MTLNOVEL Chapter 536: She was stubborn.
At that moment, the door to Brenda's room opened, and the doctor stepped out.
Both Margaret and Xander walked to him at once.
"How is she?" Margaret asked, his brows drawn in worry.
The doctor gave a polite nod before replying, "Her vitals have stabilized for now. The medicine has eased her pain. But …" He paused a brief second before continuing. "Her condition is growing fragile. I fear she is very close to the worst. In the coming days, let her rest as much as possible."
Xander shifted on his feet uncomfortably.
However, Margaret looked past the doctor in the room calmly. Her eyes were fixed on the sleeping figure of Brenda, who was still attached to the drip.
"We got it, Dr. Han. Thank you."
The doctor nodded and then left.
Xander went to escort him out. When he returned, he saw Margaret still standing there, outside the room, watching inside the room the way she had been.
"Ms. Marie?" he interrupted her, but Margaret didn't turn to look at him.
Her gaze simply remained fixed on the sleeping figure of Brenda inside.
He followed her line of sight but didn't understand what she was staring at.
As though Margaret heard his silent confusion, she spoke, "Xander, you know I really admire her. Not just because she helped me build a life better than an average one, but because she changed my perspective to see the world."
A small smile curled her lips, which held a tinge of sadness laced to it. "She had been a living inspiration, not just to me, but to many. However, the one who should have understood her, never did. She never complained, but rather accepted it, not because she knew she was one to share the blame. But because she thought it would make others live better with themselves."
"She looked stern on the exterior, cold and aloof as well, yet if you ask me, I have never seen a woman as kind as her." She paused, shaking her head at some thought she had to herself. "Kindness was her innate trait, one that many were never able to notice."
Xander not just heard her words. He felt it. His heart clenched with emotion —one that had been indebted to the lady.
"Should we let Ms. Catrin know about her condition? She may —" he suggested, but before he could finish, Margaret shook her head.
"She will never change. Not even when she sees her dying," Margaret said, remembering Catrin's brutal words from the last time. Hearing her curse that day, she felt disgusted.
She couldn't understand how a daughter could be like that to her own mother —the same mother who never did anything but made things right for her.
If daughters are like that, Margaret felt relieved that she never had any.
Xander pursed his lips. "But they are family to her, Ms. Marie. They should know of her situation. It's not right to keep it from them, especially when we know Madam doesn't have much time left."
He had even suggested it the last time. But Brenda had strictly forbidden them against it.
However, seeing her back in such a state, he couldn't help but feel like it would be better if the family stayed close at a time like this.
Family.
Margaret paused at that. Catrin had long stopped being one, but there was Arwen.
If anyone really deserves to know, then it was her.
At that thought, her gaze flashed with a resolve. Nodding to Xander, she said, "You are right, Xander. Madam doesn't deserve to stay alone in her last days. It's time we let her family know."
————
While the night grew darkest, Aiden's car finally pulled into the Winslow Residence—
As it came to a halt, Neil glanced over his shoulder, only to find Aiden resting with his eyes closed. He couldn't tell if his boss was asleep or simply lost in silence, eyes shut to avoid the world.
But there was something unmistakably heavy in the air around him tonight. In all his years of service, Neil had never seen Aiden this sombre —this still.
"Sir," he called softly, "we have arrived."
His voice, though quiet, cut through the silence like a sharp blade.
But even so, for a long moment, Aiden didn't seem to move.
"Sir—" Neil tried again
Just as he was about to repeat himself, Aiden's eyes snapped open, startling him.
For a fleeting second, their eyes met, and Neil couldn't help but feel the chill that crawled down his spine.
But the next moment, Aiden turned his gaze toward the window, taking in the familiar neighbourhood bathed in quiet moonlight.
"W-we have arrived, sir", Neil said again, more cautiously this time, before quickly stepping out to open the door.
Aiden exited the car and made his way toward the house, his steps brisk but heavy with the weight of the evening. He could have arrived earlier, but he intentionally waited for the night to grow darker.
But little did he expect that even if he had returned at dawn, the sight awaiting him wouldn't have changed.
His steps faltered the moment he stepped inside the house.
The frostiness in his demeanour melting away at the sight of the delicate figure curled and wrapped on the sofa —fast asleep. She looked tired of waiting, yet stubborn enough to not give up until the very end.
How did he forget?
She was that kind of stubborn —the kind who wouldn't give up, not even when the odds stacked high.
Although she appeared to be sleeping peacefully, something about her posture didn't convince him. her legs were tucked awkwardly, one arm hung slightly off the edge, and her brows faintly creased —giving away all the signs of someone who dozed off while resisting sleep, not resting out of comfort.
He frowned and was just about to step toward her when he paused, suddenly sensing another presence in the room.
Alert, his gaze swept across the dim space —but the tension eased quickly when he spotted a familiar figure emerging from the hallway.