Chapter 12 Shameless
Later on, their clothes lay scattered on the ground, a testament to the pa*sionate
night they had shared. Cora wasn’t sure if she desired to relax her b*dy or if she
simply yearned for Byron’s embrace. What she did know was that Byron was
more gentle tonight than in the previous nights. He had allowed her to truly
experience the happiness of being a woman.
The next day, at dawn, Cora was abruptly awakened by Byron.
Her mind was still foggy as she gazed at him, neatly dressed and seemingly
unaffected by their sleepless night.
They had spent the entire night tangled together, finally succumbing to slumber
just before dawn. Cora didn’t know why he woke her up so early.
“Unlock your phone,” Byron instructed, showing no signs of fatigue.
“Oh,” Cora mumbled, her mind in disarray. She followed his command and
handed him her phone. After Byron returned it to her, she noticed a new contact
named ‘By’ on WhatsApp, with a profile picture that was completely black.
Cora tossed her phone aside before falling back to sleep.
Enter title…
When the alarm clock rang, she found Byron was no longer in bed.
Cora hurriedly got up and headed to the hospital.
Instead of going straight to the emergency room, she made a detour to the sterile
ward to catch a glimpse of her mother, Flora Bates, through the window.
It had been over a month since the fire, and while Flora had survived, her b*dy
remained wrapped in bandages, and her mental state was unstable.
Due to Cora’s financial constraints, Flora was sharing a sterile ward with three
other patients.
As soon as Flora spotted Cora in her scrubs, her tone was filled with
dissatisfaction and rejection. “You’re wearing that again? How much do you want
others to know that you’re a doctor? How many times have I told you? I don’t
want to see you wearing that!”
“Mom, I’m an intern here. This is my uniform,” Cora explained.
Flora had always been dissatisfied with Cora’s choice to become a doctor, but
Cora had grown accustomed to it. It was a vast improvement compared to the
first time she proudly showed Flora her uniform, only to have it torn to pieces.
“Why didn’t you discuss such a big decision with me? Do you even care about
me?” Flora continued with her unpleasant remarks. “So unlucky to have you. I
should have suffocated you when you were born!”
Cora tried to restrain her emotions, knowing that several traumas must have
caused her mother’s volatile behavior and harsh words.
Otherwise, no matter how much Flora resented Cora’s choice to become a
doctor, she wouldn’t have caused a scene in front of so many people.
Just then, Flora seemed to have noticed something. Pointing at Cora’s neck, she
exclaimed, “Wait, what are those…”
Startled, Cora quickly covered her neck with both hands, trying to hide the marks
Byron had left on her the previous night.
Cora had arrived at the hospital early in the morning and hadn’t expected Flora to
notice them.
“Why are you so cheap? You haven’t even married Eason yet, and you’ve
already slept with him?” Flora’s face twisted with disgust.
Flora’s opposition to S** before marriage was just as strong as her opposition to
Cora’s choice of becoming a doctor. The aversion probably stemmed from being
deceived by a doctor named Yoris before her own marriage, which led her to
marry a divorced man who already had a child.
Flora’s outburst attracted the attention of those nearby, who now looked at Cora
as if she were a slut who would sleep with anyone.
“Mom, please calm down,” Cora pleaded, feeling utterly overwhelmed. She was
at a loss as to how to handle the situation.
After all, Flora was her mother, her only remaining family.
No matter how miserable and heartbroken Cora felt, she had no choice but to
endure it.
The one consolation she had was that Flora hadn’t discovered her relationship
with Byron. Given Flora’s current state, no one would know what she might do if
that secret were revealed.
Finally, a nurse arrived and administered a sedative to Flora.
Flora lay on the hospital bed, muttering in a daze, “This is karma. My
retribution…”