The Seventh Miserable Bride

Titus Simons was sent into the emergency room in the middle of the night. After two hours of emergency resuscitation, the doctor finally emerged from the room. "How is my father?"

Sebastian Simons asked nervously.

"Old Mr. Simons had a heart attack. The patient is now out of danger, but he will be monitored closely under the intensive care unit for a period of time. You can visit him, but make sure to take good care to not trigger or overstimulate him."

"Okay."

Sebastian nodded painfully. When he walked to his mother's side, her eyes were already red and swollen from crying. "Mom, it's alright now. Don't worry."

He instructed the driver to send his mother home for a good rest while he stayed in the hospital. At midnight, he came to his father's ward and gently stroked his haggard face. He said sadly, "I'm sorry, Dad. It's all my fault. I shouldn't have made you mad. I know I'm not a good son, even I have started to hate myself..."

"Sebastian..."

Titus woke up to his son's voice, "Don't hate yourself. It's all my fault. You're a good son, but... I'm not a good father." "It's my fault. I'm always so rebellious, I did so many things that made you unhappy. I thought I would feel better by going against your wishes. I now realized that no matter what I do, I still can't relieve the pain in my heart. I'm still so sad. Dad, I'm so sad. I'm in agony..."

Sebastian opened up and burst into tears in front of his father. He was in so much pain that few people could comprehend what he had gone through.

"I'm sorry, son, I'm really sorry..." Titus shed his tears too. Seeing his own son in agony, it was difficult for Titus to not feel the same too. "I have ruined your life and the relationship you once held dearly. You must have hated me so much. It doesn't matter, maybe I'll feel better if you actually do..."

Sebastian raised his head and held his father's hand. "I don't hate you. I really don't. You don't have to blame yourself. Just get better soon. Mom needs you. So do I."

Sebastian wanted to tell his father how much he loved him, but he did not manage to utter those words. After all, blood had always been thicker than water. Even if he didn't say it, his father would understand his sentiments.

"It's been a while since we last drank and chatted. When I get better, we must have a good drink together."

"For sure."

Sebastian nodded heavily and laid his head onto his father's chest.

Sebastian did not sleep that night. The next morning, Fynn Jaymond arrived at the hospital and told Sebastian, "President Sebastian, you've been here the whole night. You should get some good rest. I'll take care of your father."

"Then I'm handing this to you. I'll head back to the company first."

Fynn halted Sebastian and asked, "Aren't you going home to rest?"

"I'm not tired."

Sebastian nodded and rushed back to the company.

By hook or by crook, Sebastion needed to be at Yaslor Corporation on that day. After all, it was Yasmine's last day at the company.

Standing at his office window, Sebastian looked down at the ground floor of the building from above. Yasmine Taylor and Gabriel Smith were bidding farewell to the company's colleagues together. Sebastian did not send them off as he disliked occasions like these.

It was unclear whether it was intentional, but Yasmine's sight shifted upwards for a moment and met with Sebastian's. It was a momentary occurrence, yet it had brought great pain to both of them. They were once again at a point of separation, and this time, it may be for good.

The car started moving, however, neither of them attempted to reach out to each other. Just like two years ago, the two persons once again walked out of each other's lives.

A month later.

Titus' condition was still unstable. He continued staying in the hospital so that he could undergo the necessary treatments whenever possible.

One day, Claudine Tucker made an uninvited appearance into Titus' ward. She brought along a bouquet of fresh flowers and a fruit basket. Claudine stared at the frail man and said, "Hello Titus, I've come to visit."

Titus opened his eyes and asked weakly, "What are you doing here?"

"Didn't I just say that I'm here to see you?"

"There's no need for you to do that."

Claudine was visibly saddened. She sat on the bedside chair and asked, "Do you hate me that much?"

"I will never like a woman as cunning as you are until my last breathe."

These words hurt Claudine deeply, especially considering how much she had endured for the past decades. She grimaced and said, "Cunning would be a word to describe a woman like Mila. She resorted to unscrupulous means to take you away from me, how have you not figured out her true colors until today?"

"She never took what was yours, because I have always belonged to her. Claudine, listen clearly now, I have never loved you even for a single second."

Titus' reply completely shattered Claudine's heart. However, she suddenly let out a burst of shrill laughter and said, "Is that so? Well, if that's the case, then let me tell you one thing..."

She leaned over and whispered something into Titus' ear. When she finished, Titus' face completely turned pale. He squeezed his chest and pointed at Claudine with his trembling fingers, "You... how dare you..."

Ha-ha-ha-ha-

Claudine's laughter was creepy. She turned around and left the room smugly. She thought that if she had to suffer, then everyone had to bear the same fate too!

Titus slowly calmed down. He stared blankly at the ceiling. As he shed his final tears, his eyes also closed forever.

Sadly, it was an unwilling departure.

Sebastian stood in front of his French window, holding a cup of warm coffee in his hand. Today, his eyelids kept twitching, and he felt inexplicably uneasy. Hence, he was unable to work and could only resort to coffee to keep himself energized. Perhaps he had been working too hard recently.

At this moment, the door of the office opened and Fynn dashed into the room. With a grim look on his face, Fynn announced, "President Sebastian, the Old Master... the Old Master... He has passed away." Fynn immediately burst into tears.

'Bang!' The coffee mug slipped from Sebastian's hand and fell onto the floor...

In the hospital ward, there were cries of sorrows. Madam Simons held to her husband's body and cried her lungs out. The 30 years of marriage had fostered a deep bond between the couple. Even though many people did not look upon them, they still spent most of their lives loving each other. Now that Titus was gone, Madam Simons didn't know how she could move on with her life...

When Sebastian rushed to the hospital, he knelt down in front of his father and wailed. He grabbed the doctor by his collar and raged, "Why did my father die? Didn't you say that his condition has improved? Why did he suddenly die?!"

"Mr. Simons, please calm down. Old Mr. Simons died due to a sudden cardiac attack. There was nothing we could do. I'm sorry."

"The only reason I had entrusted my father to you is so that you could cure him. I don't need your apology, I need you to return my father to me!"

Sebastian broke down completely, unable to come to terms with the death of his father.

"Old Madam-"

Mila Zordon was so heartbroken that she passed out on the spot. The air in the once-dull wardroom became stale and suffocating.

Yasmine, who had returned to F City, had been living a peaceful life again. Other than her usual 9 to 5, most of her time was dedicated to going on dates with Gabriel.

Although Yasmine had not fully opened herself up to Gabriel, she was prepared to spend her life with him. Gabriel was an easygoing person and Yasmine felt comfortable being together with him. Deep down, Yasmine was unsure whether such a man would be suitable for her. However, her aunt once said to her that only a man like him could grant her a lifetime of stability. Men who typically evoked too many emotions in a woman would only end up leaving her side.

On the second day after Gabriel proposed to Yasmine, she received a phone call from Lily Adams and got wind of saddening news. Her father-in-law had passed away.

After that phone call, she immediately rushed home from work. Mindy Yard could see the gloom on her face and she asked worryingly, "What's the matter?" "Auntie, I'm going to B City."

"B City? Why are you going to B City again?"

"My father-in-law has passed away. I must go back to pay my last respect."

Mindy's eyes widened in shock. Before she could fully respond, Yasmine had exited her room with her luggage. Mindy hurried out, grabbed her niece by her arms, and said, "Don't go back. Have you forgotten how their family had treated you in the past? Besides, you and Sebastian are already divorced!"

"Even if we're divorced, his father was still once my father-in-law. It's only right that I return." Yasmine got rid of her aunt's hand and ran out of the house.

On the day of Titus' funeral, it was a gloomy day. Lily and Scott Jules also attended the funeral. Madam Simons could only look at her late husband's ashes and cry her heart out. At that moment, Yasmine appeared at the funeral hall.

Those who recognized her were shocked at her arrival. As Lily was the one who informed Yasmine of the news, she was not surprised at all. However, Scott, who was standing beside Lily, was obviously flabbergasted.

Yasmine lit up a candle and knelt down in front of Titus' portrait. She said her prayers, went to her mother-in-law, and embraced her tightly as she burst into tears.

There was no denying that apart from the incident with Abigail Tanner, Titus had always treated Yasmine as his own daughter. It was that very reason that Yasmine had never resented her late father-in-law. Yasmine's blurry vision shifted to Sebastian. How sad he must have been to look like that. Sebastian was like a mannequin, standing still while being oblivious to everything around him.

At that moment, an unwelcomed person made her own appearance in the hall. Claudine, who was dressed in black and had a white flower tucked into her hair, came forward to Titus' portrait. As she was about to lit a candle, Sebastian snatched it away and ordered, "Get out now!"

Claudine looked up coldly and said, "I'm here to pay my respects to your father. What's with the attitude?"

"I will deal with you once my father's funeral is over. I know that you were the last person whom my father had met before he died!"

"I am also deeply saddened by your father's departure, but what does this have to do with me? I have known your father for decades, what's wrong with visiting him when he was ill?"

"Did you merely went to visit him? Do you dare swear that you've never said anything to him before he died?"

Sebastian grinded his teeth and took a step forward, his eyes were filled with dashes of vengence.

Claudine answered calmly, "I didn't do anything. I went into the ward and saw that he was sleeping, so I just left after leaving my fruits and flowers. If you want to blame your father's death on me, you will first have to produce some evidence. Otherwise, with so many guests watching, do you want people to think that the Simons family could not treat their guests with respect?"

"So what if they watch? Do you believe that I could just strangle you here?"

Sebastian grabbed hold of Claudine's neck.

"Let go of my mother!"

Scott was first to rush forward. He raised his fist and punched Sebastian, and the two men were caught in a fistfight.

"Stop it, both of you!"

Yasmine rushed in between them and screamed hysterically, "Today is the day where the Old Master goes to rest. Do you both not want to have a proper send-off?"

Sebastian wiped the bloodstains from his lips and swore to Claudine, "Just you wait, I'll make sure you pay an eye for an eye!"

Sebastian walked out of the hall in anger. Yasmine helped her mother-in-law up and said, "Mom, let's go. Let's see Dad off for one last time." Titus was finally buried. As the sky started to drizzle, Sebastian knelt at his father's tombstone once all the guests had left.

He took out a bottle of wine and poured it into two glasses. One for himself, and the other was for his beloved father.

"Dad, we had promised to do this before you died. Although you broke your end of the promise, I still want to fulfill it."

"Let's have a drink. Today, we will drink our sorrows away together."

Sebastian gulped the liquor as tears streamed down his face, "Dad, I've always wanted to tell you something, and I had planned to do so once you were discharged. But the day never came. I love you, Dad. I've never hated you. Did you hear that? I know you've always wanted to hear this, but it's my fault that I had waited until this moment to finally tell you how I feel..."

Yasmine helped her mother-in-law into the car and returned to the cemetery. She stood far behind Sebastian and watched as he chatted with his father. She suddenly came to the realization just how lonely Sebastian actually was, and she could feel her own heart wrenching for him. Yasmine immediately walked towards him, extended both of her arms, and gave Sebastian a tight hug from behind.

A long time ago, whenever Sebastian had a hard time, Yasmine would always hug him this way. It was the best comfort Sebastian could ask for...