All Too Late

“What?” he exclaimed. There was a grim look on his face. “Got it. I’ll head over right away.”

“What is it, Sam?” Kathleen had woken up from the commotion.

“The security guards downstairs gave me a call. I’m going to take a look.” His answer was

deliberately vague.

Her lips were pursed as he got changed and went downstairs.

She noticed that he took his phone and car keys with him.

There was an unsettling feeling in her heart, so she put on a white coat and discreetly

followed him down.

When Samuel got downstairs, he saw Nicolette curled up into a ball on the couch.

The weather was cold outside, and she was only dressed in a hospital gown.

“Nicolette,” he called out. Samuel made his way over to her and immediately took off his

coat to drape it around her.

“Samuel!” she yelped. Nicolette jumped up and clung to his neck while sobbing, “I’m so

scared, Samuel. I’m scared of the chemotherapy tomorrow. The doctor told me that my hair

was going to fall out. I’m going to become ugly!”

Samuel’s breathing grew deeper, and he reached his large hand out to pat her on the back.

“How could that be? You’ve always been beautiful.”

“I’m terrified, Samuel. Can you chat with me for a bit before going back up?” she whined.

“I’ll take you back to the hospital.” There was no way he could let her hang around there.

If she were to get sick with a cold or a fever, it would be disastrous for someone like her,

who had leukemia.

All of a sudden, Nicolette stared at someone behind him. “Kathleen?”

The realization made him freeze.

He let go of Nicolette and caught sight of Kathleen standing nearby.

Kathleen’s exquisite features were hidden behind the coat as she strode over.

“Why did you leave the hospital to come here in the middle of the night, Nicolette?” she

confronted. “You’re an adult already. You should know how many people would be worried

about you. Of all places, you came straight to Samuel. Are you trying to make him feel bad

for you?”

Nicolette forlornly protested, “That’s not what I was trying to do, Kathleen. I just felt

helpless. I have chemotherapy tomorrow, which is why I—”

“Whose fault is it that you feel that way? Is it mine?” Kathleen retorted. Her usually soft

tone had become harsh and biting. “At least you have a father. For the three years that you

were overseas, he was the one providing you with money the whole time, wasn’t he? I don’t

have a single living relative. Don’t you think I need Samuel more than you do?”

“Stop it, Kathleen,” Samuel interjected unhappily.

“You came here at this ungodly hour to kick up a fuss. You’re trying to steal Samuel away,

aren’t you?” she continued to accuse. There wasn’t a hint of warmth in her eyes. “Even if

you manage to lure him into your arms, how long do you think he will love you?”

Nicolette chewed on her lip.

Kathleen isn’t gentle at all! In fact, she doesn’t hold back with her words.

“This is right below our apartment, Samuel. Everyone who passes through this place knows

what kind of relationship we’re in. What are people going to think when they see you

hugging another woman over here?” Kathleen pointed out while quivering.

It was then that Samuel noticed the weird looks that the security guards were sending

them.

Even though their marriage was a secret to the public, the security guards were aware of it.

It wasn’t like they would run their mouths, though.

Despite that, it would be hard to explain to them what was going on.

Having said that, Kathleen sighed. “Just send her back.”

She turned to leave. Her petite, lonely silhouette was heartbreaking.

Meanwhile, Nicolette’s jaw was about to break from how hard she was clenching her teeth.

Initially, she had thought that by making trouble, Kathleen would lose all sense of reason

and go into hysterics in front of Samuel. That way, he would begin to despise her.

What she didn’t expect was for Kathleen to act completely differently from what she had

predicted.

“I swear that isn’t what I meant, Samuel,” Nicolette persisted. “Kathleen must have

misunderstood things. Give her an explanation. I’ll wait for you here.”

“There’s no need for that. I’m sending you back to the hospital.” Complex emotions had

taken over Samuel’s mind. “I’ll give her a proper explanation when I get home.”

An explanation? Is Samuel really going to do that? He usually can’t be bothered with things

like explanations, even if it was a misunderstanding.

Nicolette kicked herself for leaving for three years in an attempt to use reverse psychology.

It was the only reason why Kathleen had gotten the opportunity to step in, after all.

Once Kathleen got home, she leaned against the door and put her hands on her belly. Her

voice was choked with sobs. “I wonder, my child. Even if I gave him a year’s worth of time,

would he have cleared up his relationship with Nicolette by then? To tell the truth, the

chance that I gave him makes it so that he’ll never be able to go back on his choice. I’m

sorry for being a useless mother. I can’t even provide you with a proper family. I’m truly

sorry. I promise to give you the love you deserve from now on. I’ll never make you feel

unloved.”

She was well aware of the fact that a month would pass by in no time.

Therefore, she had to start planning for the future.

No longer did she have the luxury of waiting on Samuel to deal with everything before she

started thinking of the road ahead.

That would be too complacent of her.

Thus, she turned on her computer and sat in front of it.

After editing the image for a bit, she sent it to Federick.

Surprisingly enough, he replied in no time at all.

Federick: Why aren’t you asleep yet?

Kathleen: I’m getting ready for bed right now.

Federick: It’s already so late. You should take care of yourself.

Kathleen: Yes, I know.

Federick: There’s going to be a seminar for parents of autistic children later this afternoon.

Would you like to come?

Kathleen: You’re asking me?

Federick: There’s nothing more to it. To be honest, I got the inspiration for those stories from

them. Who knows? Maybe if you interact with them a bit, you’d experience something new.

Kathleen: Sure. I’ll go.