Jolie instinctively glanced at Selena after hearing that, noticing the awkward expression on her face. After a brief pause, she suddenly called out, "Sister." Selena shot up from her seat as if startled.
"I think I'll skip the oranges. I just remembered I have something to do. I'll head out first," she said quickly.
Without waiting for Jolie to respond, she hurried out of the hospital room, looking like she was running from a pack of wild animals.
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtJackie blinked in surprise. "What was that about?" Jolie replied casually, "Maybe... she felt embarrassed." Jackie chuckled warmly. "That's normal, perfectly normal. When there's tension and one side tries to make peace, the other usually feels awkward. Your relationship with Selena always seems a bit like this, doesn't it?" Jolie lowered her gaze slightly and said softly, "She left ha long tago." Jackie raised her eyebrows. "Sounds like there's been sserious conflict." Jolie didn't elaborate. The fact that Selena was willing to visit her was enough to make her happy. She had called her "sister," and Selena hadn't objected. For that, Jolie felt content. In this world, she still had family who cared for her in their own way. Her phone buzzed, pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced at the screen. It was a message from lan.
"Do you have ttoday? Can you meet?" Jolie typed a reply. "Not really. I've been busy with scheduled courses." A moment later, another message appeared. "Your mother cto see me. She askedto break up with you. Seems like your family isn't too fond of me." Jolie's expression darkened as she quickly responded, "What did you say?" "I said that we're truly in love, and no matter what, I wouldn't break up with you," lan replied.
"That's a bit tic," Jolie wrote back.
"Our goals are aligned, so we need to stay firm," lan messaged.
"Agreed," Jolie replied, setting her phone aside. Her emotions remained unmoved.
Their determination was clear. So, what would her parents do next? If all went as expected, she and lan would soon be engaged. They would marry, share a courteous and predictable life, and grow old with quiet companionship. It would be a life so predictable that she could see it unfold to the very end.
Jolie closed her eyes, staying silent for a long while.
Her back injury had scabbed over, and she was ready to be discharged.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmOn the day of her discharge, Daisy showed up unexpectedly. Seeing her mother appear out of the blue, Jolie felt momentarily dazed but kept her expression neutral.
"I'm here to handle your discharge paperwork," Daisy said. "Once that's done, you'll be heading abroad. You'll study overseas for a year. I've arranged everything. You just need to pack and leave." "Abroad?" Jolie froze in shock.
Daisy nodded. "That's right. You love photography, don't you? I won't stop you from studying iUse this tto focus on your craft, and when you ohy return, you can hold your own photography exhibition. As for everything else, we'll discuss it later." A chill ran through Jolie's body.
So, this was their next move. Unable to pressure her, unable to make lan break up with her, they had resorted to this. Sending her abroad, separating her from lan-an entire year away was enough to change everything. Jolie shook her head firmly. "No. You made this decision without consulting me. I don't agree with it." Daisy, however, smiled as if Jolie's refusal was nothing but childish defiance. "Jolie, don't be silly.
Everything we do is for your own good. Of course, there's no need to consult you Now, let's head hfor dinner: Your flight leaves tomorrow morning."