The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep - Chapter 123: Chapter 123
You are reading The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep, Chapter 123: Chapter 123. Read more chapters of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep.
Tiana hadn't expected to see Alyssa again, especially not like this.
Tiana stammered, "But how did you..."
Noticing her surprise, Serena explained gently, "I met a friend when I was abroad. It wasn't until a few days ago that I found out that he's the one who adopted Alyssa back then."
Hearing that, Tiana let out a quiet sigh and reached out to pull Alyssa close. Seeing how lovely and much livelier the little girl was compared to before, she nodded with a sense of comfort.
Tiana said softly, "Oh, maybe this is fate. She looks so much better now. Back when she was in the orphanage, she couldn't speak, and the other kids used to pick on her.
"Even when she got hurt, she had no way to tell us what happened."
Thinking back to how things used to be, Tiana couldn't help but feel a bit more compassion when she looked at Alyssa.
Back then, Alyssa likely didn't even realize when she was being mistreated. The fact that she had come so far now made Tiana believe that whoever adopted her must have truly cared for her and raised her with love.
As Serena thought of Keith, a smile tugged at her lips. "Her father is a good man."
"I'm glad to hear that," Tiana murmured as she stroked Alyssa's little hand. Suddenly, her expression turned somber as she added, "Speaking of which, Seri, did you manage to find the person I asked you about before?"
Serena paused for a second before remembering the request. She had been keeping an eye out, but there had never been any leads.
Meeting Tiana's gaze, she wished she had better news to offer. But all she could do was shake her head.
Serena sighed, "I'm sorry, Ms. Brown. It's been too long. I followed every lead you gave me, tried so many times, but I still haven't found the person you mentioned."
The color drained from Tiana's face the moment she heard that. Her body swayed slightly, as if the news had knocked the strength out of her.
Serena quickly reached out to steady her. "Ms. Brown, are you alright?"
A flurry of emotions flickered in Tiana's eyes. But in the end, she only shook her head, looking as if she had finally let go.
She said, "Maybe that's just how things were meant to be for us... Maybe he is better off without me. It's just a pity that I'll probably never see him again."
Seeing the deep regret Tiana carried, yet how she still tried to comfort herself, Serena felt a lump rise in her throat. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond. "I'm sorry..."
Tiana gave a gentle shake of her head. "No, this has nothing to do with you. You've already done everything you could. Maybe this really is just my fate. I'm at an age where I should learn to accept it."
Worried Serena might take it to heart, Tiana assured her, "Don't feel bad about any of this.
"Now that I see you living such a good life, and those adopted kids growing up happy, I can say I've done a couple of good deeds in my time."
With that, she gently patted Alyssa's and Serena's hands, her wrinkled face still as kind and gentle as ever.
The two of them stayed with Tiana for a little while longer before finally saying their goodbyes.
Even as they left, Serena couldn't quite shake the heaviness in her chest. Tiana's condition had been improving little by little, but the illness itself was complex, and it could worsen again at any moment.
She didn't know everything about Tiana's past, but it was clear that finding that person still meant the world to her. She couldn't bring herself to just stand by and let Tiana carry that regret for the rest of her life.
"Alyssa, I'll take you home first," Serena said. "There is something I need to take care of after this. Is that okay?"
Alyssa had been out all day and was starting to feel tired, so she nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. Thank you, Alyssa. I'll take you out again when I have time, okay?" Serena promised with a smile.
She then left with Alyssa in tow. Not long after they walked out, someone else pushed open the door to Tiana's hospital room.
Tiana was standing by the window, adjusting the sunflowers Serena had brought her earlier. When she heard the door open, she assumed Serena had forgotten something and her voice remained gentle. "Did you leave something behind?"
When the person behind her stayed silent, Tiana turned around in confusion. She saw a man with striking features who looked vaguely familiar.
After thinking for a moment, she realized he was Alyssa's adoptive father and quickly understood what was going on.
Tiana asked, "You're here for Alyssa, aren't you? Seri just left with her a moment ago."
"I know," Keith replied flatly. "If they hadn't already left, I wouldn't have come to see you."
Tiana's brows knit slightly in confusion. She studied the man in front of her and quietly returned to her seat by the bed.
"Then what brings you here, sir?" she asked again, her tone patient as ever. In fact, she treated everyone this way.
But Keith's gaze had turned sharp. "Why did you leak Alyssa's adoption information? Was it you who brought Tara into her life and stirred everything up?"
His accusation caught Tiana off guard. She blinked, clearly at a loss. "Who is Tara? I've never shared adoption details about any of the children. I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talking about."
Keith sneered, "Oh, really? Other than you, who else even knows I adopted Alyssa? Who else could've led Tara straight to me?"
Tiana went quiet for a moment. She could see the fury simmering in his eyes, layered with something more than just anger. But she hadn't done anything wrong, and she wasn't about to admit to something she hadn't done.
She said, "I think I understand what you're getting at now. Alyssa's birth parents found her. Is that correct?
"But I swear, I've done right by every child who's come through the orphanage. Alyssa already has a much better life now, so I have no reason to ruin that."
Keith stared at her in silence, his jaw clenched tight. After a long moment, he muttered, "You'd better be telling the truth." With that, he immediately turned and walked out of the room.
Whether he believed her or not, Tiana couldn't tell. She sat still for a while, puzzled by the look he had given her before leaving.
She wasn't sure why, but it felt like there was more than just anger in Keith's eyes when he looked at her just now. There seemed to be a trace of hatred mixed in.
But Tiana couldn't think of anything she had done to deserve that from him.
Outside the hospital room, Keith stood by the door for a long time before heading down the hall to the doctor's office.
The doctor said, "The patient in room 322 is in poor condition. Hers is one of the most complicated cases of this type we've seen. We've tried a lot of treatment methods, but so far, nothing is working."
He pulled out Tiana's scans and sighed deeply, "Unless a miracle happens, her illness isn't something we can cure."
Keith's expression grew darker with every word. Seeing his reaction, the doctor hesitated, unsure of what else to say.
Tiana stammered, "But how did you..."
Noticing her surprise, Serena explained gently, "I met a friend when I was abroad. It wasn't until a few days ago that I found out that he's the one who adopted Alyssa back then."
Hearing that, Tiana let out a quiet sigh and reached out to pull Alyssa close. Seeing how lovely and much livelier the little girl was compared to before, she nodded with a sense of comfort.
Tiana said softly, "Oh, maybe this is fate. She looks so much better now. Back when she was in the orphanage, she couldn't speak, and the other kids used to pick on her.
"Even when she got hurt, she had no way to tell us what happened."
Thinking back to how things used to be, Tiana couldn't help but feel a bit more compassion when she looked at Alyssa.
Back then, Alyssa likely didn't even realize when she was being mistreated. The fact that she had come so far now made Tiana believe that whoever adopted her must have truly cared for her and raised her with love.
As Serena thought of Keith, a smile tugged at her lips. "Her father is a good man."
"I'm glad to hear that," Tiana murmured as she stroked Alyssa's little hand. Suddenly, her expression turned somber as she added, "Speaking of which, Seri, did you manage to find the person I asked you about before?"
Serena paused for a second before remembering the request. She had been keeping an eye out, but there had never been any leads.
Meeting Tiana's gaze, she wished she had better news to offer. But all she could do was shake her head.
Serena sighed, "I'm sorry, Ms. Brown. It's been too long. I followed every lead you gave me, tried so many times, but I still haven't found the person you mentioned."
The color drained from Tiana's face the moment she heard that. Her body swayed slightly, as if the news had knocked the strength out of her.
Serena quickly reached out to steady her. "Ms. Brown, are you alright?"
A flurry of emotions flickered in Tiana's eyes. But in the end, she only shook her head, looking as if she had finally let go.
She said, "Maybe that's just how things were meant to be for us... Maybe he is better off without me. It's just a pity that I'll probably never see him again."
Seeing the deep regret Tiana carried, yet how she still tried to comfort herself, Serena felt a lump rise in her throat. For a moment, she didn't know how to respond. "I'm sorry..."
Tiana gave a gentle shake of her head. "No, this has nothing to do with you. You've already done everything you could. Maybe this really is just my fate. I'm at an age where I should learn to accept it."
Worried Serena might take it to heart, Tiana assured her, "Don't feel bad about any of this.
"Now that I see you living such a good life, and those adopted kids growing up happy, I can say I've done a couple of good deeds in my time."
With that, she gently patted Alyssa's and Serena's hands, her wrinkled face still as kind and gentle as ever.
The two of them stayed with Tiana for a little while longer before finally saying their goodbyes.
Even as they left, Serena couldn't quite shake the heaviness in her chest. Tiana's condition had been improving little by little, but the illness itself was complex, and it could worsen again at any moment.
She didn't know everything about Tiana's past, but it was clear that finding that person still meant the world to her. She couldn't bring herself to just stand by and let Tiana carry that regret for the rest of her life.
"Alyssa, I'll take you home first," Serena said. "There is something I need to take care of after this. Is that okay?"
Alyssa had been out all day and was starting to feel tired, so she nodded without hesitation.
"Alright. Thank you, Alyssa. I'll take you out again when I have time, okay?" Serena promised with a smile.
She then left with Alyssa in tow. Not long after they walked out, someone else pushed open the door to Tiana's hospital room.
Tiana was standing by the window, adjusting the sunflowers Serena had brought her earlier. When she heard the door open, she assumed Serena had forgotten something and her voice remained gentle. "Did you leave something behind?"
When the person behind her stayed silent, Tiana turned around in confusion. She saw a man with striking features who looked vaguely familiar.
After thinking for a moment, she realized he was Alyssa's adoptive father and quickly understood what was going on.
Tiana asked, "You're here for Alyssa, aren't you? Seri just left with her a moment ago."
"I know," Keith replied flatly. "If they hadn't already left, I wouldn't have come to see you."
Tiana's brows knit slightly in confusion. She studied the man in front of her and quietly returned to her seat by the bed.
"Then what brings you here, sir?" she asked again, her tone patient as ever. In fact, she treated everyone this way.
But Keith's gaze had turned sharp. "Why did you leak Alyssa's adoption information? Was it you who brought Tara into her life and stirred everything up?"
His accusation caught Tiana off guard. She blinked, clearly at a loss. "Who is Tara? I've never shared adoption details about any of the children. I'm sorry, but I really don't know what you're talking about."
Keith sneered, "Oh, really? Other than you, who else even knows I adopted Alyssa? Who else could've led Tara straight to me?"
Tiana went quiet for a moment. She could see the fury simmering in his eyes, layered with something more than just anger. But she hadn't done anything wrong, and she wasn't about to admit to something she hadn't done.
She said, "I think I understand what you're getting at now. Alyssa's birth parents found her. Is that correct?
"But I swear, I've done right by every child who's come through the orphanage. Alyssa already has a much better life now, so I have no reason to ruin that."
Keith stared at her in silence, his jaw clenched tight. After a long moment, he muttered, "You'd better be telling the truth." With that, he immediately turned and walked out of the room.
Whether he believed her or not, Tiana couldn't tell. She sat still for a while, puzzled by the look he had given her before leaving.
She wasn't sure why, but it felt like there was more than just anger in Keith's eyes when he looked at her just now. There seemed to be a trace of hatred mixed in.
But Tiana couldn't think of anything she had done to deserve that from him.
Outside the hospital room, Keith stood by the door for a long time before heading down the hall to the doctor's office.
The doctor said, "The patient in room 322 is in poor condition. Hers is one of the most complicated cases of this type we've seen. We've tried a lot of treatment methods, but so far, nothing is working."
He pulled out Tiana's scans and sighed deeply, "Unless a miracle happens, her illness isn't something we can cure."
Keith's expression grew darker with every word. Seeing his reaction, the doctor hesitated, unsure of what else to say.
End of The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep Chapter 123. Continue reading Chapter 124 or return to The Ex-Wife They Begged To Keep book page.