My Darling, My Dearest

Chapter 58

Rachel tried to keep herself together. She placed a hand on her head and then closed her eyes for a moment, composing herself. She poured a glass of water and drank, willing the water to wash away the heavy emotions filling inside her.

'You knew something was wrong, but you did not ask,' a faint voice said in Rachel's mind. She had always maintained an aloof and professional demeanor, distancing herself from other people's businesses. For the first time, Rachel chastised herself for not reaching out.

An emotional turmoil of grief and regret weighed heavily on her chest. Remembering the last time they spoke, Rachel wondered if there was something else Wendy hoped to talk about that evening. She recalled their last conversation gloomily. Sadly, there was no going back and no rewinding time.

Rachel almost took the initiative to call Jack. It was a first, but she was too bothered to notice. She wanted to know what happened behind the party.

The news traveled fast and surprised everyone. But why? People were bewildered. It was unthinkable how the girl ended in such a tragic way.

At the time of the incident, Cole Wen, Vincent's father, was still under investigation while Vincent was busy running errands. Vincent's mother was rooted to the spot when she heard the news. Her face distorted, and her strength gradually drained ■3

from her body. Suddenly, she collapsed to the floor, her anguish flooding in tears.

She and Wendy were not biologically related. Wendy was adopted, which explained why the old woman didn’t like her very much. Still, the tragic event affected her deeply.

The people surrounding her did not know why she suddenly reacted the way she did. They were startled to see her run, her sobs filling the hallway.

Jack was walking when he noticed a commotion. He first heard her cries before he saw the woman rushing and about to collide with him. Subconsciously, he stretched out his arms in anticipation of the hit. The woman didn't notice him until after the blow, grabbing his arm in shock. Just then, her sobs became fainter, her eyes gradually closed, and her tired frame fell.

"She fainted!" someone beside Jack exclaimed. He caught the woman reflexively.

He looked carefully at the frail woman in his arms and then realized that it was Vincent's mother. What a coincidence, it seemed.

Wendy’s body was still at the hospital. The secretary stayed to accompany Francis while the others left quietly. Francis sat in a daze. He failed to comprehend the piece of paper the doctor gave him. His hands tightened as he read the death certificate, the paper creased in the process.

Hospitals were places where birth and death often happened. Every day, multiple and different emotions remained commonly seen.

Today, only an air of pity prevailed, a silent ■3

reminder of how fickle the world was.

Rachel was in the middle of her shift when she decided to visit the mortuary. It was lunchtime already. As she looked around, she saw a man guarding Wendy’s body.

She stood by the door and observed him. His thin face was drained, pale as a ghost. From a distance, she noticed his eyes were staring blankly in a trance-like state. He sat still as a statue, totally oblivious of Rachel’s presence.

She cleared her throat, making her presence known. Hearing her, Francis turned his head slowly.

"Why did she commit suicide?" Rachel pried.

A pair of dispirited eyes fell on the door. He had not accepted yet that Wendy was gone. He muttered distractedly, "Why did she...commit suicide?"

Francis tried to come up with a reply but he couldn’t grasp a particular reason either. Suddenly, he laughed bitterly. "Because I...didn't treat her right...I didn't treat her right..." His voice was pained, the reality dawning on him.

Rachel was about to speak but stopped. She turned and left without saying another word.

'Another woman who met a cruel fate?’ she pondered going back to her post.

'Even so, killing oneself wasn’t supposed to be an option. If you die, who would feel sorry for you? People would only remember you like a painful memory.'

Rachel did not expect anything more to happen, ■3

but the next day was as eventful as the previous days.

She strode around the hospital, about to start her duty when she chanced upon some nurses huddled together. She inadvertently heard about someone who jumped off a building. Her curiosity was aroused and she decided to chime in, "What happened yesterday?"

The group turned in surprise to the doctor who joined them.

"I heard you were talking about the woman yesterday?" she pursued. It was out of character for her to gossip, which made the nurses hesitant to reply.

"We were talking about the woman who jumped off the building," one of the nurses said cautiously.

"What about that?"

Seeing that Rachel was genuinely interested, another nurse whispered, "Her family came last night and made trouble."

"Made trouble?" Rachel raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"Eh..." The nurse paused, unsure of how to explain. "It was not a medical incident but about the man who claimed to be the husband of the deceased. We heard they weren't married yet! Her family did not recognize him as the husband and they argued."

"Her family?" Rachel asked.

The nurses looked at each other in confusion. "I’m not really sure. It seemed the woman was her ■3

mother while the other was her... brother."

"He couldn't be her brother. Do you think he acted like a brother?" another nurse countered.

Rachel felt a headache coming. She knew it might be Vincent. 'Did he visit with his mother?1

She blinked and focused on the conversation again. She asked in a low voice, "Then, is the girl’s body still here in the hospital?"

"That’s what we were talking about. Dr. Shen, don’t you get it?" The nurses looked at her in astonishment.

"Get what?" She wore a puzzled expression.

"They were fighting over the body. In the end, the woman’s family had the man beaten."

"I heard they were an affluent family," murmured another nurse.

Rachel couldn't hear them anymore, her head was spinning in confusion. She excused herself and said, "I have to go back to work. Please don't talk too long."

"All right, let's go back to work. We can talk after duty." The nurses swiftly agreed and separated.

Rachel entered her office, thinking about the conversation just now. She leaned on her chair and decided to share the news with Lea. She picked up her phone and dialed her number. After listening to Rachel, Lea responded casually, "Is that a big thing? Since you want to know, why not ask Wendy’s relatives? Though it may not be a good time right now. Maybe you can ask Jack instead?" ■3

"Cut the crap," Rachel replied.

Of course, the Wen family were mourning. She knew better than to ask questions too soon.

She thought for a while and then said, "Forget it. I'll find it out when I get a chance in the future. It’s just heart-breaking that Wendy had to die young."

"No matter how bad that man was, why would the thought of taking her own life ever cross her mind? That woman was foolish."

Rachel frowned when she heard Lea's words. "We don’t know what happened. Maybe it wasn’t about the man. Please don’t be so..." She halted, trying to find an appropriate word.

"I know what you mean. Well, I won't say it anymore. When are you free? How about we grab some dinner with Lucas?" Lea perceived what Rachel meant and discontinued the subject.

"The day after tomorrow would be fine."

"So, how are you and Lucas?" Lea asked playfully. She jumped to another topic soon after they scheduled their dinner.

"Don't talk nonsense." Rachel shook her head.

"Well, no kidding!" Lea giggled from the other side of the phone. "I rarely have such a long vacation. Let’s hang out! Make an appointment and tell him."

"Okay, I'll tell him later. By the way, nothing is happening between us. You'd better not joke with him."

"Maybe nothing happened yet, but it doesn't mean nothing will happen in the future. Wouldn't it ■3

better if I help you?" Lea teased, her laugh warm and hearty.

"Please don't!" Rachel sighed helplessly. "If I make a fool of myself, it would be very embarrassing!"

"Well, okay. I promise not to make fun of you. Tell Lucas we can change the schedule if he has something to do then."

"Okay." Rachel ended the call.

Wafts of incense flowed slowly from the burner like clouds, blanketing the air of the study.

Jonathan's frame slumped on his chair in the study, he was lost in his thoughts.

No one had ever thought that Wendy, soft and graceful that she was, would eventually choose such a tragic path.

Jack was sitting in front of him; he seemed to be studying the details of the tea table. But he, too, was engrossed in his thoughts.

He wouldn't learn of the news so early if Vincent's mother didn’t run into him.

He had thought Wendy and Francis would end in separation. But he never thought that she would kill herself.

"What a pity," Jonathan lamented. "Francis might regret what he had done."

Regret? Jack thought about what his father said. It would not be serious since Francis did not care about Wendy.

Francis looked older with an ashen face and ■3

dark circles under his eyes. When Jack saw him, he remembered what his father said.

The other day in the study, his father said meaningfully, "Francis went too far. He came here with the sole purpose of exacting revenge against Wen family. Unfortunately, he also has a strong feeling of love. If he did not care about Wendy, he would not take the trouble of having the engagement. Everyone knew that the Cheng family did not agree with it.

But that's what people do! People had to atone for their sins. If Francis did not involve the whole Wen family and only implicated Cole, things might have turned differently. Sadly, he was too aggressive since the beginning and didn't allow his self a chance to reconsider. It's no wonder it had gone to this.

No one is to blame. Only that girl is so pitiful..." Jonathan shook his head and then gazed deeply at Jack. "May this become a lesson for you. In the future, think carefully before doing something that you might regret. Do not wait until it’s too late."

Upon seeing Jack, Francis squeezed a small bitter smile. "You’re here."

Jack raised his hand and placed it on Francis1 shoulder, offering support. Emotions welled up inside him.

He was certain before that Francis did not have any feelings for Wendy. Now, all his prior suspicions were thrown out the window.

He recalled everything over and over. In the end, he could not offer any words and only replied, "I’m

sorry."

Francis tried to say something, but his emotions choked him. He looked at Jack, all the despair reflecting in his eyes.