Stuart had always been full of apologies and promises, but right now, Josephine felt something different. Maybe it was the whole situation with the two elders that made her feel a bit down. But now, she felt like she could believe in love again.
Stuart quickly let go of her. "You go take care of Jeffery. I might not be able to come over these days; I need to look after my mom."
Josephine said, "Jeffery is getting discharged this afternoon. I'll come over to see Carol then, don't worry too much."
Stuart touched her hair. "You should go."
Josephine forced a smile. "Now you're the one pushing me away."
Stuart said, "With you here, I can't focus; I just want to hold you."
Josephine's ears turned red, and she lowered her head. "Alright, I'll go now. Call me if you need anything."
Josephine went back to the ward and saw that Laura had already arrived. Earlier, when Stuart called her, she rushed to the emergency room and called Laura on the way.
"How is it?" Laura asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Carol hasn't woken up yet," Josephine said, "but it shouldn't be a big problem."
Laura didn't know the details, only that Carol was hurt. "Did Elbert come too? How are they doing now?"
"I haven't had a chance to tell you," Josephine sighed, "Elbert didn't cheat back then."
Laura was shocked. "What do you mean? Wasn't it a big deal at the time? And isn't William Stuart's half-brother?"
"No, he's not," Josephine replied and briefly explained the situation.
Sure enough, Laura looked stunned. "Isaac is a madman!" she said angrily, "People like him deserve to die!"
Josephine said, "Who wouldn't see it that way? It's just too terrible."
Laura sighed, "Thank goodness the truth surfaced. Otherwise, Stuart's folks would've passed with regrets, and that'd be a real shame."
"Let's hope they do well from now on."
After a moment of reflection, Laura asked her, "What about you and Stuart?"
Josephine was silent for a few seconds and then shared her recent feelings with her.
Laura shared, "It's totally normal to feel that way. You know, I've been with Steven for so many years, and when I think about the past, I still feel wronged, wondering why I forgave him and thinking I shouldn't have been with him."
Josephine said, "Our situations are different."
"Yeah, Stuart's mess-ups are way worse than Steven's, so it makes sense for you to feel like this."
Josephine looked at her. "You know Steven's mistakes aren't that serious, and over the years, everyone has seen how well Steven treats you. Stuart and I haven't been together that long."
"Am I not the queen of pettiness?"
Josephine gave her a light slap. "You're just bad."
"Steven likes me being this bad."
Josephine said seriously, "Laura, you know, I'm actually worried."
"Worried about what?"
"Worried that with your bad temper, Steven might get annoyed. What if a sweet and understanding girl pursues Steven, and he falls for her?"
Laura burst into laughter.
Josephine slapped her again. "You're still laughing! You should have a sense of crisis, you know? After all, Steven is so outstanding."
"And I'm not outstanding? I have confidence and self-assurance. How am I not a match for him? Sweet and understanding? Does he deserve that? He's just an old rogue; a sweet and understanding girl would be ruined by him."
Josephine laughed. "Only you would say that about him. He's tall, handsome, rich, and good-looking. How could no one like him?"
"Do you know something?" Laura stared at her, "Is someone pursuing Steven?"
"No, I was just saying. You should pay more attention to Steven. If someone steals him away, you'll be the one crying."
"Anything that can be stolen away was never mine to begin with," Laura said, "When the time comes, I'll just wave goodbye and leave gracefully."
Steven arrived to fetch Laura, with Josephine urging her to depart, and Laura obediently complied.
In the car, Laura said, "Weren't you supposed to have a shareholders' meeting today? How do you have time to pick me up?"
Steven said, "It's over."
"That fast?"
"No choice, I had to pick you up," Steven laughed, "I told them to hurry up."
Laura tilted her head and looked at him. "Steven, let me ask you something."
Steven said, "What is it?"
"Is someone pursuing you?" Laura asked, "Whether it's a quiet and sweet girl or a passionate young woman."
Before she could finish, Steven reached over and pinched her mouth. "What nonsense."
Laura slapped his hand away. "Answer the question!"
"No!" Steven said, "I'm not single, and we've been wearing our rings for years. Who doesn't know I have a girlfriend?"
"That's good," Laura raised an eyebrow, "If you dare to flirt with young girls, just wait and see!"
"I wouldn't dare," Steven laughed, "You're so fierce."
Laura twisted his ear. "Who are you calling fierce?"
Josephine didn't know how Laura and Steven interacted in private. After seeing Laura off, she reached out to Carol's attending physician. Carol was still unconscious, but her vital signs remained stable.
In the afternoon, Josephine handled Jeffery's discharge procedures. She took Jeffery home and discussed with him about visiting Andrew for the Starlight Festival.
Last time, Jeffery and Andrew met and got along well. Andrew even suggested they stay at the Haustia Manor for a while.
Josephine was actually reluctant to go. Given her uncertain status and relationship with Stuart, she felt awkward.
If she and Stuart had no further contact, she could simply treat Andrew as an elder and accompany him for a few days. But in the current situation, she felt a bit embarrassed.
She thought, if necessary, she could send Jeffery over and say she was busy with work, letting him accompany Andrew for a few days.
However, she definitely needed Jeffery's consent for this. After discussing it with Jeffery, she was surprised that he agreed right away.
Josephine felt relieved. From the gifts Andrew had sent previously, he likely knew Jeffrey's identity, but his lack of inquiries also put Josephine at ease.
Lying to Stuart didn't weigh on her conscience, but hiding the truth from Andrew made her feel guilty.
After returning home from the hospital, tidying up, and having dinner, Josephine received a message from Carol's doctor, who said Carol had woken up and was basically fine. They just needed to observe her for a few days to see how the hematoma was absorbing, and then she could be discharged. Josephine finally felt at ease.
After another ten minutes, Stuart also sent her a message: [My mom woke up. I'm outside the ward now, and my dad is inside crying.]