Chapter 72 Please, I Beg You
This was the first time the two of them were meeting privately.
Nicole was dressed head to toe in expensive designer brands, poised and composed, preferring to stand rather than sit in the chair the nursing home had provided.
She looked over Sandra lying in the hospital bed. Years of IV nutrition had left her body somewhat frail and aged.
They were roughly the same age, yet Sandra looked ten years older than Nicole.
This discovery made Sandra feel a bit inferior. She lowered her head with a smile, her voice somewhat ingratiating: "Joanna and Chris have a good relationship. It's one thing for the two kids to visit me, but why did you make the trip yourself? My illness won't get better. I'll have to trouble you to look after the two kids from now on."
Nicole didn't plan to beat around the bush and got straight to the point: "I'm not here to visit you. Joanna doesn't know any better, and as an elder, I don't want to argue with her. But your daughter has a messy private life and wants to take half of my son's assets in the divorce. Now she's even suing me just because I said a few words to her. Isn't that just bad upbringing?"
After hearing this, the smile on Sandra's face froze.
She hesitated: "They have a great relationship. Chris and Joanna were even planning to have a baby. Why would they divorce?"
The moment she asked the question, Sandra remembered her first conversation with Joanna about marriage.
Joanna seemed to have made her faint from anger. What had she said?
It seemed... it was about divorce!
Sandra didn't dare think further. She propped herself up on the bed, trying to sit up: "There must be some misunderstanding. Nicole, don't be angry. I'll talk to her when she finishes work. As parents, we should encourage reconciliation. It's impossible for two people to live together without arguing, but they can't choose divorce just because of impulse."
Nicole glanced at her impatiently: "Looks like your daughter hasn't told you. They've already signed the divorce papers, just waiting to register and get the divorce certificate. There's no misunderstanding between them. It's just that your daughter doesn't respect her elders, has a terrible temper that can't be controlled, and has been getting close to other men in private. Word has gotten around, and I even have photos!"
With that, she threw some pre-printed photos onto the bed.
Then she covered her nose in disgust and stepped back two paces, as if afraid of catching some disease.
Sandra shakily picked up the photos. After just a few glances, she recognized that it was indeed Joanna.
She didn't know why things had turned out this way. Her eyes reddened.
"I'm so sorry. Joanna... Joanna is still young. You can scold her, but please don't divorce. Divorced women have a hard time remarrying. She's only twenty-seven, she has a long life ahead..."
Sandra reached out to grab Nicole's clothes, wanting to plead, but because of the distance, she couldn't reach.
Nicole looked at her with disgust: "We all know what Joanna is like! Now she wants to take me to court and take the Coopers' assets! If you have any self-respect, talk some sense into Joanna and don't let things get too ugly! In Austin City, we Coopers have plenty of ways to make your daughter's life impossible here."
With that, Nicole turned to leave.
But thinking of how frustrated she'd been with Joanna, she stopped and added: "Joanna is really good at seducing men. Keeping men on the side while still fooling Chris at home. If Cynthia hadn't told me all this, I might have let Chris be deceived! You're quite something too. Your husband is useless, so you use Joanna to get benefits from our family. Three years ago it was drugging and climbing into bed, three years later it's kidnapping, lying, drugging - every trick in the book. That son of yours is even better - beating someone to death in a bar, getting some innocent girl pregnant, dragging her to get an abortion..."
With each sentence Nicole spoke, Sandra's face grew worse.
By the end, she barely knew what was keeping her conscious.
Sandra's chest hurt terribly. Pressing on it didn't help, and she felt like coughing violently.
Having vented her malice, Nicole finished with a cold laugh: "Oh, and your daughter's most disgusting move was trying to steal another woman's child to secure her position. A family like yours isn't even worthy of carrying our shoes! These three years, our family has basically been supporting trash! Don't come bothering Chris anymore!"
Sandra finally couldn't hold it in. She coughed up blood, staining the nursing home's white sheets red.
Nicole froze for a moment, then quickly turned and left.
What bad luck!
Better not get tangled up with this sickly woman, or they might say she was angered to death!
The nursing home's emergency alarm rang for a long time. Dr. Bruce was busy in the operating room and had his assistant call Joanna's phone.
Joanna had just finished a meeting. Her heart had been racing, filled with inexplicable panic.
"Miss Jones, your mother's condition is critical. Dr. Bruce is performing emergency treatment. If she doesn't make it through this surgery, she might die. Please come to the nursing home quickly."
The phone fell to the ground. Joanna rushed to pick it up, but by the time she grabbed it, the call had ended.
This was Dr. Bruce's assistant's number, which Joanna had saved before, so it couldn't be a prank or scam.
She was so scared her lips lost all color. She forgot to even ask for leave and rushed straight out to catch a cab.
By the time she got to the nursing home, Dr. Bruce had finished the first surgery and walked out looking grim.
"Miss Jones, I need an assistant! Your mother's situation is very critical. I can't handle it alone. If you can contact Dr. Powell from Kangshou Nursing Home, and we work together, your mother might still have a chance!"
Sandra's illness was most difficult because of the cancer and neurological aspects.
Both Dr. Powell and Dr. Bruce were experts in this field. Although Joanna studied medicine herself, she specialized in orthopedics and trauma. She couldn't perform this level of surgery.
Joanna's voice trembled: "I have Dr. Powell's contact information. I'll talk to him!"
Fortunately, when she called Dr. Powell and explained the situation, he immediately agreed.
Joanna asked a nurse what had happened that morning. When she heard Nicole had been there, she guessed that Sandra must have found out about her divorce.
Joanna was furious, but now wasn't the time to settle scores with Nicole.
She called Chris, first telling him about getting Dr. Powell to perform the surgery together, then saying: "My mother's condition is very dangerous right now. I need you to help me put on an act to stabilize her emotions!"
Chris frowned. "I still have a lot of important work to handle! Joanna, I'm not a doctor. There's nothing I can do there! I'll contact Dr. Powell again and get him there as soon as possible."
"No! You have to come. I'm begging you. My mother really cares about family harmony. She's always hoped our marriage would be happy. If she doesn't see it with her own eyes, she won't believe it! Please help me. After my mother gets better, I'll do whatever you want!"
From her voice, Joanna was about to cry.