. Just because you have a high position in life doesn’t mean you can be late for events like this. Even if this is volunteer work, you still need to be disciplined. Didn’t Doctor Martino teach you that?”
Now she was dragging the unsuspecting Doctor Martino into this. There’s really no point in having this conversation. If I had known she would be here, I wouldn’t have even bothered to present myself. I endured my body’s pain just to help others, but I wasn’t oriented to the fact that I’d have to deal with this nonsense, which is now heating my temper.
“Well, I am not aware that it should be taught by my co-worker,” I said, bowing. “I apologize that my mother did not teach me the discipline you are referring to. What she instilled in me was only to be disrespectful to those who don’t deserve respect.”
I turned my attention to Doctor Apolinaris. Mom was no longer silent, as she was needed by several patients. Dr. Apolinaris graciously accompanied me to another station and temporarily placed me there. I had no problem with that—as long as it was away from my mother, it was fine.
“Why is she here?”
When I turned to look at who asked, I saw Dr. Martino, his face marked with confusion.
“I-I’m sorry, Doc. Martino… I-I didn’t update Doc. Jade that her mother would be joining us here,” Doctor Apolinaris apologized, bowing.
“Huh? Didn’t I tell you to inform her? Are you serious?” Dr. Martino’s voice carried anger, but concern was stronger.
“I-I’m sorry, Doc,” Doctor Apolinaris continued, and I interjected.
“Let it be. It already happened. Just give me the patients.”
“Yes, Doc. Jade.”
Doctor Apolinaris bowed and left. Meanwhile, Dr. Martino just glanced at me, sighed, and left.
Throughout the session, I seriously attended to my patients. Even if I wanted to fake a smile, I couldn’t. I still couldn’t settle knowing the person I had long rejected was nearby. But it seemed she wouldn’t stop until I was forced to acknowledge her presence.
During lunch break around two in the afternoon, Mom sat at our table. I never thought she would sit in a place where she wasn’t invited. The whole table fell silent, and some clearly lost their appetite. Some stern-faced people even left quickly after finishing their food. And I was one of them.
But as I was about to stand up, she spoke again as if no one around could hear.
“How about your father, who truly loves you? Don’t you think he deserves an explanation about your sudden marriage?”
Doctor Apolinaris, sitting beside me, cleared her throat and touched my hand, showing sympathy and respect, indicating she should leave so she wouldn’t have to hear any of this nonsense. She at least knew how to respect the meal—but my mother seemed to have no idea where she should belong. She was the one bringing shame to our name.
“Excuse me, Doctor Solieza, but isn’t it inappropriate to discuss something private in a public place? Especially here at the table where we’re having a decent meal?” Doctor Martino cut in—something I didn’t expect. He was standing in front of me, irritation clearly etched on his face.
“Why? You don’t want me interrupting your alone time with my daughter? Sadly, she’s now married. You have no chance—but if you tried to be kinder, I might as well give you my favor. So stop being rude and mind your own business. I am ahead of you, after all. At least be respectful,” Mom said with a smile, as if she were an angel who couldn’t even break a plate.
Doctor Martino fixed his eyes on me, his jaw clenched and his fist tightening outside his pocket.
“Are you just going to stay there? We still have a lot of patients to accommodate,” Doc. Martino said bluntly to me. It was cold, yet helpful. I immediately moved to pack up my things when I heard my mom speak again.
“Something bad happened to your dad. Aren’t you even going to visit him, Jade?”