She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 14

Miles peeked out from Sylvie's embrace and instantly spotted Hulda standing outside. "Mom?"

Herbert froze where he stood, staring at her. The intense frustration in his eyes noticeably cooled the second he saw her. Still, the words that left his mouth were as rigid and detached as ever. "It's good that you've finally come to your senses. Come inside and apologize to Sylvie."

Hulda stared at him, briefly stunned. He actually thought she was here to grovel and say she was sorry?

Hearing the word 'apologize,' Miles scrambled off the bed with more enthusiasm than anyone else. He ran out into the hallway and grabbed Hulda's hand, physically trying to drag her into the room. It was the exact same aggressive shoving he had used to drive her away at the wedding.

"Mom, you put Sylvie in the hospital! Apologize to her right now. If you admit you're wrong, you can be a good mom again."

Hulda let herself be dragged until she was standing right in front of the hospital bed. Miles stared up at her with his big eyes, fully expecting her to beg for forgiveness.

But Sylvie's face was completely ashen. She waved her hands frantically, her voice trembling like a terrified little rabbit desperate to explain herself. "No, no need to apologize! I should be the one apologizing to you. Mrs. Jewell, please don't misunderstand Mr. Jewell. He was only trying to help me get my family off my back about getting married. The wedding was completely fake."

As if suddenly remembering something else, she rushed on in a panicked breath. "And that kiss—that wasn't supposed to happen! It wasn't in the rehearsal! I have no idea why the officiant suddenly added that in during the actual ceremony. I swear, everything I'm saying is the truth. Please, you can't be mad at Mr. Jewell because of me, or my conscience won't be able to bear it."

Herbert watched his student, pale and sickly, dragging her weak body out of bed to frantically clear his name. Then he looked at Hulda, who was standing there like a block of wood.

In the past, whenever Herbert looked annoyed or angry, Hulda would instantly panic and try to appease him.

Truthfully, the man rarely showed any real anger around her. Most of the time, he was entirely devoid of emotion, operating under the assumption that she simply wasn't worth the energy.

But this time, Hulda didn't back down. She didn't panic. She just looked at him with an eerie, unbreakable calm and stated her position. "You were the one who asked for the divorce this morning. I'm just agreeing to it."

The condescension on Herbert's face suddenly cracked, a flicker of genuine shock flashing in his eyes. It was as if he suddenly didn't recognize the woman standing in front of him.