Second Life New Choices novel Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The doctor chimed in, “There he is. You were the one who signed the informed consent form for the surgery, so I assume you must be her husband.

“Didn’t I tell you to keep watch over the patient all the time while she was unconscious? Why did you leave her side? Thank god nothing happened. Now you should settle the admission procedures.”

As he spoke, he handed Preston the admission slip and left the ward.

“He’s not my husband!” Even though the doctor had left, Jolene tried to explain.

For some reason, Preston felt uneasy. “Enough. I’ve taken you to the hospital, yet you’re still trying to play hard to get? You should know when to stop.”

He placed the bag he held on the table. Noticing the bandage on her head, he spoke in a gentler tone, saying, “The food’s still warm. You should eat it before it gets cold.”

Seeing the familiar logo, Jolene was stunned. In the past, she’d always lose her appetite whenever she fell sick. Then, Preston would travel miles to that very shop and line up for hours for their croissant just to cheer her up.

However, in both lives, he’d never been that gentle to her ever since he found out about the marriage arrangement.

Staring at the vapor clouding the inside of the bag, Jolene didn’t budge. Slowly, she closed her eyes.

Suddenly, she heard Preston’s hesitant voice. “About what happened yesterday, Simone didn’t do it on purpose. Don’t hold it against her.”

It turned out he was only doing this for Simone.

Opening her eyes, Jolene actually cried laughing. “Preston, that was intentional. I will make a police report so she gets the punishment she deserves!”

Preston’s expression darkened. Infuriated, he shouted, “I’ve bought you food and apologized on her behalf. Jolene, don’t take this too far!”

He couldn’t keep up with the pretense anymore. Jolene laughed at that realization. In silent protest, she stared at him with her reddened eyes.

Preston seemed to know how headstrong she was. After some time, he massaged his brow and sighed heavily. “If that’s the case, let’s both compromise. You’re just making a scene so that I marry you, right?

“In that case, the wedding shall go on. I’ll show up at the wedding our families are getting ready with, the one you long for. There, happy?”

She hurled her phone against the wall, smashing it to pieces. Waves of pain surged throughout her body. Unable to hold it back any further, she cried out loud in the ward, empty but for her.

For the next few days, Preston brought fruits and nutritious food for her. He even enlisted the help of several doctors to discuss her condition. Having regained control over her emotions, Jolene ignored him.

Seeing how cold she was, Preston started feeling anxious as he didn’t know why she was mad. Still, thinking that she wasn’t feeling well, he had no choice but to bear with her.

He finally lost it on the day of Jolene’s discharge when she refused to get into his car.

Unable to hold back his frustration, he demanded, “I’ve already given in, so how long are you going to act up? Aren’t you worried I’ll get fed up and not marry you if you continue behaving like this?”

Jolene knew he wouldn’t believe her no matter how hard she tried to explain, so she merely hung her head and pretended she hadn’t heard him.

Preston thought she was yielding, and his mood lifted. He spoke less harshly. “You should never act up anymore. Uncle Cedric is coming back today. I’ll take you to our family dinner.

“He’s the head of our family and will announce our marriage to the rest of the family tonight. I promised you I’d be at the wedding, so I’ll make sure to hold a grand one. Are you satisfied now?”