Chubby Mommy: Scheming Daddy, Surrender Now!-Chapter 156: Ethan Sterling Lowers His Head

Ruby Sullivan stared blankly at the ceiling, as if she hadn’t woken from a nightmare yet; it took her a long moment to exhale deeply, and her eyes were quickly overwhelmed by tears. She raised her hand to cover her eyes, letting out a hoarse sob, feeling utterly wronged.

You have to understand, this time it wasn’t just losing a child. Honey’s hope might be dashed too. Was fate determined to take away all her loved ones?

Ruby Sullivan fell apart; all her efforts were in vain, and the grievances she suffered returned to her tenfold.

She was a complete failure, and this time, she even gambled away her daughter’s life.

"I shouldn’t have come back..." she whimpered in broken phrases, with a voice so rough it sounded like it had been ravaged by sandpaper.

Don Sterling saw her vulnerability and took it to heart. "Cry, it’ll feel a bit better after you let it out." He got up and poured her a glass of water, waiting quietly for her to fall asleep again after she tired herself from crying.

Sometimes, people have to learn to coexist with pain. Watching a wound fester is difficult, but you have to ruthlessly apply salt water to it because you have to go on living; only by living can you wait for the day when it doesn’t hurt anymore.

Ruby Sullivan didn’t know how long she’d been crying. When she finally felt slightly at ease, her throat felt dry and painful, as if it had been roasted by fire, and her mouth was sticky with phlegm, as if the foul smell was reaching her nose, utterly unbearable.

She wiped it off haphazardly with the back of her hand, propping herself up to sit.

Don Sterling quickly stood up to upright the pillow, "Want me to turn on the light?"

Ruby Sullivan shook her head, "No."

"Alright." He agreed softly, handing her the cup of water in the dim light, "The temperature is just right for drinking."

Ruby Sullivan obediently drank the water; its sweet taste eased her heart considerably, "Thank you." She deliberately tilted her head, worried her breath might upset him.

Don Sterling didn’t get it, craning his neck to see her face, "What’s wrong? Did you get a crick?"

Ruby Sullivan felt a little embarrassed, lowered her head, "Nothing...just feel like my breath is a bit strong."

Don Sterling couldn’t help but laugh, patting her head. "Don’t worry, I’m not my brother, I don’t have compulsive cleanliness."

His words hung in the air, feeling the atmosphere tense, he hurriedly tried to smooth things over, "It’s... about three o’clock now, why don’t you drink some water and sleep a bit more? If you want to go to the bathroom, I can call for Vivian; she’s in the room next door."

Ruby Sullivan shook her head, "Thank you."

She lowered her head, drank all the water in the glass, sat dazed for a while before lying back down, yet, she just couldn’t sleep.

She tilted her head to watch Don Sterling, leaning beside the hospital bed, feeling a little guilty, "You should sleep on the couch or...have the nurse find an empty room, I’m alright."

"I don’t feel safe," Don Sterling exaggeratedly yawned, "You go back to sleep; I used to love lying down on tables like this when I was in school, sometimes I’d even fall asleep soundly in class after a night of insomnia."

Ruby Sullivan wanted to persuade him further, but opened her mouth and couldn’t think of what to say, ultimately letting out a long sigh.

"Why do you like me?"

Don Sterling was stunned; why indeed? He wasn’t sure himself. He just felt happy seeing her, wanting to talk about the few memories he had of her, seeing her felt like seeing a carefree, laughing young girl.

He smiled at her, "Actually, I don’t like you that much; maybe it’s because what you can’t have is always stirring inside you, so don’t worry too much." Though it was just a hint, he saw fear in her eyes.

"Huh?" Ruby Sullivan was taken aback, as if she didn’t understand his words.

"If I made you misunderstand, then...sorry."

"No, no." Ruby Sullivan let out a breath, feeling somewhat relieved.

"Nonetheless, I’m definitely your most reliable friend." He thought for a moment, "Well, one of them anyway."

"Alright." She replied softly.

"Okay, okay, get some sleep already, I’m exhausted." Don Sterling muttered, helping cover her with a light blanket, like looking after a child, then sat down again, leaning his head not to face her.

If what she needed was a good friend, he’d be that good friend beside her, there was really nothing bad about that.

Early the next morning, Ethan Sterling arrived with breakfast, appearing quite disheveled possibly because he left home in a hurry, with unruly hair bereft of any hair gel, a stubble on his chin, and eyes marred with faint traces of a bruise, looking utterly downcast.

Don Sterling saw him and immediately stood up, wanting to eject him.

Ruby Sullivan quickly said, "It’s okay," seeing Don Sterling glance over at her, she repeated, "It’s okay, let him come in." She looked up and frowned slightly at Ethan Sterling.

The feeling of heartache was always so sudden, even though she’d steeled herself with psychological preparedness last night, she still couldn’t calm her heart.

Ruby Sullivan thought she would hate him deeply, would become so impulsive that she’d want to tear him apart with her bare hands, but none of it happened; looking at him, she felt immensely calm, just wanting to resolve the remaining issues.

"I brought you porridge." He walked slowly to the hospital bed.

"Hmm." Ruby Sullivan responded softly.

Vivian glanced at the two’s expressions, tugged on Don Sterling’s arm, signaling with exaggerated winks for him to leave with her. Don Sterling furrowed his brows in reluctance but only followed Vivian out when Ruby Sullivan shot him a glance.

The two reached the hospital ward door, and Vivian let out a sigh, "There are things that must be sorted out between the two of them."

Don Sterling brushed away her hand, "I’m not hungry, I’m staying to watch."

Vivian stared him down, words at the tip of her tongue once more unable to come out as scolding, resigned, she went to find breakfast for herself. These things were beyond her control; perhaps she owed Lana Shaw a favor in her past life, and that’s why her two sons were relentlessly entangled with her daughter.

Ethan Sterling dished out the porridge for her, awkwardly carrying it to her side, intending to feed her, but Ruby Sullivan was uncomfortable, taking the bowl from his hands, "I’ll do it myself."

Ethan Sterling nervously rubbed his hands, like a child at fault seeking forgiveness, yet dreading to hear the punishment looming ahead, filled with trepidation and fear.

Ruby Sullivan ate half a bowl of porridge quietly, then set the bowl down, wiped her mouth as if preparing for the final moment.

She clasped her hands in front, staring at her fingers silently for a few seconds before speaking, "Let’s get divorced." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Ethan Sterling’s heart sank.

This was the worst outcome he could envisage; was she really set to leave?

"Will you listen to my explanation?" He met her gaze, filled for the first time with an earnest plea.

Ruby Sullivan nodded.

"After that physical check-up with you, the doctor said your condition was bad. The last childbirth had caused too much damage to your body; you almost couldn’t conceive again, but I was afraid you’d feel sad hearing it, so I didn’t let the doctor tell the truth." He sighed, "So when I heard about Rhonda Sullivan’s pregnancy, I thought maybe it would be an opportunity for Honey...The reason I tolerated Rhonda Sullivan was entirely because of Honey."

Ruby Sullivan sighed, "I know." She had stayed awake last night, thinking through all of it.