Chapter 58: Forgiveness and letting go

Selen read the letter and the documents from Clancy’s family. She wondered if he knew about it or if they went solo on this, just as they had with her life seven years ago.

After all, they had a history of making major decisions behind her back, and this felt the same.

She folded everything back, placed it in a drawer in her bedroom, and locked it up. She left the house and headed for the hospital with a firm conviction- focusing on her children was much more important than Clancy’s family and whatever trust fund they had set up for her kids.

She did not need their help, and she never did. She was not ready to spend time thinking about them, their past actions against her and her babies, or what she faced during it.

When she got to the hospital, she had already decided not to confront Clancy about the letter. His family was going to get the exact same thing she got years ago when she wondered why they treated her so poorly- silence.

When she walked into the waiting area, JK and Clancy were seated in silence. JK was just staring at the door to Diana ’s room, while Clancy continued typing on his phone. It was the first time she had seen him so completely immersed in his phone, barely paying attention to the room.

"Hey," she said. JK immediately got up to greet her. "How are you feeling? Better, yeah?" he asked as he helped her with the extra bags she carried. She nodded her head, appreciative of his help.

Now, it was Clancy’s turn to go. It was completely impromptu, but he had no choice but to leave. Some urgent documents required his immediate attention, and the digital location of the files was completely inaccessible to anyone else, even his personal assistant.

"Sorry, I have to leave for a few hours. I have this work thing I need to do urgently," he said to Selen. "It’s fine. You can stay back and rest later, I will watch her tonight," she said, keeping her tone completely neutral.

"No, I will be back. I will be away for just two hours or three tops," he said, before turning and leaving down the corridor. Once he was gone, Selen turned to her friend.

"Okay JK, I have to go down to the finance department to prevent the bills from piling up, so do you mind staying for a few more minutes?" she asked him.

"There is no need for you to do that, the bills have been cleared," JK said. He knew she was going to find out anyway as soon as she reached the front desk. It was best he told her before she found out that he already knew and had kept her in the dark.

She was his friend, and he was not going to hide things from her or take credit for something he did not do. "What? Did you pay? No, I cannot let you do that. I have to pay you back, where is the statement?" she said insistently, already reaching for her bag.

"I was going to," JK said, stopping her. "But I was not the one who paid, Selen. It was Clancy. I found out when I wanted to clear the tab myself. And the clerk said it appears like he will be the one paying for a while, too. He put his card on file for everything." he said.

"What? Clancy?" she asked in surprise. She instinctively looked around the hallway for him before remembering that he had just left.

Selen did not say anything else after that.

She sat down and stared at the floor, processing the news. She would wait for him to return and find out his real intentions for clearing the debt and making a commitment to keep paying.

She was incredibly grateful that her child’s medical expenses were taken care of. However, she was highly skeptical about where the help came from, and she was not about to let her guard down just yet.

Selen went down to the finance department and confirmed everything JK said. Clancy had placed a black card for all future expenses.

Three hours later, Clancy walked back in. He still looked visibly tired like he did in the morning. His expression sharpened the moment he saw Selen still sitting in the exact same chair. The tension in the corridor spiked instantly.

Clancy took the seat he had been on before he left, placing his jacket on an empty chair nearby. "How is Diana ? Did the doctor come by while I was gone?" He asked Selen.

"She is stable. She woke up for a bit, puked, and then went back to sleep," Selen said. Her voice was flat, completely devoid of any emotion.

She turned her head slowly to look at him directly, her eyes boring into his. "I went down to the billing office after you left." She said, hoping to get a reaction from him. And she did.

Clancy paused, his hand freezing halfway through pocketing his phone. He closed his eyes for a brief second, a subtle tightening around his jaw revealing his frustration. He realized immediately that JK must have clued her in before leaving.

"Selen, look-" he began to say but she interrupted him. "Why did you pay the bills, Clancy?" she interrupted, her tone sharp but kept quiet enough not to draw the attention of the nurses at the nearby station.

"And why did you put your black card on file for all future treatments without consulting me first?" Clancy sighed deeply, running a hand over his hair and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Because it needed to be done, Selen. You are already dealing with enough stress right now, and the absolute last thing you need to worry about is a stack of medical invoices piling up on your kitchen counter. I have the financial means to handle it, so I did. It is really that simple." He said.

"I did not ask for your charity," Selen said. "Good, because it is not charity," Clancy said, but Selen was not done.