Chapter 382
Penelope chucked and tapped Madeline on the forehead .
“ Your brother loves you so much . He made sure you got into the best middle school . I’m sure he won’t let you turn into an old spinster and stay with him forever . ”
Madeline giggled , her smile wide .
Just then , Halsey entered the room .
Madeline brightened at the sight of her . “ Halsey ! ”
Penelope stood up . “ Did you get the test results ? !!
Halsey’s fair eyes were red around the edges , and she nodded . “ Yes , I have them . ”
Madeline’s expression shifted to concern . “ What’s wrong with Mom ? Is she really sick ? ”
Halsey looked over at Tina , still lying on the bed , but she didn’t say anything .
Penelope sensed the tension and immediately said , “ Maddy why don’t you come outside with me for a minute ? 1 need to talk to you . ”
Madeline , trusting her , agreed without hesitation . “ Okay . ”
Penelope guided Madeline out of the room .
Now , the room was quiet , with only Halsey and Tina remaining . Halsey took a seat beside the bed , her eyes focused on Tina .
Tina was dressed neatly ; her clothes had seen better days and had faded from frequent washing , but they were clean and well – kept . Her half – silver hair was pinned up neatly , and her face held a serene , kind expression
Halsey thought of her own mother , who was about the same age as Tina but was on vacation overseas . Her mother would always buy beautiful dresses and make sure she looked stunning . She had always said that women were born with a love for beauty .
Tina was surely interested in looking beautiful , but life had taken a different path for her .
“ Did you see my test results ? ” Tina asked quietly .
Halsey nodded . “ Yes , Mrs. Garner . You’re in the late stages of cancer . ”
Tina smiled softly . “ I know . Actually , about four years ago , I fainted at home and went to the hospital for tests . That was when I found out something was wrong . ”
“ Why didn’t you get treatment ? If you had , maybe it wouldn’t have come to this . ”
“ Maybe , ” Tina said with a sigh . “ The doctors said if I had over 150 thousand for treatment , maybe I could’ve lived
little longer . But back then , Maddy was still so young , and Dwight wasn’t even an adult yet .
“ Dwight had it really hard . Before his father passed , that man left behind 300 thousand in debt . I couldn’t help . because I had lost my sight . Dwight started skipping school and secretly working . He was so young ; afraid he wouldn’t be taken seriously , he got a tattoo , shaved his head , and put on a tough exterior . He had to look like someone you wouldn’t want to mess with . ”
Tina raised her hand , and Halsey instinctively reached out and took it . Tina’s hand was rough and calloused , the thick skin almost prickly to the touch .
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Chapter 362
She chuckled . “ Is Dwight always cold toward you ? ”
Halsey nodded . “ He’s like that with everyone . He doesn’t smile . ”
Tina’s voice softened . “ Dwight wasn’t always like this . He used to laugh a lot . He had the most beautiful smile . But after his father died , leaving us three alone , he became tough . His father was a drug dealer , and people loved talking about us behind our backs . Dwight was afraid of us being mistreated , so he stopped smiling altogether . ” Halsey’s heart ached . She had grown up surrounded by love and care , and her greatest hardship had probably been dealing with Gilbert .
But since meeting Dwight and his family , she felt like she was seeing a whole new side of life .
“ Even if we didn’t have any debt and I had a million , I wouldn’t have spent it on something uncertain . For the past four years , I’ve prayed every day , hoping I could live a little longer at least long enough to see Dwight grow up . At least … I could spend a little more time with him . ”
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Chapter 383