Chapter 4

Sarah POV

I found my mother's ward, and the moment I pushed open the door, my fingers were trembling.

On the hospital bed, my mother lay with her eyes closed, her face sallow, and monitoring equipment surrounded the bedside.

My father sat beside her, with far more white hair at his temples than I remembered, and he looked utterly exhausted.

Hearing the door open, my father looked up.

When he saw that the person standing in the doorway was the daughter he had not seen in eight years, my father froze for a long while, and his eyes instantly reddened.

"Sarah?"

My mother also slowly opened her eyes, her cloudy gaze focusing on my face. Her lips trembled a few times, and tears slid down from the corners of her eyes.

"Sarah, I thought I wouldn't get to see you before I died."

"Mom, please don't say that."

I threw myself to the bedside and held my mother's thin, bony hand. My throat felt as if something had blocked it, and for a long time, I could not speak.

My father wiped his eyes and stood up. "I'll go call the doctor."

The doctor came quickly, flipped through the medical record, and looked at the monitoring data, his expression not relaxed.

"Ms. Lane, your mother's condition... to be honest, it isn't very optimistic."

My heart tightened. "Doctor, didn't my mom already make it through resuscitation?"

"She did make it through resuscitation," the doctor sighed. "But your mother's heart disease has been recurring again and again for so many years, and each time, her condition gets worse than the last. This time is especially serious. Although her vital signs are stable for now, she still needs continued observation, and whether she can completely get out of danger is still hard to say."

It had been recurring again and again for so many years, and her condition had gotten worse each time?

I felt a chill rush up from the soles of my feet, and my whole body felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar.

I knew my mother's heart was not good.

All these years, every time I spoke with Ethan on the phone, I would ask about my parents' health.

Ethan always answered her, "Don't worry. They're both in good health."

"Your mom has been in good spirits recently."

"Everything is being watched over by me. Don't worry."

He had never mentioned a single word about my mother's heart disease recurring again and again, or that her condition was getting worse year by year!

I had never doubted what he said, but he had even lied to me about something like this!

I stood where I was, my hands ice-cold, my fingertips trembling.

"Sarah?" My mother's voice pulled back my thoughts. "Come here and let me take a good look at you."

I suppressed the surging emotions and sat back down beside the bed.

My mother held my hand and carefully studied my face, her eyes full of heartache. "You've lost weight. You must have suffered a lot over there."

"It wasn't hard, Mom. I'm doing fine."

"Silly girl, I know you don't like to complain." My mother caught her breath and said weakly, "My body is getting worse year by year, and I probably don't have many years left. I only have one wish now, and that is to see you get married."

She tightened her grip on my hand. "Since you're back this time, pick a date and marry Ethan. You two have been together for so many years, and he has been waiting for you all this time. It hasn't been easy for him."

A sharp pain twisted at the tip of my heart, as if it were being cut back and forth by a dull knife.

I lowered my lashes and shook my head bitterly. "Mom, this marriage... I won't go through with it."

My mother froze, and my father also looked stunned.

"Everything was fine, so why are you suddenly saying you won't get married?" My mother grew anxious and struggled to sit up. "Did something happen? Did you and Ethan fight?"

I opened my mouth, but I did not know how to say it.

How was I supposed to tell my mother that the man everyone thought was waiting for me to come back and marry him had already had a wife and child long ago?

How was I supposed to tell my mother that the future son-in-law our whole family trusted had not only hidden his marriage and child from me, but had also hidden my mother's illness from me and deceived me again and again?

In everyone's eyes, once I returned, I should marry Ethan.

After all, everyone knew about our relationship of so many years, everyone knew he was waiting for me, and everyone thought we were a match made in heaven.

But what was the truth?

He had turned my eight years of trust and deep love into a complete joke.

But I could not say these things.

If I said them, my mother would worry. If I said them, my mother might become so angry that her condition would worsen.

I took a deep breath and forced out a smile. "Mom, we didn't fight. I have something else going on."

She paused, then made up an excuse. "I've applied for an opportunity to study abroad, and the higher-ups have already approved it. I only have half a month to come back and stay with you, and after half a month, I have to leave."

"Study abroad?"

Mom and Dad looked at each other, both stunned.

"Mm." I nodded. "So the wedding can only be put on hold for now."

As soon as I finished speaking, the ward door was suddenly shoved open.

I turned back and saw Ethan stride in, his face terrifyingly dark.

"Who's going abroad? Going to what country?"