Wayne smiled as he watched Anna leave, and he no longer appeared exhausted After leaving the hotel, Wayne and Anna got into their car. Anna was upset the entire way, as if she recalled an unpleasant memory. She was about to cry when she felt someone take her hand in his. When she looked up, she noticed Wayne staring at her. And the colorful neon from the street reflected on his face. It wasnât until then that she came back to her senses.
Finally, they were together happily. Still, Anna constantly remembered she was terrified when she walked out of the hotel more than a decade ago. She had suffered from insomnia since then and would frequently wake up in the middle of the night from nightmares.
Wayne knew what she was thinking and realized she was drowning in grief. He couldnât talk about it because he was the one who had hurt her back then. Moreover, he realized that no matter what he said, it would not relieve her pain.
âI found out about the manâs sister,â Wayne said after a brief pause breaking the ice.
Annaâs eyes brightened. âWhere is she?â she asked, tightening her grip on his hand.
âIn a hospital in the suburbs.â
âHmm? Why?â Anna asked, puzzled.
âBecause she has leukemia,â Wayne said calmly.
Anna nodded, not looking surprised. The vast majority of those 471 The Love Between Brother.
protesting were family members of the patients, including the man. Anna knew he did it for a reason. If not because he hated her, it was because he wanted something from her.
Looking at Anna tenderly, Wayne started telling their story, âThe man is named Bill, and his sister is Joanna. But the truth is, they are not biological siblings, nor are they related in any way. They met a few years ago in Ireland and returned to England together last year. Six months ago, Joanna was diagnosed with leukemia and is receiving treatment in a hospital. She never worked for Lemon, though.â
Hearing Wayneâs words, Anna gradually realized that everything was coming together. Following the incident. Lemon presented evidence denying that the workersâ illness was related to them. Yet, Anna provided financial assistance to those twelve workers after privately confirming their condition. Those people then stopped causing problems.
Joanna, however, was not on that list.
âJoanna is likely unaware of what is going on. She had found a perfect match for the bone marrow, but that would cost her a lot of money. | think Bill is doing this for the money. So perhaps we should meet with her and get some information from her,â Wayne suggested.
âIll go to the hospital and see her tomorrow,â Anna said, nodding.
Titling his head against the window, Wayne looked at her and nodded. As he felt tired, he closed his eyes after that.
They didnât say anything after that. Anna leaned against the other side of late at night, and the streets looked empty. Everything in the world suddenly seemed meaningless to her.
Then, she felt a weight on her shoulder. And she was shocked to find Wayne leaning his head against hers as if it was the only way he could sleep 471 The Love Between Brother, soundly.
At three oâclock in the morning, they returned home. When Anna awoke To her disappointment, Wayne was not there.
When she opened her eyes and checked the time, it was eleven oâclock in the morning. Anna then stood up and entered the dining room, where she found Isabella eating at the table. Because there was toast and milk on the table, Anna assumed she was eating breakfast.
Seeing Anna sit across from her, Isabella glanced at her several times. Under her gaze, Anna took a toast from the plate, smeared it with strawberry jam, and began eating it. She didnât seem to want to talk about what had happened the night before with Isabella.
Meanwhile, Annaâs attitude caused Isabella to fidget even more. The last thing she could remember about last night was Jasmine and Lauren taking her into the hotel. So, she was confused about why she woke up in Wrightâs house.
âAnna, about last night Isabella paused for a moment before dropping the half-eaten toast in her hand.
âDo you want to know what happened last night? You canât remember it yourself, can you?â Anna yawned and asked calmly.
Isabella became very relaxed when she realized how calm Anna appeared. â| donât remember,â she admitted honestly.
âIsabella, you should never get so drunk again. Jasper told me you were at that bar. He was worried that something would happen to you, so he asked me to pick you up.â
The moment she heard Jasperâs name, Isabella immediately lost her appetite. She forced a smile before getting up, heading out and saying, âI gotit. Iâm going back to Jasperâs house.â 471 The Love Between Brother.
âDonât you have to go to school today?â Anna asked.
âItâs finally the weekend! Besides, | promised Gary that Iâd stay with him for the weekend,â Isabella said as she cheerfully walked out.
Anna gently shook her head and lowered her head to finish the last bite of toast in her hand. At this point, the maid arrived with a glass of milk. Anna reached for it, then looked at the bag the maid was carrying and asked, âWhat is this?â
âMr. Wright told Noel to bring it over this morning. He asked you to take this with you because you were going to see someone else later.â
â| see,â Anna said as she sipped her milk and looked at the storeâs name on the top of the box.
âJoanna, a friend has come to see you,â A nurse informed Joanna.
Dressed in her hospital gown, Joanna was sitting at the table by the window, peeling an apple. Hearing the nurse, she looked up before she could pause and head for the door.
Anna entered the room wearing a beige trench coat. She gave Joanna a soft smile as if she had come to see an old friend she hadnât seen ina long time.
BiIIhad warned Joanna to be wary of strangers, so she nervously approached Anna and asked, âHello?â
Because she had been in a hospital bed for along time, Joanna appeared tired. She appeared frail, but her eyes shone brightly.
And Anna could tell that Joanna was a beautiful woman before she became ill.
âBill said you like puffs from this store, so | just bought some for you,â Anna said as she held up the box.
Hearing that, Joanna let her guard down and stopped frowning. âYou 471 The Love Between Brother, know Bill?â she asked, smiling.
Anna sat next to her and nodded as she set the box down. âHow would I know you were here if | donât know him? Bill always talks about you. To be honest, he only looks less aggressive when he talks about you.â
Joanna couldnât help but smile when she remembered Billâs grim expression. She was one of the few people who had ever seen Bill laugh, so the contrast was hilarious to her. Nodding and smiling, she said, âYeah, he usually appears quite frightening.â
âTell me about it! When the restaurant was empty, our boss would blame him for scaring the customers away.â As she opened the box, Anna said. The next second, the room was instantly filled with the fresh scent of vanilla cream. Then she took a puff and handed it to Joanna.
âWhen did you two meet each other?â Joanna reached out, took the puff, and ate it. She was no longer defensive about Anna, And she even valued the opportunity to spend time with Anna.
âWe used to work together in a restaurant. | made a mistake the other day, and Bill took the blame for me. So, our boss fired him.
Iâve always felt bad about it. Thatâs why | came to see you. | know the person he cares the most about is you. And | am here to show my gratitude.â
Joanna also smiled when they mentioned Bill. Surprised, she asked, âWas he fired? He told me that his boss had given him a raise and agreed to lend him money.â
Looking down at the puff in her hand, Joanna fell silent for a moment. She realized Bill had lied to her, and then she placed the puff on the table. After hearing what Anna said to her, Joanna frowned tightly because she sensed that Bill was keeping something from her.
At the same time, Anna observed Joannaâs expression. Seeing Joanna 471 The Love Between Brother, stop frowning, she said, âOh, that was a long time ago. Bill found a new job now! His boss thinks heâs honest and smart, so he is now paid well.â
âReally?â Joanna asked, her big eyes wide.
Anna paused, unsure whether she should say it. But she continued, âBill used to do some shady stuff in Ireland, but heâs like a completely different person now. Heâs only concerned with earning money to pay your medical bills.â
He even told you about what he did in Ireland?!â Joanna exclaimed in surprise.