Third person's POV
Derek nearly dropped the bowl in his hands.
He explained in haste, "Tabitha, it's not what you think. Daphne and I didn't-"
Tabitha coldly interrupted him, "What story are you preparing to make up this time? Do you still remember that? When I was pregnant and fell from the stairs, how did you respond when I called you?"
This was the only fragment she could recall. It still felt like a needle piercing her heart when she thought about it.
Hearing her asking this question, Derek knew he couldn't hide the truth from her anymore.
"Tabitha, I can explain," he said.
Tabitha indifferently remarked, "Perhaps you had some unavoidable reasons. But you left your mate to save someone else. I'm sorry, I can't empathize with your reasons. I only feel sad for myself. You were right. It's better to forget those memories, as remembering them would only add more troubles."
Such a perceptive Tabitha left Derek speechless.
No matter what he said now, even if it was the truth, Tabitha wouldn't believe him.
In her eyes, he had already been labeled a liar.
Andrea took the bowl and glared at Derek, "Tabitha, just forget about him. He's just stubborn. Let me feed you. Eat more so you can recover quickly."
"Recover quickly? Mom, I won't get better," Tabitha gave a faint smile and calmly replied.
She wasn't a child. She knew that the survival rate for late-stage patients was less than one percent.
Especially in her severe condition, she probably didn't have much time left.
"Don't talk nonsense. Medical science has advanced so much. There are no incurable diseases. You mustn't have any psychological burden. Everything will get better."
Andrea patiently comforted Tabitha. This kind of illness, once the patient knows about it, it could shorten their life from months to just a few days under the pressure of psychological issues.
Tabitha seemed emotionally stable, with a sense of vicissitudes as if she had weathered many storms.
She didn't argue with Andrea about whether she could be cured. She just lowered her head, and ate quietly, as docile as a kitten.
Derek had thought she might make a scene and question him. But he didn't expect her to be so calm. Derek was worried.
He watched her finish eating and drink a cup of milk.
Derek wanted to say something to her. But Tabitha dismissed him with a single sentence, "You haven't rested for a night. Just go back. Anyway, I don't want to see you here."
Derek didn't know how to reply.
She was using the softest tone to say the most hurtful words, her eyes without a hint of hatred.
Andrea sensed the tension between them. Tabitha's illness especially couldn't be stimulated. Too many negative emotions would only make her condition worsen faster.
"You should go back and change your clothes. Look at you, covered in blood. It's uncomfortable to see," Andrea urged.
Derek thought about it and had to agree for the time being. He was indeed too disheveled.
When he arrived home, Phoebe was dozing on the sofa. Zander, who had lost a lot of blood, had been resurrected once and then pressed against the glass again.
Zander had been kneeling all night, and his knees were almost numb.
Seeing Derek return, Phoebe hurried forward to plead, "Derek, just spare him this time for being your family."
Derek, who was in a bad mood, glared at her fiercely, "He brought this upon himself."
It was unclear whether he was talking about Zander or himself.
Wasn't falling to this point today exactly what he had brought upon himself?