Chapter 16 In the Hospital
In a daze I boarded the plane with the Boss I had tried to break up with.
I had no energy to think about any of that. My mind held only my mother.
I had been raised by a single mother. If I lost her, I would not know how I could survive the collapse.
My head felt ready to explode. I covered it and curled into a corner.
"Do not be afraid."
The Boss sat beside me and placed a blanket over my body.
"No matter what happens, I am here."
Hearing those words in person hit far harder than online. I could not hold back and cried again.
The Boss was not skilled at comforting. He simply held my hand and told me he remained right there.
Luckily the flight went smoothly.
The moment we landed, the Boss's car waited at the airport.
As soon as we got in, the driver sped straight to the hospital without a word.
The efficiency felt almost ruthless.
"Your mother needs surgery now. The success rate is high, but we need your signature."
The instant the doctor handed me the form, my vision blurred.
Still, it was not my first time facing something like this.
I forced myself to sign.
My hand would not stop shaking. The characters came out crooked.
The moment I finished, all strength left me and I collapsed into the Boss's arms.
He had stayed mostly silent, yet his presence remained strong. He kept holding my arm.
Once we reached a quiet corner I could no longer endure. I shook with sobs.
I pushed hard against the Boss, but he did not move.
"It is all your fault. If not for you I would not have gone so far away."
I knew I was being unreasonable.
Yet the Boss said nothing and only held me tighter.
"It is my fault."
"You played with me. You called me trash every day, forbade me from crying, yet online you were always so gentle."
"Yes. My fault."
"You are the idiot for scolding yourself."
"I was."
...
After I vented until I had no strength left, I sat on the steps and leaned against the wall.
Looking at the Boss who stayed even after I scolded him, I smiled bitterly.
"Do you think I am stupid? An emotionally unstable mess?"
The Boss, who had been standing straight, stiffened. He crouched down to meet my eyes.
"I am sorry for the words I said to you before."
"But you are smart, attentive, and gentle. I was harsh only because you were sent by my rival to make things difficult for me."
"So you should only listen to some words and ignore the rest."
He gently stroked my head.
My voice turned hoarse again.
"Including you?"
"Including me."
I looked into the Boss's eyes. They were sincere. Everything else felt blurry except for me.
"Would you still want to date someone like me?"
The Boss pulled me into his arms at once.
His chest felt wide and safe.
"Xu Ning! Your mother's surgery went very smoothly!"
I let go of the Boss in embarrassment and apologized to the doctor.
The doctor gave me a knowing look.
"Would you like to see my mother?"
I hesitated. After all we had not reached the stage of talking about marriage.
The Boss took my hand firmly and nodded without allowing refusal.