Chapter 9 An Accident
I smiled bitterly and said “Okay” before hanging up the phone. It seemed to me that Eleanor was a scheming bitch. She kindly advised me to realize my own value, but now, she mocked maliciously that I was an idle person in front of my husband. No wonder she tested me by saying that she saw Oswald. She was afraid of being found out. Moreover, Oswald also said that night he hadn’t seen Eleanor for a long time. I was heartbroken after realizing that I was fooled. In this unfamiliar city, I treated these two people with all my heart, but they deceived me. I didn’t know who else I could trust. I stared at the window and called Oswald without hesitation. As I expected, Oswald’s answer was the same as Eleanor’s. I ran straight to the coffee shop furiously, but the moment I reached the door, my phone rang. It was from Jocelyn’s kindergarten, saying that Jocelyn fell off the slide and was sent to the hospital. I turned pale with fear and hailed a taxi on the roadside to the kindergarten. On the way, I called Oswald again and told him that Jocelyn had an accident. Oswald and I arrived at the Central Hospital almost simultaneously and found Jocelyn in the emergency room. She cried herself hoarse, and her head was covered in sweat. My heart ached when I saw this. I took Jocelyn from her teacher and held her tightly in my arms, checking her condition and blaming her teacher for her negligence. Oswald’s face was gloomy. He anxiously asked the doctor about Jocelyn’s injury. The doctor told him the examination results in detail. “Fortunately, the little girl is young and supple. She fell on the foam board and vomited when she came. She suffers a large abrasion on her forehead and a mild concussion, so she has to stay in the hospital for observation.” Jocelyn’s teacher was so scared that she cried bitterly. She looked at Oswald apologetically, and the principal of kindergarten apologized repeatedly. Oswald was sullen, but he remained gentlemanly and rationally asked the principal about how Jocelyn fell. The principal said that Jocelyn was pushed down by a boy on the small platform of the slide. Hearing this, I was scared. That platform was 1.5 meters high. “How did you take care of Jocelyn? I trusted you and left her to you. How could you let her fall from the slide?” I couldn’t bear it anymore and roared. Oswald was stunned. He had never seen me so hysterical over the years. Jocelyn in my arms also trembled with fear and burst into tears. Oswald comforted me. The principal felt sorry. She went to complete the hospitalization procedures and brought Jocelyn to the ward. After everything was done, Eleanor called and asked where I was. I was speechless. Didn’t she know where I was? But I still told her that Jocelyn fell and was in the hospital. Not long after, Eleanor hurriedly entered the ward, anxiously asking about Jocelyn’s injury. Oswald was also in the ward. The two seemed calm, but I could see their vague eye contact. In particular, Oswald seemed a bit nervous. I pretended not to know their relationship and deliberately asked Eleanor, “Did you finish the meeting so soon?” “Hmm. It was not about something important,” Eleanor lied. She asked me, “Why did you call me?” “Oh, I had nothing to do. Oswald said he hadn’t seen you for a long time, so I wanted to have lunch with you.” As I said this, I stared at Eleanor. Sure enough, Eleanor glanced at me and calmly said, “When Jocelyn leaves the hospital, I’ll treat you three to a big meal.” Then she caressed Jocelyn’s head and asked softly, “What do you think, sweetheart? You are the boss. I’ll buy whatever you want to eat for you.” Jocelyn blinked her watery eyes, nodded sadly, and twitched her mouth. Her forehead was swollen. I instinctively flicked Eleanor’s hand away and thought to myself, “Don’t pretend to be nice. You start to please Jocelyn so that you can be her stepmother, right? Don’t even think about it. I won’t let you replace me!” Eleanor was a bit stunned by my alienation. She glanced at me and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong with you?”