Chapter 44 You Want Me to Give Up Matty?
Matilda smiled. "Since you don't want the orange juice, I'll just drink it myself."
She had only juiced one glass and carried it back to her room. Drinking too much water before bed would affect sleep, especially for someone like Wentworth who struggled with insomnia. She didn't want him to be affected too.
While showering earlier, she'd noticed a small ulcer in her mouth. Probably a vitamin deficiency, which was why she'd come out looking for orange juice.
Wentworth returned to the couch and sat there in a daze.
No hug, and she drank the orange juice.
It seemed her rejection of Reuben was real, but sometimes rejecting an ex only showed responsibility—it didn't prove she was completely indifferent. First love really was impossible to forget completely.
...
Reuben spent the entire evening being lectured by his mother. Jenny cleaned the kitchen while telling him how stupid and naive he was—having a girlfriend but still going after the hospital director's daughter.
She'd spent the day gossiping about it with everyone at the hospital, and now everyone was talking about how wrong Reuben was, calling him wishy-washy, thinking he'd found someone better only to fall victim to the "three-month breakup" curse.
"Mom, give it a rest." Reuben was annoyed.
Jenny wasn't satisfied. "Then tell me, what am I supposed to do with all this stuff I bought? Sure, it was on sale, but the original prices weren't cheap. Back in our village, if someone bought a pair of shoes from this brand, the whole village would hear about it."
"If you like them, wear them yourself."
"Her size..." Jenny snorted. She'd actually bought everything in her own size. Her feet were bigger, so buying shoes a size up didn't matter—anyone could wear them.
"So what are you going to do now? Are you really just going to let Matty slip away?" Jenny asked.
Reuben irritably pulled the covers over his head. "What else can I do? She already has someone else in her heart."
"Who is this someone else? Is he better than you? Is he better looking than you?"
"Mom, stop bothering me!"
He turned over and fell asleep shortly after.
Jenny was so frustrated she slapped her thigh.
...
The next morning, Jenny got up very early.
She went to the cafeteria near the hospital to buy breakfast for her son. Outside sandwiches cost $2 each, while the cafeteria ones were only $1—you just had to get there early before they sold out.
After buying breakfast, she sat on a bench outside the hospital entrance with two sandwiches and a cup of coffee.
Most people coming in the morning were hospital staff, and few knew her except for Adalyn.
Adalyn drove up in her MINI BMW and couldn't help feeling disgusted when she saw Jenny. Thank God she hadn't married Reuben—having a mother-in-law like that would be a social disaster.
She hit the gas and drove straight into the parking garage.
Jenny waited a while longer until she finally saw Matilda.
Since Wentworth had an appointment at Concordia Saint Medical Center for a follow-up today, he was driving Matilda to work first.
As soon as Matilda got out of the car, Jenny rushed over.
"Matty, you're here!" Jenny said with a smile.
"You again?" Matilda's expression immediately turned cold.
Jenny held out her breakfast bag. "Matty, look, I bought you breakfast. I'm just having coffee, but I got you a whole wheat ham sandwich. See how good I am to you? Listen to me—go back to Ben. He can't live without you. He was so heartbroken last night he didn't sleep a wink."
Matilda held back her anger and pointed at Wentworth in the car. "I have a boyfriend now. That's him in the car."
Jenny shook her head. "You and Ben were together for two years, but with the guy in the car, it hasn't even been a month, right? How could he be better than Ben? Just look at what he drives—I can tell by his car. Our Ben drives a BMW. What brand is that? I've never even seen it."
Matilda said coolly, "The BMW costs $100,000. My boyfriend's car is $150,000."
"Well... you can't just judge by the car. You have to look at the person. Look at my Ben—he's almost six feet tall. Is the guy in your car that tall?"
Wentworth saw Matilda being blocked by an old woman and guessed this was Reuben's mother. He immediately got out and positioned himself in front of Matilda.
Jenny couldn't help but look up—so tall! At least six foot three.
Wentworth spoke up. "Mrs. Morris, you're blocking Matty. Is there something you need?"
"I just wanted to talk to her about her and my son. She was supposed to be my son's. If it weren't for you, she'd definitely be with my son right now. Could you please leave her alone?"
This was a temporary parking spot, and Wentworth's car would quickly block traffic behind them.
He pointed to the car. "Mrs. Morris, get in the car with me. We'll talk inside."
"What if I get in and you try to rob me?"
Wentworth pointed to the security cameras at the hospital entrance. "There are cameras here. I won't hurt you. Get in."
He looked at Matilda. "I'll handle this. You go to work."
For some reason, Matilda completely trusted him. She nodded. "Okay, I'll go to work then."
She was about to leave when Wentworth caught her hand.
Matilda turned back in confusion, and Wentworth leaned down to kiss the corner of her mouth—just barely missing her lips.
Matilda's heart skipped a beat.
This was probably for Jenny's benefit, right? Well, if he wanted to put on a show, she'd play along. She stood on her tiptoes and gave him a loud kiss on his lips.
Wentworth froze, savoring the moment.
...
Jenny finally managed to climb into Wentworth's car.
Once inside, she glanced at Wentworth. He had put away his smile and looked serious, like one of those intimidating male leads from TV dramas.
She couldn't help but shiver. "I... I want to get out."
Wentworth turned the steering wheel while saying, "Mrs. Morris, we haven't finished our conversation. We'll talk first, then you can get out."
With that, he drove away from the hospital.
Wentworth drove fast. Even though it was rush hour, he weaved through traffic, making Jenny grab the door handle, her face pale with fear.
"Where are you taking me? Let me out!"
"Somewhere suitable for conversation, naturally," Wentworth said calmly.
Half an hour later, Wentworth parked by the river. It was remote, and since it wasn't the weekend, there was hardly anyone around.
Jenny got out and immediately threw up. When she finally recovered, she pointed at Wentworth angrily. "You... why did you stop here? I'm calling the police!"
She shakily pulled out her phone and was about to dial when Wentworth gently took it from her.
"Mrs. Morris, we haven't finished our conversation. You just said I should give up Matty and let her go back to your son?"
"That's right!" Jenny said righteously.
Wentworth seemed to be thinking. "So what do I get out of it?"
"Why do you need to get something out of it? You and Matty aren't right for each other—there's no love there, understand? Matty and my son have an emotional foundation. She can only be happy with my son."
Wentworth suddenly raised his hand. "Mrs. Morris, please wait. Let me handle something first."