Chapter 65
“This is all because of Aurora!!!”
Savana cursed loudly. Her heart ached deeply accepting the reality of what was happening to her family at the moment. No matter how many times Alex tried to calm her down, she couldn’t extinguish the anger and frustration that had built up so high.Owned by NôvelDrama.Org.
“Be patient, Mom. Just consider this as the consequence we have to bear.”
Savana couldn’t accept it. Turning around, she shot a sharp look at her son. Why couldn’t Alex understand what he wanted?
“You tell Mama to be patient? After splurging, wasting money on useless women like Nicole? And what’s the result? You’re tangled in debt and end up selling Dad’s inherited house?”
Alex sighed wearily. Almost every day they argued about the same things.
Even though he had eventually managed to pay off all his debts to Aurora by selling the only remaining house, Alex couldn’t say he was living peacefully. Until this moment, his mother was still angry. She was not accepting at all because they had to move to a smaller place than before.
“What else could we do? That was the only way out to pay off the debt. Besides, the proceeds from selling the house can still buy us a new one. Not a rental. Plus, there’s a little bit left to save.”
“But, this is too small, Alex. Mama doesn’t like it.”
Alex took a slow breath. He struggled to make Savana understand their situation.
Accustomed to living in a large house with all the facilities, Savana seemed shocked when Alex asked her to move to a smaller and, dare I say, simpler house.
Savana felt restricted in her movements. Not to mention some hobbies that she used to do at home, which she wouldn’t be able to do anymore.
“This is not small. It’s more than enough for the both of us.”
“No!” Savana shook her head. “Bring back the rose garden that Mama used to use to pass the time. And where’s the spacious kitchen Mama used to cook and bake?”
Alex closed his eyes tightly. It wasn’t easy to reason with his mother.
“I promise, I’ll buy Mama a bigger house later.”
“When? Don’t make empty promises. Mama doesn’t like being given false hopes.”
Alex’s throat tightened. It was difficult to deal with his mother, who was very hard to persuade.
“Mama, just pray that out of the many job applications I’ve submitted, one of them will be approved soon. For now, please be patient. The most important thing is we can still eat and live healthily.”
Savana scoffed. Her name wasn’t a little kid, and she wasn’t susceptible to empty promises and persuasions like that. If Alex weren’t her favorite son, she might have cursed him from the start.
“Yeah, for now, we’re healthy. But, eventually, Mama will go crazy if she’s forced to live in such a crappy place! Anyway, Mama swears she’ll get back at Aurora.”
“What else does Mama want to retaliate? Don’t be ridiculous. Enough with the theatrics. Just the other day, Mama caused a scene at the hospital. What if Aurora had reported it to the police?”
During the incident of Savana’s attack at the hospital, Alex was surprised when he received news from the hospital security that his mother had gone berserk and almost harmed Aurora. When picked up, the security also warned Savana never to return to Santa Monica hospital or be reported to the authorities.
However, Savana seemed unfazed or not repentant at all. Instead of feeling regret or guilty, it was still obvious that she harbored a deep grudge against Aurora.
“Let it be! Your ex-wife deserves to be treated harshly. Her words were rude and hurtful. Anyway, Mama will retaliate against her for making both of us suffer. Just watch out! Mama won’t let Aurora live happily. You’ll see!”
Savana wasn’t boasting. She swore deep in her heart. Anyway, if there’s an opportunity, she’ll retaliate against Aurora for the suffering she’s been enduring.
—
Done with her duties, Aurora sat in contemplation. Her mind wandered as if recalling something. Somehow, since yesterday, she had been feeling irritated. There was one moment that was actually ordinary. But, undoubtedly, it felt very disturbing.
“Alden?”
After the formal introduction with the new doctors, Regina, who was an obstetrician, greeted Alden as if they had known each other for a long time. She invited him to shake hands, and unexpectedly, even kissed his cheeks without caring about the other doctors around.
“You work here too?”
Alden nodded and just smiled. He didn’t overreact to what the woman in front of him said.
“Yes.”
“Oh my goodness, I never thought we’d work in the same hospital. If I have difficulties or need help, can I ask you, right?”
As someone who currently didn’t have an official relationship with Alden, Aurora shouldn’t be angry, let alone jealous. But, for some reason, seeing Alden suddenly kissed on the cheek by another woman, she felt… difficult to describe.
Aurora also swore she saw Alden uncomfortable with such treatment.
Because of this incident, Aurora became lazy to do anything. Sometimes, she wondered if Regina had any relationship with her ex-boyfriend.
“What are you doing? You must be thinking about Dr. Alden, right?”
Aurora lifted her face. Glancing briefly while pouting, she ignored Velia’s words just now.
“Aurora…” Velia called again. “What’s wrong with you? What’s going on? Did you eat something wrong or what? You’re not sick again, are you?”
Velia bombarded Aurora with many questions. It was her fault that her friend had been acting strange since this morning, like someone with a lot of debts. During work, she only talked casually. Even when asked, she answered lazily. So weird!
“I’m fine.”
Velia sighed. Taking a bottle of cold mineral water, she handed it to Aurora and sat down in front of her friend.
“Lie. When a woman says she’s fine, it means something’s wrong, right?”
Aurora glanced up again. She took the water bottle given by Velia while sighing softly.
“Just feeling fed up.”
“Why are you fed up? Is something wrong?”
This time Aurora remained silent. She let Velia be confused again. Guessing on her own what actually happened.
“Ohhh…” Velia exclaimed hurriedly. “I know why you’ve been so irritated like a tangled thread. You must be thinking about Dr. Alden who was so intimate with the new doctor yesterday, right?”
Whatever deeds Velia’s mother did when she was pregnant with this girl. Or when she was a child, whatever nutritious food Velia ate. Why her friend was so good at guessing and sensitive to whatever happened to Aurora.
Throughout, almost all of Velia’s thoughts and opinions she expressed were always correct and proven. The solutions Velia often offered also made sense and were effective to follow. Truly magical.
“Just admit it. No need to be shy,” Velia teased when she found Aurora still remaining silent. Perhaps still feeling embarrassed to admit what she was feeling. “Besides, it’s human to feel annoyed, especially jealous.”
Aurora immediately lifted her face. She looked at Velia who was smiling in front of her.
“Is it really okay for me to be jealous?”
Velia nodded repeatedly.
“Of course, it’s okay. It’s a common thing.”
“But, Alden and I don’t even have any relationship.”
“Who says?” That serious look was clearly visible on Velia’s face. She enthusiastically responded to Aurora’s heartfelt expression, which sounded like someone troubled. “Let’s say it’s not official yet, but Alden has openly expressed that he wants to re-establish a close relationship like before. The problem is, you’re the one who’s unclear. Asked to accept it quickly, you’re still hesitating.”
“As I said before, I need time to heal from the trauma I’ve experienced.”
“Just go for outpatient treatment. No need to be hospitalized for long. If you take too long, your relationship will be in a coma.”
Aurora squinted. Couldn’t Velia be serious for once when talking to her?
“Furthermore…” Velia continued. “Alden didn’t ask you to get married tomorrow. Why not just accept his offer? After that, you can slowly rebuild the relationship that was once strained. When the time comes, discuss the next step more seriously. Done. It’s not as complicated as you think.”
Aurora fell silent. Staying in her seat, she thought carefully about the advice Velia had just given her. Upon reflection, there was indeed some truth to her friend’s words.
“Don’t think too long,” Velia said again. For God’s sake, this woman was so talkative. Everything had to be done immediately. “If you take too long, it’ll be stale. Seriously, another woman will snatch Dr. Alden. Whether it’s a nurse, a patient, or Dr. Regina, for example. Just look at their behavior yesterday. It’s guaranteed they already had a close relationship before. Otherwise, how could Dr. Regina dare to kiss Dr. Alden’s cheeks and call him brother?”