The Stolen Life- My Mother Gave My Fiancé to Her Favorite Student novel Chapter 5

Early the next morning, as I headed out to the hospital to change my dressings, my mom made no move to accompany me.

Her voice was laced with sarcasm:

“Your leg’s ruined. No doctor can fix it–just accept your fate.”

“With you looking like this, your job will never take you back.”

“This house doesn’t take care of dead weight. Obey me, and I’ll think about getting the school to give you a job sorting files.”

She taught at Willowbrook Private High School.

She’d never lifted a finger to help me before, saving all her connections for Lila, the needy student.

In the process, she’d accepted countless gifts from parents.

I endured a throbbing pain like a thousand ants gnawing at me, “What if there are excellent doctors in Havenridge City who can heal my leg?”

My mom’s face contorted with rage.

“As long as I’m alive, you’ll never set foot in Havenridge City again.”

“Even if I’m stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life?”

“That’s exactly what you deserve!”

Her words were venomous, as if I’d uttered something unforgivable.

I’d expected this reaction, but it still stabbed at my heart.

To her, her own feelings mattered more than anything–my leg injury, my future, none of it compared.

Getting around with a broken leg was no easy feat.

I paid the taxi driver three times the fare, and only then did he stop his grumbling.

He helped me into the car, folding my wheelchair into the back seat.

“Miss, your bandages are seeping blood–you’re badly hurt. Why aren’t you with family?”

I stayed silent.

The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror, shaking his head.

“No family to help you out? That’s rough.”

When I got out, he helped me unfold my wheelchair and even handed me a bottle of water.

Chapter 5

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I made my way to the hospital hallway.

There, Jax was peeling an orange for Lila.

She wore a loose, cream–colored knit dress, her long dark hair falling softly against her cheeks, her hand

resting gently on her stomach as she frowned slightly.

Jax stopped immediately, his voice tight with worry.

“Are you uncomfortable again?”

His eyes were only for her.

He didn’t even notice me sitting in my wheelchair a short distance away.

My mom hurried over from the other end, holding a medical bill, her tone full of gentle concern.

She’d make Lila’s favorite honey–glazed chicken wings for lunch.

It was like she was her real daughter.

“Ms. Voss, you’re kinder to me than my own mother.”

“You fought so hard to get out of that rural town. Of course I’d take care of you.”

I watched Lila and my mom get along so seamlessly, like a real mother and daughter.

I suddenly smiled.

Letting go wasn’t as hard as I’d thought.

I wheeled myself toward the elevator.

My mom’s smile faded instantly.

“Don’t you see her? No manners! What kind of upbringing is that?”

I remained silent.

Lila tugged at my mom’s arm, her voice timid, “Ms. Voss, don’t be mad. It’s my fault–I forgot to have Jax take time off, so you had to come with me. Otherwise, Elara wouldn’t have gotten upset…”

My mom’s face darkened, her voice sharper, “Elara, quit sulking! I intentionally didn’t come with you to

change your dressings.”

“Your leg’s broken. Learn to fend for yourself instead of expecting someone to wait on you forever!”

Jax stepped in to smooth things over, “Ms. Voss, calm down. Elara just got back from the conflict zones. Her injury is still healing–she needs time to adjust.”

Watching him comfort my mom so familiarly, I felt absurd and bitter.

Chapter 5

Lila let go of my mom’s hand, her voice trembling with grievance:

“Jax, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have made you and Ms. Voss come to my prenatal checkup, and now Ms. Voss

and Elara are fighting…”

Tears dripped from her eyes onto her loose dress, making her look utterly pitiful.

“It’s not your fault!”

My mom cut her off, turning to glare at me.

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