Chapter 87: Reconciled
Lark jumped in fright!
When she came to her senses, tears streamed down her face. "Tristan, I'm the only one willing to marry you now. Why won't you accept reality? Why are you yelling at me like this?"
Tristan closed his eyes. "Ryder!"
The hospital room door opened and Ryder walked in. "Mr. Lancaster."
"Take her back."
Ryder nodded. "Okay."
Lark was crying so hard she could barely breathe. Soon Ryder wheeled her away.
The room finally fell quiet, but the atmosphere was so heavy that Harriet could barely breathe.
Harriet took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Lie down properly. Let me examine you."
"No need." Tristan coldly refused. "Since you want to push me toward another woman, I'll do as you wish. You can leave now. I don't want to see you anymore."
Harriet was silent for a moment before speaking. "You got hurt like this because of me. I have the duty and responsibility to stay and take care of you."
"You want to stay and take care of me to make up for the guilt you feel toward me, right?" Tristan turned to look at her and sneered. "Harriet, don't even think about it. Get out right now. I won't give you a chance to make it up to me. I want you to live with guilt for the rest of your life!"
"Tristan, don't be like this."
"I'm already a useless person now. As a husband, I can't even fulfill my marital duties. I don't need your sympathy or repayment." Tristan pulled at the corner of his lips. "Haven't you always wanted a divorce? I'll grant your wish. Bring the divorce papers and I'll sign them!"
Harriet's heart ached with each word. "If you grant my wish now, I'll feel even more guilty toward you."
"Good that you know." Tristan said coldly. "Haven't you always wanted freedom? I'll give you freedom. Let's get divorced."
Harriet closed her eyes. "I know you're angry right now. Once you've calmed down and recovered enough to leave the hospital, we can go to the courthouse to get divorced."
After saying this, Harriet turned to leave.
The next second, a large hand grabbed her wrist.
"No need to wait. If you want a divorce, let's go now."
Harriet spoke calmly. "I won't divorce you right now."
"Really?" Tristan smirked. "Harriet, listen carefully. This is your last chance. If you don't divorce me today, then for the rest of your life, you'll be Mrs. Lancaster. I'll never give you another chance to divorce!"
Harriet froze.
The room fell into dead silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, Harriet slowly turned around.
She looked into Tristan's eyes. "That day you said you didn't sleep with Lark. Was that true?"
Tristan hadn't expected her to bring this up. "Does it matter?"
"It matters." Harriet choked up. "I can't accept cheating during marriage."
If he really had slept with Lark, even if she still loved him, she would choose to let go and treat him only as a doctor.
"Harriet, you think I'm lying to you, don't you?" Tristan gripped her slender wrist tightly. "If I were going to cheat, would I let you find out so easily?"
"But I did receive photos of you and Lark in bed together. I could tell those photos weren't fake."
"I had Ryder hack into your phone and find the photos you received. They really weren't fake, but I honestly don't know when that photo was taken." Tristan let go of her hand and picked up his phone from the nightstand, opening a video. "This is surveillance footage of all my movements that night. I only stayed in Lark's room for ten minutes. I never spent the night with her. Here's the proof."
Harriet's heart was in turmoil.
"Can you believe me now?" Tristan looked at her. "Harriet, do you still insist on divorcing me?"
Harriet's mind was in chaos. "I don't know."
She didn't know why he would risk his life to save her, didn't know whether staying married would be a blessing or a curse.
Tristan couldn't control himself anymore. He pulled her into his arms and held her tight."I take back what I just said. I don't want to divorce you. Even if we torture each other, I won't divorce you."
Harriet closed her eyes in resignation, letting her tears fall.
Lark was wheeled back to her own room. Ryder ignored her and left directly.
After several minutes, Lark finally came to her senses with difficulty and quickly took out her phone to make a call.
After a while, the other party answered. "How did it go?"
"Didn't you say there was nothing wrong with Tristan's body? Is it true or not!" Lark demanded.
"I have no reason to lie to you." The other party laughed. "Judging by your reaction, even though you're willing to marry him, he's not willing to marry you, right?"
"Why is this happening?" Lark couldn't believe it. "When no one knows he's not actually disabled, Harriet is giving up on him and I'm willing to marry him—shouldn't he hate Harriet and marry me instead? Why did he kick me out?"
The other party sneered. "Looks like you, his childhood friend and arranged fiancée, mean nothing to Tristan."
"It's not like that, it can't be like that!" Lark's eyes were bloodshot. "He still dares to deny that he's fallen in love with Harriet! If this isn't love, what is! If he didn't love her, how could he take a knife for Harriet! How could he still be unwilling to divorce her at this point!"
The other party said nothing more and hung up directly.
Lark screamed in breakdown.
In the hospital room upstairs.
Rhea had brought over plenty of ingredients, and Harriet was cooking for Tristan.
"Mrs. Lancaster, the room has been cleaned. Let me do the cooking." Rhea came in and said.
Harriet was preparing vegetables. "No need, I'll do it."
It wasn't that she wanted to cook, but facing Tristan at this moment felt really awkward.
Did this mean they had made up?
Harriet's mind was a mess.
"Mrs. Lancaster, then let me help you."
"No need." Harriet said. "There's nothing much to do here. Go home and spend time with your husband and children."
"Alright then. I'll come back early tomorrow morning. Call me if you need anything."
Rhea tactfully left, giving them space to be alone.
Harriet finished cooking and brought the food out. "Let's eat."
"Okay."
The two ate quietly, neither saying a word.
After a long while, Tristan finally spoke, breaking the silence. "Harriet."
Harriet looked up at him. "What is it?"
"My body is ruined. Do you feel wronged?"
Harriet smiled and answered without hesitation. "When you were in a vegetative state, I was willing to marry you. It's even less of an issue now. I don't feel wronged."
"That's different." Tristan said. "Back then you married me to get treatment for your grandmother."
"It wasn't just that." Harriet explained. "If it had been someone else, even if they could treat my grandmother, I wouldn't have traded my own marriage for it. Even if I was willing, my grandmother wouldn't have allowed it. She would rather not get treatment than let me sacrifice myself."
Tristan looked at her intently. "Then why were you willing to marry me?"
Harriet's cheeks flushed slightly as she quickly lowered her head to eat. "You know the reason."
"I want to hear you say it yourself." Tristan persisted. "Harriet, tell me."