Chapter 177 Are They Really Friends?
Despite wanting to go home as soon as possible, Matilda decided to stay longer for Wentworth's sake. Not because of the medical facilities—she just didn't want him exhausted by travel. Amelia and Juliana didn't want Wentworth leaving early either.
Once Wentworth returned home, he'd have to report back to his unit. As a soldier, he'd need to prepare extensive debriefs about his overseas movements and everyone he'd contacted. Mentally and physically draining work.
After the doctor left, Amelia couldn't hold back. "Wentworth, when you get home, you need to apply for retirement."
Wentworth's expression hardened.
Amelia's voice turned urgent. "You promised me once—if you were ever seriously injured, you'd listen to me. You were hurt so badly this time. Another injury like this could kill you. Don't you care about your own life?"
"The moment I enlisted, my life belonged to my country," Wentworth said quietly.
"So... so you don't care about your mother or your wife anymore? Fine, forget about me. But what about Matilda?"
Matilda thought, Now you acknowledge I'm your daughter-in-law?
But she kept silent.
Seeing Matilda's silence, Amelia pounced. "Why aren't you saying anything? Don't you want him safe?"
"Mom, this is Wentworth's choice."
"You don't care about him at all! You'd rather watch him walk to his death!"
"If I could die in his place, I would. But Wentworth has his own ideals and choices. Besides, retirement isn't his decision alone—the military has to approve it."
Amelia's face went cold. She turned to Juliana. "What do you think?"
Unexpectedly, Juliana didn't take Amelia's side either. She looked at Wentworth. "I respect Wentworth's decision too. Men have to make their own choices."
Furious with everyone, Amelia snapped, "I'm going for a walk on the beach!"
Wentworth watched his mother's retreating back. He hated worrying her, but while he was still young and able, he wanted to serve his country.
Juliana didn't follow Amelia outside. Instead, she turned to Matilda. "Matty, you've been here all this time and haven't gone out once, have you? There's a town nearby. Want to go explore it together?"
Matilda blinked, surprised Juliana would invite her anywhere.
Seeing her hesitation, Juliana smiled. "We both want the same thing—for Wentworth to fully recover. We shouldn't be enemies. We should be friends, right? These past few days, I've realized you're actually a really good person. I'd like to be your friend."
Juliana's manner was so gracious that refusing would make Matilda look petty.
Fine. Let's go then. What's there to be afraid of?
So when Zoey emerged from her room later, both Juliana and Matilda had already left the rehabilitation center.
"Where did they go?" Zoey asked Wentworth in astonishment.
Wentworth looked equally baffled. "They said something about going out together. Becoming friends."
Then he asked, "Do women actually have real friendships with each other?"
Zoey put her hands on her hips. "Matilda and I definitely have a real friendship. But Matilda and that Juliana? Absolutely not. I'm one hundred percent sure!"
---
Juliana drove them to a large supermarket nearby. Despite its size, the store wasn't crowded, so they could push a cart and chat while browsing.
Women were strange creatures. Both were clearly competing over the same man, but with him out of sight, they avoided mentioning him entirely.
Juliana talked about her childhood instead. "I grew up abroad. Our school system is so different from yours. Did you know we didn't learn two-digit addition and subtraction until fifth grade?"
Matilda shared her own experiences. "That does seem late."
"But I actually worked really hard," Juliana continued. "I went to private school and had to take extra tutoring classes. No matter what country you're in, if you want a decent life, you have to fight for it."
"Isn't that the truth!"
They reached the appliance section. Juliana gestured around. "Supermarkets are basically the same worldwide now. The main difference here is they sell way more large ovens."
"I'm terrible at baking. Not like you—you make such amazing egg tarts and sandwiches." Matilda meant it sincerely.
"My parents were always busy, so I learned to live on my own pretty young. Basic survival skills, you know. If you want to learn, I could teach you," Juliana offered.
"No need. I'm clumsy with that stuff. My cakes never rise properly. If I want something, I'll just buy it from a bakery."
"You probably just haven't found the right technique. But these things really depend on interest. If you're only doing it to kill time and don't actually enjoy it, forget it."
"You clearly love life," Matilda observed.
The two women continued browsing and chatting like old friends. After wandering for ages, they only bought a few small bags of snacks to bring back for Zoey.
Over the next several days, they made regular trips to the supermarket. Sometimes Zoey joined them, but she tired easily—long walks left her dizzy. Usually it was just Matilda and Juliana.
Zoey sometimes wondered how these two women, obvious rivals, could spend so much time together. Were they trying to figure each other out?
Women were mysterious creatures, far more complex than men. Especially these educated, sophisticated women.
---
One day, Matilda and Juliana were at the supermarket again. What they didn't know was that in the woods not far away, two men were watching them.
One went by the codename Black Cat. The other, Hawk.
"Those two women," Black Cat murmured. "One's Wentworth's wife. The other took care of him personally when he was injured."
"So which one does Wentworth actually love?"
Hawk snorted coldly. "Men all over the world are the same—can't commit. Especially when both women are that hot."
Black Cat's laugh turned sinister. "What do you think would happen if we made Wentworth choose? Which one would he pick?"