Eleven Years All to the Wrong Man novel Chapter 161

It was the third day after Evan left.

Melissa had already moved all of her belongings out of the Kingsbridge Park residence.

She wasn't sure why she did it—maybe to spite Evan, or maybe just to get his attention.

But then she reconsidered. The man wasn't even in Averton City right now. She had no idea where he'd gone, so how could she spite him? How could she possibly get his attention?

Thomas lay in his hospital bed. After a period of chemotherapy, he had lost so much weight he was almost unrecognizable, but his mind was clearer than usual.

He watched his daughter sitting by his bed, peeling an apple for him, her mind clearly elsewhere. He coughed softly.

"Melissa…"

"…Dad? Dad, what is it?"

Startled into awareness, Melissa put down the apple and the small knife. Thinking her father was uncomfortable or needed something urgent, she quickly stood up and instinctively started to head for the door.

"Melissa…"

Thomas reached out and grabbed his daughter’s arm before she could leave. His throat was scratchy, and he couldn’t help but cough again before speaking slowly. "Could you raise the bed for me? I’d like to sit up for a bit."

St. Aurelia Private Medical Center was a private hospital, not a public one. The medical fees were steep, but the facilities were naturally much better than those in public hospitals.

Hearing that her father was fine and just wanted to sit up, Melissa walked around to the other side of the bed and pressed a white button. The bed began to rise smoothly. When it reached a comfortable height, Melissa pressed the stop button.

Tessa was the caregiver Jason had found for Mr. Carter at Evan’s request. She usually took care of him at night when Melissa wasn't there. But for the last few days, Mr. Carter hadn't seen her at all, not even during the day.

Hearing his daughter's words, Thomas frowned instinctively, assuming Tessa was slacking off somewhere. He immediately sounded displeased. "Isn't she the caregiver Mr. Cooper hired for me? Why hasn't she been doing any work these past few days? It's not right for you to have to do everything yourself."

Thomas's intention was to show concern for his daughter and criticize Tessa for being lazy.

But whether it was due to her bad mood or her distraction, Melissa completely misinterpreted her father's words. She thought he was implying that she wasn't taking care of him as well as Tessa, and that he wanted Tessa back.

The pressure of caring for her father for so long, compounded by Evan's departure, caused her long-suppressed emotions to suddenly erupt. Her eyes reddened and filled with tears as she cried out.

"Haven't I been taking good enough care of you? Do I have to do more?! You want Tessa back so badly? Fine, where's the money? Go ahead, pay for her! Don't you know your illness has already used up every last cent we had!"