Chapter 107 Mom, I Am Very Happy
Such a great deal — even Sandra was tempted.
But she couldn't make the decision for Joanna, so she just lay there in the hospital bed, anxiously watching the two of them talk.
Joanna gave a self-mocking smile. "Let him out, so he can hurt more people? Chris, if you'd ever bothered to care about me, maybe you'd understand why I'm so cold toward Henry now."
Chris stayed quiet. He wasn't stupid — he knew perfectly well that Henry had been using Joanna to squeeze benefits out of the Coopers all along.
"Your dad's just a little greedy. He still raised you and gave you life. Maybe you two just never felt that family warmth, but that's no reason to put someone in prison, is it?"
Joanna's voice turned heavy. "You think he doesn't deserve it because you never looked into what he actually did. Chris, do you know why we ended up in the same hotel room three years ago, and why you were drugged? Do you know why he promised you I'd come apologize, but I never did?"
Thinking back to what Henry had done during that time, real anger and hatred crept into Joanna's eyes.
"Because he drugged me and kidnapped me. He forced me to Hillside Villa — whether I wanted to or not — to be your plaything, someone you could use and abuse and talk down to whenever you felt like it."
Chris was stunned for a moment, at a loss for words.
Honestly, if he'd paid any attention to Joanna, he wouldn't have been so clueless. After all, the last time she was drugged, he'd gone to the hotel too. If Angelo hadn't barged in and interrupted, he and Joanna might have gotten back together, and none of this would have happened.
What Joanna had been through — he hadn't wanted to know before. Now he was afraid to know.
Chris felt like he finally understood why Joanna hated both him and Henry so much.
In her eyes, the two of them were probably exactly the same kind of person.
Chris crumpled the check in his hand. "I'm sorry. If you're still upset about what happened before, take this as compensation. Don't turn down money — your mom is sick, and that costs a lot."
Joanna still didn't take it. She steadied herself and said calmly, "I'm over it. So I don't want the money. If you really feel the urge to do something good, donate it to kids in rural areas who need help going to school."
Seeing that her mind wasn't going to change, Chris stopped pushing.
He put the check away, pressed his lips together, and said, "Your loss. There's one more thing. Cynthia accidentally started a fire last time and burned down the original place we were going to move into. She's picked a new one, and she wants the same interior design you did before. If you still have those plans, send them to me."
Hearing that the home she'd so carefully designed had burned down, Joanna felt a sudden ache in a heart she thought had gone numb.
Her eyes felt dry. "Are you sure Cynthia didn't do it on purpose?"
"Stop thinking the worst of Cynthia!" Chris snapped back. "She cried for a long time yesterday and nearly stressed herself out to the point of hurting the baby. She was the one who begged me to bring you the check — she said she won't be able to sleep if you don't take it."
Joanna smiled bitterly. "So that's another reason you came with the check today."
Chris hadn't meant to let that slip. He looked away stiffly.
"Whatever the reason — if you change your mind and want to take it, it's still yours."
Joanna did change her mind. She reached out and took the check, then pulled out her phone and started recording a video.
"This check is Cynthia's payment for the interior design work I did on the original place. I'll accept that. But the new home has nothing to do with me, and I'm under no obligation to hand over my work for my ex-husband and his new woman."
Refused again, Chris lost the last of his patience. "Joanna, do you have to be this stubborn?" he said, furious. "We're not trying to hurt you. We just want the design plans for that place. You're getting paid for it — what more do you want?"
Once she heard him admit on camera that the check was payment for the design work, Joanna stopped the recording.
She tucked the check away and said, "I don't want anything to do with the past. If you and Cynthia actually mean well, stay out of my life and stop coming around."
With that, Joanna walked to the door, pulled it open, and tilted her head. "Not leaving yet? I'll call security in two minutes."
Chris clenched his jaw, kicked the hospital bed, and walked out.
Sandra let out a sigh and looked at Joanna with soft, pained eyes as the door closed.
"If it weren't for me holding you back, your father never would have had that hold over you. You wouldn't have married into the Coopers and gone through all of that. I thought Chris was a responsible, dependable husband — but I've realized lately that he never was. You went through so much. I'm sorry I wasn't there with you."
The composure Joanna had been holding together fell apart in an instant. Her nose stung, and a tear ran down her face before she could stop it.
"No, Mom. Even during the hardest times, I'd come sit with you in this room. It helped. You couldn't talk, but you were there for every important moment in my life."
Sandra hadn't wanted to cry, but Joanna's words nearly choked her up.
"Don't cry, Mom." Joanna forced a smile. "Same as always — I've had you with me the whole time. I'm happy."
In the cold, loveless Jones household, Sandra had been her only light.
"Okay. I'll be here. I need to get my health back. I want to see Joanna find a good man with my own eyes. Even when I'm gone someday, I want someone standing by your side."
Joanna buried herself in Sandra's arms and held on tight, terrified that she might somehow lose her in the next moment.
Both of them were feeling low, and the mood didn't lift until the caregiver brought dinner in.
Worried that her mood would affect her mother's recovery, Joanna headed back to her apartment after they ate.
To her surprise, as soon as she stepped off the elevator, she saw a figure by her door. A tall, solid silhouette hunched in the hallway, the motion-sensor light flickering on and off, casting shifting shadows across the side of his face.
For just a moment, her heart moved.
The deeper her guilt and gratitude toward Angelo ran, the more she couldn't bring herself to respond to his feelings. She was afraid of ending up where she'd ended up with Chris.
That fear left her without even the courage to face him directly.
Joanna wanted to turn and walk away — but Angelo had already seen her.