Arrogant Man VS Unyielding Woman

The nurse on the other end of the line cut into the subject and asked.

After hearing this, Jean exclaimed, "What? Joy is in a coma right now?" Her face changed dramatically as her voice trembled with uncertainty. "She..." "Take it easy. She'll wake up soon, but the patient has no will to survive, so we hope you can come and give her some encouragement to live..." "I'm sorry. You must be mistaken. Joy and I are not in good terms, so I'm not sure if I can help her," Jean interrupted before the nurse could finish.

"It's not my business to know what kind of relationship you have with her. But I assumed you know she won't live longer since you didn't ask me about her illness. If it's indeed true, can you forget the hate? She only kept your phone number all this time. Doesn't that explain everything?"

The nurse's voice became hostile yet persuasive at the same time.

"I..." Jean could't think of words to say. She forced a weak smile and let out a deep breath. "Okay! I'll be right there!"

Jean hung up the phone with a scornful look on her face.

'The only reason Joy didn't delete my number is because she has no one to turn to.

Look at her family, Winner is dead while Shirley is in prison. And Henry is still annoyed by what she did to him and my mother.

So who else can she contact with except me?

And in the end, in Joy's remaining moments, it is only me whom she can turn to, even though I'm the last person on earth Joy would think of and like to see, 'thought Jean. Accompanied by Toby, Jean went to see Joy. A pungent hospital smell enveloped her as she entered Joy's ward.

Although, Jean had no feelings for Joy except hate, she was shocked to see Joy lying on the hospital bed with such a pale face. She looked frail and old from her pathetic state. 'Only few days have passed, probably ten days after Joy was forced to tell the truth inside Henry's hospital room. But what happened since then? Why did she grow so thin?' Jean's heart beat faster as she looked at Joy's old, sunken face. In her mind, she recalled a young and vibrant Joy, full of hate and how Joy abused and took everything from her. 'How things can change. Joy is now in her hospital bed and waiting for her last breath.

She is even too weak to fight for her life.'

Somehow, Jean felt a pang of sadness and was about to cry.

She stood there, staring at Joy not knowing what to say or do to comfort her.

Perhaps Joy could sense Jean's intense gaze, she slowly opened her eyes. When she was able to see clearly the person standing in front of her, she smiled weakly.

"My eyes must be playing tricks on me. I can't believe Jean is here to see me." Joy slightly moved her head as she muttered under her breath with noticeably faint voice.

Jean could feel a lump building up on her throat. She tried to look away from her, as she was not strong enough to see Joy like this.

"Jean... I know I don't have much time left in this world, so I wanted to see you and make a confession. I'm sorry for everything I did to you and to your mother. I know I caused you so much pain. If it weren't for me, your mother would still be here. Because of me, you lost her and you never felt the warmth of a family.

I was selfish and conniving, I would rather destroy people than let them get ahead of me. I did everything for your father to hate your mother and destroyed whatever feelings he had for her. This is my punishment for all the pain I caused. Even though I was blessed with smart children, I was ungrateful and full of hate. I was afraid you will steal Henry away from me, so I had to do everything in my power to sever your ties with your father.

But in the end, I suffered for the pain I caused. Winner and Shirley saw how evil I was to you and they learned to do horrible things from an early age. Sadly, they had been cursed by unfortunate fates because of me. Winner is dead now and Shirley is in jail.

I have no one and I lose everything now. God has punished me. Honestly, I felt relieved to learn that I would not live long. I am not scared at all and I feel a sense of peace inside me. My battle is almost over. I am ready. I would see my Winner when I'm gone from this world. And I will ask forgiveness from your mother for all the wicked things I did..." Joy was gasping from air as she finished, and then a sad smile crossed her face.

When Jean heard this, she turned to Joy. She felt there was a huge lump in her throat once again as soon as she glanced at Joy and her lifeless appearance. She started to sob, "What about Shirley? She is in prison. How can she survive if you leave her?" Joy was distracted from her deep thoughts and was surprised with what Jean said. Though she felt weak, she turned to Jean and asked in disbelief, "Jean, is it really you?"

"Yes, it's me," Jean took a deep breath and replied to Joy. "Let's not dwell on the past. What is important now is for you to be strong, and you need to fight for your life. Shirley needs you the most. You still have time to see her and make up for your past mistakes." A helpless smile showed on Joy's pale face and she said, "But look at me now..."

"Please keep your hopes up. You will feel better. I know there's not much time left, but you can still let Shirley know you care about her, can't you?" with her consoling voice, Jean lowered her face to Joy and asked.

Joy shook her head and was reluctant at first. Then she reflected for a few minutes and said, "All right, I will spend my remaining days with Shirley. But I'm afraid I might cause trouble again for you and Zed..."

"We don't mind as long as you are sincere with your apologies. But now, you must have a rest!" Jean said, as she was feeling a little bit uncomfortable in the ward and eager to leave.

"Jean..." Joy reached for Jean's hand to stop her from leaving as she longed to ask Jean a question, "You... Don't you hate me?"

"You should know my answer. Yes, I hated you. I could have forgiven anyone except you. Because of you, I had to bear a miserable childhood. You took my mother away from me and it's only in my dreams that I get to see her and embrace her. Because of you, I always have a gaping hole in my heart..."

Jean blurted out as she turned around, her grim face no longer hidden. "But because of you, I met Zed. So I don't know whether I should continue hating you or be grateful to you, Joy. Isn't it ironic? But of course, I feel more hatred than gratitude for you. You have to keep fighting for your life, until the day I won't hate you anymore."

Jean finished her words and not wanting to know Joy's reaction, she quickly opened the door and strode outside.

She limped as she walked but tried her best not to stumble.

Toby stood at the hallway and immediately saw Jean when she came out. He quickened his steps towards her when a hopeless look showed upon her face. He rushed forward and looked at her anxiously.

Jean leaned against the wall and without warning, tears slowly trickled down her face. She felt inconsolable now. ¶¶¶¶¶