It’s past six in the evening.
The streetlights on the street lit up one by one.
The evening breeze gently passed by, making the leaves on the trees fall slowly, scattering on the road, laying a golden layer.
The street was bustling with traffic and pedestrians. Quentin Sterling turned his head to look out of the window, gradually slowing down the car, and saw Vanessa Sterling walking into a pharmacy alone by the roadside.
He pulled over, got out of the car, and walked directly into the pharmacy.
The pharmacy was spacious with few people. He glanced over the shelves and saw Vanessa Sterling consulting a doctor at the pharmacy counter inside.
Miles Sterling quietly approached, watching as the doctor bent down to take a box of dicine from the cabinet and hand it to Vanessa Sterling, saying, "Two pills each ti, three tis a day."
"What’s wrong with her?"
Miles Sterling’s voice suddenly rang out, startling both the doctor and Vanessa Sterling, who turned their gaze to him simultaneously.
Vanessa Sterling looked surprised to see him, not expecting him to appear at this ti.
The doctor sized up the two and assud they knew each other, then said, "Look at your girlfriend’s swollen face. I told her to go to the hospital for a drip, but she insisted on taking so anti-inflammatory painkillers."
Miles Sterling looked at Vanessa Sterling’s very swollen face and frowned, asking, "How did it get swollen?"
The doctor said, "It’s wisdom teeth. It’s so swollen. You should go to the hospital tomorrow. This toothache can really be tornting. Don’t take it lightly."
Miles Sterling looked at her swollen face. He knew what a toothache felt like, and her furrowed brows and swollen face looked sowhat amusing yet heart-aching.
He took her to the pharmacy’s cashier to settle the bill, stood at the pharmacy entrance, took out his phone to check the ti, and muttered to himself, "At this point, there’s probably no one in the dental departnt at the hospital."
Seeing his intention to take her to the hospital, Vanessa Sterling opened her mouth and whispered, "...I think it will get better after taking the dicine."
Miles Sterling looked down at her, feeling a bit helpless, and asked, "How many days has it been hurting?"
Vanessa Sterling: "...Two or three days."
Miles Sterling: "And you’re only now getting dicine?"
Vanessa Sterling remained silent, and Miles Sterling led her to the car, saying, "If the swelling isn’t gone by tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the hospital."
The pharmacy was close to ho, so it only took a couple of minutes to get there by car.
Miles Sterling had just co back from out of town; who knows whether he was busy or traveling with his new girlfriend.
When he left, Vanessa Sterling wouldn’t ask, and when he returned, she wouldn’t greet him either.
Once ho, Vanessa Sterling went straight to her room, took the dicine she just bought, and sat in front of the vanity looking at her swollen face. She reached out to touch it and felt the pain.
She hoped the dicine would help a bit so she could get a good night’s sleep.
She heard footsteps outside her room, and then the door was pushed open. Miles Sterling stood at the door and asked her, "Have you had dinner?"
Vanessa Sterling was a bit taken aback, pursed her lips, and said, "I’ve eaten."
She lied partly because she didn’t want to go out and have dinner with him, and partly because the toothache made her not want to eat anything.
Miles Sterling stared at her for two seconds, obviously a bit skeptical about her words, but he didn’t say anything further. He closed the door and left.
A few minutes later, he ca back, walked straight into the room, and put a box the size of an A4 paper on her bed, saying, "New puzzle."
Vanessa Sterling just looked at him from her chair and then at the puzzle on the bed.
Seeing that he neither left nor spoke, she hesitantly said: Thank you.
Miles Sterling opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say sothing, but swallowed his words and left the room.
Vanessa Sterling was well aware of his volatile temperant.
So she wouldn’t be touched by a little kindness from him.
She knew very well that he just acted according to his mood. When he was in a good mood, he could be like a responsible brother, caring for her and looking after her.
But even the slightest dissatisfaction could instantly turn that sunny disposition into a storm, venting his anger at will.
So as long as he was around, Vanessa Sterling was exceedingly cautious in her actions, trying to please him and avoid provoking him.
After Miles Sterling left for several minutes, Vanessa Sterling got up, walked over to her bed, picked up the puzzle box, and gently opened it.
Whenever she got a new puzzle, she couldn’t wait to start it, curious about what it would look like once completed.
Her first puzzle was also bought by him. After she was forced to drop out of school, she was confined here by him. At that ti, she hadn’t got into manga yet and lived a muddled life, unable to accept this confined existence.
She cried and argued, but it never softened his heart.
Later, he bought her puzzles to pass the ti. Over ti, doing puzzles beca a hobby for her.
As ti passed, she gradually accepted this life.
Yet, inside her, she still longed for the world outside.
Vanessa Sterling sat on the carpet by the bay window, her back facing the door as she assembled the puzzle.
She heard Miles Sterling co again, but this ti he said nothing. After a few seconds, he quietly closed the door again.
She pretended not to notice and continued assembling her puzzle.
Hospital.
It was almost eight when Franklin Sutton ca out of the operating room.
The surgery was under local anesthesia, so he was conscious and seed to be in pretty good spirits. When he saw his whole family in the ward, Franklin Sutton joked, "You guys are overreacting. It’s just minor surgery, yet you make it seem like I’m not gonna make it."
Hazel Yates imdiately gave him a stern look, "What nonsense are you talking?! Laura has been worrying about you all along, and you still don’t ease her mind!"
Franklin Sutton turned his head to look at Laura Yates by the window, smiled, and extended his hand to hold hers, saying, "It’s nothing serious, yet you’re teary-eyed."
Laura Yates’ wet, red eyes glared at him, "You act like nothing is a big deal! You take everything I say lightly!"
Franklin Sutton smiled wearily, "I rember everything you say in my heart. I promise to be more careful in the future. It was indeed my negligence today, but luckily, we’ve caught that person."
Hazel Yates sighed, "Franklin, I know you’ve always been responsible, but now you shouldn’t just think about yourself. You must also consider Laura’s feelings. You can’t act impulsively like before. Know your limits, don’t be so reckless. Think about those who care about you before you take risks, and don’t take your life lightly."
Franklin Sutton: "Got it, mom. It’s getting late; you all should go ho. Laura can stay here with ."
Hazel Yates knew Laura wouldn’t leave, so she joked, "You’re specifically asking Laura to stay with you. Doesn’t Laura need rest too? Six was lying at ho all day and probably can’t sleep tonight. I think he should stay here to look after you."
Norman Sutton imdiately said, "Mom, am I not your biological child?"
Franklin Sutton frowned in disdain, "What use is he staying here? You can’t even wake him up once he’s asleep. You can’t even chat with him. I don’t want him."
Hazel Yates laughed and said to Norman Sutton, "See, why are you in such a rush? Your brother doesn’t even want you."
User Comments
0 comments from readers