Chapter 154


    I didn’t think Allen had it in him to go so low. I asked with a frown, “Does Allen know the pin?”


    “I… I was afraid I’d forget the pin…” Cheryl’s face was a portrait of regret, “It’s the same as the one


    for our joint ount.”


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    What? Both Christine and I were speechless.


    Allen was a sly fox when it came to swindling money, and with the card in his hands, he’d surely be


    off to drain the ount in no time. And it was toote to report the card missing then.


    But something else was bugging me more. “Allen hasn’t stopped gambling, has he?”


    “Hmm…” Cheryl cleaned her tears, her voice hardened with resolve, “He never really quit over the


    years. So, I never tell him how much you send us each month. I never imagined. that bastard would


    dare to steal my emergency funds!”


    “Why don’t you just divorce him then? Gambling’s a never-ending money hole!” Christine couldn’t


    hide her outrage.


    “This time,” Cheryl looked up at me, her voice filled with apology, “I will, I must. If I had divorced him


    years ago, you wouldn’t have had to suffer all those hard times.”


    I couldn’t help but think of how my parents had prepared me for the worst before they passed or the


    struggles of those years, feeling a lump form in my throat.


    “That’s all in the past now.” Sniffling, I spoke, “Aunt Cheryl, let me be clear with you. If you’re


    determined to divorce and you’ve thought it through, I’ll figure something out for your treatment


    costs. After all, you gave me a ce to stay when I needed it most. But


    decide not to leave him, gambling is a deep hole dragging you down, and I can’t follow you down.


    Do you understand what I’m saying?”


    you


    Looking utterly ashamed, Cheryl nodded repeatedly, “Yeah, I understand. Jane, you’ve given me so


    much. Consider the treatment costs and that two hundred thousand a loan. I’ll pay you back once


    I’m well.”


    “Okay.” I agreed, not wanting to burden her further.


    Though Cheryl’s treatment wasn’t a small sum, I had saved some valuable items during my three


    years with the Ferguson family.


    For three or four days straight, Christine stayed with me in the hospital, not leaving for a moment.


    But every night, I could sense someone had visited. Sometimes, it was a gentle kiss on my


    forehead, a hand holding mine, and sometimes, he just sat quietly by my bed.


    11:50


    Finally, feeling much better, the doctor told me I didn’t need any more medication and that


    I


    I could go home in a few days.


    Unable to sleep due to too much rest in the previous days and without medicine, Iy awake in bed,


    gazing out at the moonlight through the floor-to-ceiling windows.


    For a long while, there was silence, making me wonder if the previous nights had been just my


    imagination or a dream. Late into the night, as I was about to fall asleep, I heard


    those deeply familiar footsteps.


    The room dimmed slightly, and I could smell the woody scent of a man with a hint of cigarette


    smoke. He never used to smoke.


    Just as he was about to touch my hand, I opened my eyes, “Bryant, I thought you’d finally decided


    to stop bothering me.”


    The tall figure froze, a mix of surprise and depression in his stance.


    Bathed in moonlight, he lowered his head, silent for a while, and spoke in a voice filled with


    weariness, “I just wanted to see you, to ensure you were alright with my own eyes.”


    11:50