"Oh, my poor girl—"
Mrs. Hamilton burst into tears.
She had kept this buried in her heart for years, desperately hoping the doctor had just made a mistake, though she never took her daughter for a second opinion.
Deep down, she believed the diagnosis.
Yet, she still held onto a tiny sliver of hope.
What if her daughter miraculously got her period one day?
Yolanda rubbed her mother's back, trying to comfort her. "Mom, don't cry. I actually
think it's fine this way."
"Fine? How is it fine?"
"You're a young woman. What are you going to do in the future?"
Mrs. Hamilton was consumed by anxiety for her daughter.
This secret was the exact reason why the Hamiltons looked down on Reggie, yet
Mrs. Hamilton hadn't stopped the arranged marriage.
However, Reggie ditching the wedding had completely infuriated her.
She felt that even with her daughter's physical condition, a piece of trash like Reggie didn't deserve her.
"What can I do? At least I don't have to deal with bleeding for a few days every month like other women," Yolanda said with a faint smile.
"Besides, I already consulted a doctor. If I ever decide to get married, I can always have corrective surgery."
"There was just no need to go under the knife for a marriage to Reggie."
"Mom, please don't worry about me. I know exactly what's going on with my own body."
"As long as our family isn't ashamed of me..." Yolanda watched her mother's reaction carefully as she spoke.
"Why would we ever be ashamed of you?"
"Even if you stay single for the rest of your life, do you think your father and I can't support you?"
"And if your brother ever has a problem with it, you can just punch his lights out!" The Hamiltons' household dynamics were a bit reversed.
The daughter boxed, and the son was into the arts.
Yolanda's younger brother was an art student, frail and delicate.
If his sister actually threw a punch, she could probably land him in a hospital bed.
"Thank you, Mom. I'm not planning to have the surgery right now anyway."
"I want to wait until after I retire."
"Please don't worry. I met this young doctor recently, and she's incredible. She's amazing at holistic healing."
"She's even General Harrison Darwin's personal health consultant right now."
"My body will definitely be in perfect shape."
"Once I'm healthy, I can have the surgery whenever I want."
Yolanda was just telling her mother what she wanted to hear; she had absolutely
zero intention of getting the surgery.
For now, a white lie would buy her some peace.
When Claire got home, she replayed situation in her
Yolanda
feeling that the older woman they
being unnecessarily hard on herself.
Still, Claire wasn't the type to aggressively push her help onto someone who didn't want it.
If Yolanda was satisfied, so be it.
The drama with the Darwins was just a minor blip on her radar.
She gladly accepted the payment Yolanda transferred.
After making a quick buck, she drove back to Cabinda University, stopping at a fruit stand near the campus gates to drop twenty dollars on some fruit.
It sounded like a lot, but fresh produce wasn't cheap.
She also picked up some barbecue.
Back at the dorm, she shared the food with her roommates while they watched a movie.
She didn't breathe a word about what happened at the hospital.
Claire took patient confidentiality very seriously.
"Claire, this barbecue just isn't as good as the stuff you bring from home. When are you bringing more?"
Skye mumbled through a mouthful of food.
Despite her complaints, she was still eating her fair share.
"I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to visit. I'll have Owen drop some off another day."
Claire easily agreed.
She missed her grandfather's cooking, too!
The moment she agreed, even Zara chimed in with her order.
"I want some too, especially those BBQ ribs..."
Zara paused, suddenly remembering something, and extended an
invitation to Claire and her two other roommates "My
"My birthday is coming up soon Would you guys done the honor of spending the day at my place?"