Chapter 1856
Bertha returned the gesture with a smile, even though it was tinged with a hint of bitterness.
Ellinor didn't add anything more. She turned and took Theo's hand, and together they said goodbye
to Marlinie before leaving the hospital room.
Once outside, Ellinor paused. Her worry was still palpable.
Theo understood her concern. âIf you don't want to leave, we can stay here. If anything happens, we
can rush right back in to be with Marlinie.â
Ellinor nodded. Even though she knew Bertha was no fool, she couldn't help but feel concerned.
After Ellinor and Theo left, Bertha, as usual, naturally walked to Marlinie's bedside. âMarlinie, did you
have enough dinner? Do you want me to warm it up for you at the nurse's station? Maybe you
should have a little more.â
Marlinie shook her head as she looked at her longtime friend with a concerned gaze. Even though
Bertha was trying to act as if everything were normal, Marlinie could see that she was far from okay.
âI'm not hungry. Bertha, did you... did you have a fight with Thaddeus?â
Bertha smiled. âNo. You need to focus on your recovery. Don't worry about me.â
Marlinie reached out and held her friend's hand. âStop pretending with me! I can tell you've been
crying. What happened? Was it Sophia? Did you and Thaddeus fight over her again?â
Bertha couldn't hold back her tears. Her eyes reddened as she wiped away her tears. âReally, it's not
that! We did fight, but he already knows he was in the
wrong.â
Marlinie looked puzzled and worried. âThen why were you crying?â
Bertha didn't want to bring it up, fearing Marlinie would be upset.
Lea pouted, and her voice choked up. âMs. Marlinie, my dad... he was taken away!â
What? Marlinie couldn't believe it. Given Thaddeusâ status, who could possibly take him away?!
But she knew children could sometimes misunderstand things, so she turned her gaze back to
Bertha.
"Bertha, tell me what happened! Who took Thaddeus away?â
Bertha sighed. She couldnt hide it anymore. She wiped her own tears and tried to calmly explain
the situation to Marlinie. âHis company ran into some serious tax issues, and he was taken away for
investigation. Marlinie, you don't need to worry about him. We donât know the outcome yet. And if
it's his own doing, he needs to face the consequences.â
Marlinie gasped. She felt sorry for her friend but didnât know what to say. âBertha, does this have
anything to do with my daughter and son-in-law?â Bertha quickly shook her head. âNo! Marlinie,
don't think too much. I know Thaddeus better than anyone. He must know what he did wrong;
that's why he willingly went with them for the investigation.â
Even though Marlinie didn't say it, she had a feeling that this had something to do with Ellinor and
Theo. She couldn't vouch for Thaddeus's character, but she knew that with his resources, he could
have easily covered up any issues in his company. The sudden revelation of these problems must
have been orchestrated by someone with a higher status than him in this city.