Chapter 1856
Bertha returned the gesture with a smile, even though it was tinged with a hint of bitterness.
Ellinor didn’t add anything more. She turned and took Theo’s hand, and together they said goodbye to Marlinie before leaving the hospital room.
Once outside, Ellinor paused. Her worry was still palpable.
Theo understood her concern. “If you don’t want to leave, we can stay here. If anything happens, we can rush right back in to be with Marlinie.”
Ellinor nodded. Even though she knew Bertha was no fool, she couldn’t help but feel concerned.
After Ellinor and Theo left, Bertha, as usual, naturally walked to Marlinie’s bedside. “Marlinie, did you have enough dinner? Do you want me to warm it up for you at the nurse’s station? Maybe you should have a little more.”
Marlinie shook her head as she looked at her longtime friend with a concerned gaze. Even though Bertha was trying to act as if everything were normal, Marlinie could see that she was far from okay.
“I’m not hungry. Bertha, did you… did you have a fight with Thaddeus?”
Bertha smiled. “No. You need to focus on your recovery. Don’t worry about me.”
Marlinie reached out and held her friend’s hand. “Stop pretending with me! I can tell you’ve been crying. What happened? Was it Sophia? Did you and Thaddeus fight over her again?”
Bertha couldn’t hold back her tears. Her eyes reddened as she wiped away her tears. “Really, it’s not that! We did fight, but he already knows he was in the
wrong.”
Marlinie looked puzzled and worried. “Then why were you crying?”
Bertha didn’t want to bring it up, fearing Marlinie would be upset.
Lea pouted, and her voice choked up. “Ms. Marlinie, my dad… he was taken away!”
What? Marlinie couldn’t believe it. Given Thaddeus’ status, who could possibly take him away?!
But she knew children could sometimes misunderstand things, so she turned her gaze back to Bertha.
“Bertha, tell me what happened! Who took Thaddeus away?”
Bertha sighed. She couldn’t hide it anymore. She wiped her own tears and tried to calmly explain the situation to Marlinie. “His company ran into some serious tax issues, and he was taken away for investigation. Marlinie, you don’t need to worry about him. We don’t know the outcome yet. And if it’s his own doing, he needs to face the consequences.”
Marlinie gasped. She felt sorry for her friend but didn’t know what to say. “Bertha, does this have anything to do with my daughter and son-in-law?” Bertha quickly shook her head. “No! Marlinie, don’t think too much. I know Thaddeus better than anyone. He must know what he did wrong; that’s why he willingly went with them for the investigation.”
Even though Marlinie didn’t say it, she had a feeling that this had something to do with Ellinor and Theo. She couldn’t vouch for Thaddeus’s character, but she knew that with his resources, he could have easily covered up any issues in his company. The sudden revelation of these problems must have been orchestrated by someone with a higher status than him in this city.
