Chapter 81
Adeline slept like the dead. By the time she woke up, it was already bright outside. She rubbed her head and sat up, startled by the figure sitting beside her bed.
"Edward, why are you sitting here?"
Edward replied coolly, "You were drunk. I was worried that if no one watched over you and you died here, this house would become uninhabitable."
Adeline fell silent.
"Do you remember what happened last night?" He asked.
"I can't recall."
She only remembered going drinking with Olivia, and then nothing.
Complete blackout.
"Why were you drinking yesterday?"
Adeline scratched her head. "I don't remember."
She truly didn't.
Her alcohol tolerance was usually decent, but last night she'd gone wild, mixing all sorts of drinks, leaving her brain completely foggy.
Which explained why her head now felt like it was splitting open.
"Headache?"
"Yes."
"You deserve it."
Adeline remained silent.
Edward tossed something onto her lap.
"Your stuff fell out last night. You were desperate to get it back. I'm guessing this is your most prized possession?"
Adeline looked down.
Antidepressant medication.
Her eyes widened slightly, and her first instinct was to hide the pill bottle under the blanket.
Only afterward did she realize how abrupt that gesture had been.
Edward stood nearby, watching her. "You never told me you had depression."
Adeline suddenly laughed.
Edward frowned. "What's so funny?"
Adeline took out the empty pill bottle and tossed it on the blanket. "It's just for show. Don't tell me you actually believed it."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't have depression. You know what kind of person I am—heartless, selfish. Someone like me could never get depression. These pills aren't even mine. A patient dropped them at the hospital, and I picked them up."
"Then why keep an empty bottle?"
Edward didn't believe her. The excuse seemed too far-fetched.
However, Adeline's next words made him reconsider.
"I was actually planning to use it to trick you. You were bullying me so badly back then. I couldn't find work, couldn't earn money. I had to resort to desperate measures."
Edward looked at her in disbelief.
Adeline smiled. "You think I'm despicable, don't you? But I can't be blamed. You were ruthlessly trying to destroy me. I was out of options."
"Then why didn't you bring it up later?"
"You already knew about Lily. What was the point? What if you really believed I had depression and decided I wasn't fit to care for a child? You might have taken Lily away or forbidden me from visiting her. I'd have lost everything."
"You've thought it all through, haven't you?"
Edward gritted his teeth slightly.
The emotional turmoil he'd felt upon seeing the pill bottle had all been for nothing.
He crushed the bottle under his foot.
He said coldly, "You're truly beyond help. Since we're on this topic, I might as well tell you—whether you have depression or not, I will never forgive you. We can never go back to how things were."
Adeline nodded with a carefree smile.
"I know. I never thought we could."
"Now that you're sober, leave my house."
He turned and walked away.
Adeline clutched her chest, still smiling, but the smile gradually turned to tears.
Whether she was sick or dying, that was her business.
Edward shouldn't be dragged into it again.
He was a good person.
He shouldn't be entangled with someone like her.
She just felt so sad, a pain that seemed to twist all her internal organs together.
The wound in her abdomen hurt the most.
It's okay.
It's okay.
She murmured, "I should be used to this by now. Why cry? Adeline, what right do you have to cry?"
She wiped her tears forcefully with her sleeve, reddening the corner of her eye.
"Mommy!" Lily's voice came from outside the door.
Adeline started, quickly sitting up. By the time Lily pushed open the door, Adeline had composed herself, sitting on the bed with a smile.
Lily approached but hesitated.
"Mommy, were you crying? Why are your eyes so red?"
Adeline's vision blurred with unshed tears. She quickly lowered her head and rubbed her eyes.
"I just got something in my eye. It still feels uncomfortable."
Now she had a legitimate reason for red eyes.
Lily immediately blew on her eye. "A little blow will make it better. Mommy, why didn't you tell me you came over last night? I wanted to sleep with you!"
Adeline ruffled Lily's hair.
The little girl must have run over right after waking up. Her hair wasn't even combed yet, all messy.
"Would you like Mommy to comb your hair?"
"Yes, yes!"
While combing, Lily kept complaining.
"Daddy doesn't know how to do hair. Whenever he takes me to the hospital for check-ups, he just ties it up with a hair tie. He can't braid it nicely."
For a little girl who loved looking pretty, not having beautiful braids was torture.
Adeline carefully combed her daughter's delicate hair.
"Daddy can learn. Your daddy is very smart. If you want something, just tell him directly. He loves you so much; he'll give you anything you want."
"I love Daddy too," Lily said in her childish voice. "But I love Mommy more."
Baby, Mommy loved you too.
Adeline didn't say it out loud. She hoped Lily would learn to be independent, so when the time came for her to leave, she wouldn't worry so much.
When leaving Serenity Haven Estates, she didn't go see Lily.
And Lily didn't come after her.
Mother and daughter seemed to have reached an unspoken understanding—one knew it was time to leave, and the other wouldn't try to hold her back.
Adeline preferred it this way.
If Lily had come running after her, crying and calling out, she didn't know how she would have reacted or if she could have handled it.
On her way back, she didn't want to take a car, so she walked along the edge of the road.
Suddenly, a car horn blared.
An elderly man had been knocked down.
Adeline witnessed it firsthand. The driver had braked in time, not actually hitting the old man, but the elderly gentleman had been startled and fallen.
No passersby dared to help him up.
Adeline surveyed the scene and finally stepped forward to help the elderly lady up.
"Let me take you to the hospital."
"Thank you, young person." The elderly woman's blood pressure had spiked, causing dizziness. She only knew that a young woman was helping her.
Someone nearby said, "Miss, I'd advise you not to get involved. There are so many scammers these days. What if her family later claims you were the one who hit her? You'd have no way to defend yourself."
Adeline knew the person meant well. "Thank you for your concern. I know what I'm doing."
She certainly wouldn't take the elderly woman to the hospital alone, and the driver who had caused the accident wouldn't be allowed to escape.
So the three of them went to the hospital together and called the police.
The elderly woman's phone screen was broken. She could see the number but couldn't make calls. Adeline dialed the number for her.
An elderly man answered.
He arrived quickly, leaning on a cane, his face filled with concern. "Are you alright?"
The elderly woman shook her head. "I'm fine, just got startled. My blood pressure went up a bit. Thanks to this young lady who helped me get to the hospital, called an ambulance, and reported to the police. Brother, we must thank this young lady properly."
Adeline stepped into the hospital room.
"It's you?"
Only now did the elderly woman clearly see Adeline's face.
Adeline paused, initially not wanting to be recognized. She had only intended to check in briefly and leave.
The elderly man looked confused. "You know each other?"
"Remember that house I bought? This is the young lady who recommended it to me."