Chapter 339
The Love From Vengeance
339: PLANNING CHANGES ARIELâS POV I watched how Harriet swiftly hid the dagger in her pocket. There was a knock on the door, and Doctor Jamal entered the room. Standing right there, he looked at Harriet with a puzzled expression.
âWhat are you doing here?â Jamal asked her, his brows furrowing in confusion.
âI just came to check on the patient,â Harriet replied smoothly, her voice dripping with false innocence.
Jamal crossed his arms, not taking his eyes off her. âWhy donât you go and assist others with work? I can assure you that the patient is completely fine.â
Harriet nodded at that very moment and hastily left the room. I couldnât help but smile to myself, feeling victorious. Doctor Jamal noticed and asked, âWhy are you smiling, Ariel?â
I shook my head, suppressing a chuckle. âItâs nothing, Doctor Jamal.â
He studied me for a moment before asking. âAre you okay?â
I nodded, grateful for his concern. âYes, Iâm fine. Thank you for checking on me.â
He smiled warmly. âYouâre welcome. Take care of yourself, Ariel.â
The moment he left the room, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. Despite the tense encounter with Harriet, I was grateful for Jamalâs timely intervention.
I knew it; Ariel was always a failure. She might have won me sometimes, but in general, she was a complete failure.
Hours passed, and I was still here in the hospital, right on this bed. All I could do was think about Luke, and I was really worried about him.
It was clear; the both of us lost consciousness at that moment. I didnât know. However, this was serious, since Luke was still insensible. He took longer than mine, and right now, I was just praying that he recovered soon.
Still laying in the hospital bed, lost in my worries about Luke, the door creaked open, and in walked Janice, my beautiful daughter, holding Mariamâs hand. My heart lifted at the sight of her, a bright spot in this dim room, But Mariam is around here, coming to see me? That was weird. And now, I was hoping that she didnât come to hurl insults at me. It didnât seem to be the case around here.
âMom!â Janice blurted out, her face lighting up with joy as she rushed to my side. âI missed you so much!â
Tears welled up in my eyes as I pulled her into a tight hug, grateful for her presence here. It was actually a pleasure to see her here.
939: PLANNING CHANGE âOh, Janice, I missed you too, sweetheart, I murmured, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
Mariam followed behind Janice with a warm smile on her face. âWe brought some food for you, Ariel,â
she said kindly, placing the containers on the bedside table. I thought you might be hungry I paused at first, not knowing the right words to say. And with the way she observed me, it was clear that she understood the expression.
But anyway, I had to smile gratefully at her, touched by her thoughtfulness âThank you, Mariam Thatâs so sweet of youâ
Janice peered at me with wide eyes. âMom, Iâm really glad that youâre okay. Youâve been in the hospital for so long now, you and Daddy, and the whole place seemed empty without you two.â
I brushed a strand of hair away from her face. Tm so sorry about that, sweetheart.â
âWhy are you saying sorry?â Itâs not your fault.â
âYes, of course it isnât. âBut I can tell how you were so lonely âThat is correct, Mo. But youâre okay now. We can leave the hospital, you, me and Daddy. Grab some ice cream and hang out together.â
âWell, thatâs not happening any time soon.â
Janiceâs excitement faded a little. âWhy not?â
âBecause Iâm still injured. According to the doctor and your grandma, Iâm not physically fit to move around.â
âOh, thatâs badâ Janiceâs tone was low.
Mariam knelt down beside Janice, her expression gentle. âEven so, you do not have to worry about anything. Your mother is a strong woman, Janice. Sheâll be back on her feet in no time,â she said, offering words of encouragement.
And I was like, âWow. This new attitude of Mariam would be surprising to me every single time.
Janice nodded, bringing back her wonderful smile. âI know, Aunt Mariam. She is the bravest person i know!â
I laughed a little. âDonât forget your father.â
âI canât actually say for him.â Janice shrugged playfully, causing me and Mariam to laugh.
My heart swelled with pride at Janiceâs words. Despite everything, she still saw me as her hero. I hugged her tightly once more, feeling a surge of gratitude for my precious daughter.
âBut mom, the house has been a total mess, with you and Daddy not being around.â
I looked at Janice in a confused manner. âWhat? What do you mean by that?â
âItâs my aunt,â Mariam replied instantly.
I gave her my attention. âWho, Liliana?â
âYes, sheâs been acting like the boss since Luke is still in a coma. And trust me, it was like we were in hell. She even kicked Cynthia out of the house.â
âShe did what now? I blurted out.
âYou want to know what else is terrible? She turned Randy and Ethan into slaves; now they work alongside the workers,â Janice revealed.
âThatâs terrible,â I spoke in hushed tones and turned to her. âI hope she didnât do anything to you.â
âNo, she did not. But that cannot change the fact that she was mean to me.â
âIn general, sheâs mean to everyone in the house. And weâre all waiting for you and Luke to come back to change all of that,â Mariam told me. âI canât tolerate that woman. I was planning to move out of the house until we came here, and I saw that youâd regained consciousness. At least, there is hope.â
âI wish I could just go there right now and put Liliana in her place. But unfortunately, I canât. Iâm still not physically fit.â
âOh, right. I totally forgot about that part,â Mariam said, almost inaudible.
âBut you both do not have to worry.âWeâre going to put an end to whatever nonsense is being carried out by Liliana.â
âWhen exactly?â Mariam asked, raising an eyebrow.
âI donât know, but it wonât be very long. âAnd I know for a fact that Luke will regain consciousness by then.â
âI hope so,â Mariam uttered. âI have to go now. Janice, donât you want to come along?â
âNo, Iâm staying with my mom.â
âDo you want to spend the night with me?â I asked Janice.
âYes. Iâve spent days without you. And now that you are finally awake, why should I waste the great moment?â
âAww Janice. Thatâs so sweet of you.â I beamed at her.
âOkay, then. Iâll leave the two of you here. Tomorrow morning, Iâll come to pick up Janice from the hospital so she can get ready for school.
I looked at Janice. âOh, the holidays are finally over for you guys.â
âYeah. Grandma picked a great school for me.
âCynthia?â
âYes,â Mariam answered. âIâll go now,â
âOkay, thanks for bringing Janice to the hospital. It means a lot to me.â
âNo problem, Ariel.â Mariam finally left the room.