Chapter 430: Saw Her Again

Linden’s parents hadn’t expected Amina to be so merciless when she turned on them.

With Zeke Walton backing her, they didn’t dare actually do anything to her, and their aggressive attitude deflated significantly.

They didn’t dare actually stay in Amina’s home and refuse to leave.

For one thing, staying at her house meant having no income, which made them, now penniless, feel extremely anxious.

For another, the old woman with them was in genuinely poor health. If a real argument broke out and she fainted or even died from the sheer anger...

The group hurled a few more threats at Amina, declaring they’d be back that evening after work, and left in a huff.

The door was slammed shut with a BANG. Amina’s eyelid twitched, and she rushed to her grandmother’s side.

"Grandma, are you okay?"

Her grandmother’s expression was vacant, her eyes clouded over. When she was silent, Amina could never guess what was on her mind.

"Grandma, I know I was wrong not to come home last night. Please don’t be angry, let me explain... Grandma, please say something to me, okay? You’re scaring me."

Amina said a few more things, but when her grandmother remained silent, she couldn’t resist reaching out to gently shake her arm.

But with just that gentle shake, her grandmother’s eyes closed, and she slumped forward.

"Grandma! Grandma!"

After a flurry of chaos, Amina followed the ambulance to the hospital, and her grandmother was rushed to the emergency room.

After answering some questions from the doctor, she anxiously ran to the ground floor to pay the fees. While she was waiting in line, the steward who had accompanied Zeke’s mother to the hospital spotted her.

Last night, Zeke’s mother had attended a reunion with old classmates. Cajoled by their flattery, she’d had a few too many drinks and didn’t get home until dawn, where she was immediately hit with terrible stomach pains.

The Walton Family’s personal doctor was on vacation. The steward wanted to call for an ambulance, but Zeke’s mother accused him of making a fuss over nothing and had him drive her to the hospital instead.

’Of all the rotten luck, I had to run into Amina here.’

"Madam," the steward said, pointing her out. "Look over there. Isn’t that girl Amina?"

Clutching her stomach, Zeke’s mother frowned and followed his finger with her gaze.

’It really is her.’

’I haven’t set foot in a hospital in ages. What awful luck. Why did I have to run into *her* again?’

’This girl is so stubborn. Even her brother knew well enough to go back to his hometown, but this uncultured brat is still clinging on here. Don’t tell me she’s still after Zeke?’

’I was the one who single-handedly caused their breakup. Zeke doesn’t know that yet, but if she insists on staying, who knows when he might find out. With Zeke’s temper, all hell would break loose then.’

At the thought, a fresh wave of pain shot through Zeke’s mother’s stomach.

"What sort of job are you doing? Why hasn’t she gone back to her hometown yet? Go find out what she’s doing here. I don’t care what methods you use, just get her out of Veridia, and do it fast!"

The steward accepted his orders. He escorted her to the doctor’s examination room, then turned and returned to the ground floor.

Amina had just finished paying and was about to wait for her grandmother outside the emergency room when a woman blocked her path. The woman was dressed plainly, her face was dark and weathered from the sun, and she was struggling with a large bag slung over one shoulder, a wailing baby in one arm, and a registration card in her hand.

"Miss, miss, I’m so sorry. My baby is getting so fussy, she’s just starving and I can’t calm her down. Could you please watch my bag and hold my spot in line for me while I go over there to feed her? I’ll be right back! Otherwise... I brought her all this way by myself to see the doctor, and I’ve waited so long to get here. If I step away, I’ll have to start all over."

The woman spoke with a thick, out-of-town accent, her eyes filled with desperation.

The baby in her arms was probably only five or six months old. She had a deep fissure above her lip, and when she opened her mouth to wail, it looked almost monstrous. It was a cleft lip and palate.

Seeing how much the woman and her child were struggling, Amina immediately forgot her own troubles.

"Yes, of course, give me your bag. Don’t rush, take your time."

The woman took the bag off her shoulder and handed it over, thanking Amina profusely before hurrying away with her baby. Amina then took her place in line.

About five minutes later, the woman came rushing back, holding her baby.

"Thank you, thank you so much. You’ve been such a huge help. Thank you."

"You’re welcome. Why are you here at the hospital with your baby all by yourself?"

The woman’s expression turned awkward. "She was born with her face like this, and she’s a girl, so her father didn’t want her. I asked around at a lot of hospitals, and they said the treatment here is the best. The doctor says that after a few surgeries to fix it, she’ll slowly get better. Don’t worry, miss. I’m used to managing on my own. It’s fine."

Perhaps it was because of their similar backgrounds, or perhaps it was simply because she, as a woman, could understand her plight, but Amina’s heart ached for her.

"Are you new to Veridia? Where will you stay after the appointment is over?"

"I... This hospital is so big. I can find somewhere to make it through the night. As long as my baby is in my arms and she’s okay, that’s all that matters."

Amina said, "Ma’am, if you wouldn’t mind, give me a call after your appointment. You and your baby can stay with me. My place isn’t big, but it’ll give you shelter from the elements. Give me your phone, I’ll put my number in for you."

The woman’s eyes instantly welled up with tears.

"Oh, miss, but... we’ve only just met..."

"When you’re far from home, you help when you can. It was fate that we met. Besides, it’s for the baby."

After profusely thanking her again, the woman saved her number. Amina had only taken a few steps when she saw an elderly man standing in front of an automated machine for retrieving medical scans. He looked it up and down, squatted to get a better view, then stood up again, clearly having no idea how to use it.

The people in line behind him were staring indifferently at their phones, showing no intention of helping. So Amina went over to the man, helped him retrieve his scans, and then gave him directions to the doctor’s office.

It wasn’t just the steward who saw everything she did. Faye Fisher, feeling cooped up in her room after breakfast and having come downstairs for a walk, had also taken in the entire scene.

It wasn’t that Amina was so beautiful she stood out from the crowd. Rather, in such an indifferent environment, it was hard not to notice a person who, despite being in a vulnerable position herself, would patiently help one person after another.

’Although, she really is quite pretty.’

’Tall and slender, she wore a simple t-shirt and jeans with a casual, effortless style.’

’Her features were clearly those of a beautiful ethnic minority—so striking and well-defined.’

Faye Fisher appreciated handsome men and beautiful women alike, and she found herself staring at Amina until the girl stepped into an elevator.

Her grandmother still hadn’t come out. Amina waited anxiously for over an hour before a doctor finally called her into his office.

"It’s lymphoma. Late-stage. There’s no point in pursuing treatment. I suggest you take her home to live out her remaining time and start making final arrangements as soon as possible."

Amina went completely numb. "What do you mean, Doctor? My grandma... she’s out of time?"

"She has a month at most. The cancer has already spread to all her vital organs. She might not even make it a month. It could be any minute... Go home and start preparing."

"SOB... SOB... SOB..."

Amina fled to the stairwell. Leaning against the railing, she thought back on her grandmother’s arduous life and began to cry uncontrollably.

’I was just getting ready to finally repay her kindness, and now... she’s leaving me. How am I supposed to live on by myself?’

’The only reason I worked so desperately to earn money was for Grandma. Without her, my life has no meaning, no direction at all.’

Just as Amina was crying her heart out, Faye Fisher came walking down the stairs.