"Is the person inside okay?" Sherman asked hoarsely.The two staff members who were guarding the door exchanged terrified glances. "A man claimed to be the boyfriend of the person inside the room, so he was let in. We didn't know that the person inside was someone you knew!"Sherman immediately panicked. "Quick, open the door!""Huh? Oh, okay!"The staff carried the hotel's access card with them at all times. As the door opened, Sherman suddenly remembered something. He gestured for the other staff members to step back a few steps to ensure that the scene inside the room would not be seen by anyone else before he entered.His heart was pounding as he stepped inside. It was not until he saw a thin man lying on the floor clutching his abdomen and Rita holding a shard of broken glass in her hand, blood dripping from her palm, that he felt a rush of relief. He had arrived just in time.He quickly approached and covered Rita's body with a blanket, then carefully held her wrist. Rita,
Sherman heard Karen's voice. He had just managed to lay Rita back on the bed when the door swung open. He did not even have the time to pull a blanket over her."Don't be too harsh on her. Who knows, maybe Rita has fallen in love. I believe she's still innocent. You shouldn't believe rumors and doubt your own child," said Karen nicely as if she was deeply concerned about Rita.Meanwhile, Vince looked downright tense. He refused to believe that his daughter was not virtuous. However, when those people presented all the photos to him, he began to waver.'Have I been too strict on Rita? Is that why she's rebelling like this? Oh, how am I going to face her mother when I see her again?' thought Vince, who had remained silent throughout the journey.However, upon opening the door, they were greeted by an unexpected sight. Karen's expression immediately turned sour."You? What are you doing here?" Vince asked, noticing Rita lying behind him.Even though he was Rita's biological father,
Sherman nodded slightly to express his apology. "Mister Vince, can we talk somewhere else? I'd like to keep things between the two of us."Karen interjected anxiously, "Mister Sherman, I don't think that's appropriate. I… I'm Rita's mother, and I believe I should have the right to know some things. I want to know when you and Rita got together. Since you two are together, why didn't you tell us? How can you be so irresponsi—?""Mom, can you please shut up? How can you assume they're together just because they were in the same room?" interjected Sadie heatedly. "Can you let Sherman finish speaking before you ask? Ugh, you can be so annoying sometimes!"Sherman frowned subconsciously at Sadie's address, but what mattered then was explaining to Vince what had happened."That's enough. I'll ask him all the questions. You and Sadie wait here."Vince strode ahead toward the end of the hotel corridor, with Sherman following closely behind."So, how do you plan to explain this?" Vince's
Vince nodded grimly. "I know you're not one to lie, Mister Sherman. However, I'm not going to let it slide if I find out that any part of what you said today is untrue."Sherman nodded as well. "I understand."The two men exchanged words that Karen could not hear as she anxiously paced outside Rita's door."Mom, have you lost your mind? Why would you even think of sending Sherman to Rita's room? Are you crazy? You know perfectly well that I have feelings for him. Why would you let that despicable woman have this chance? Is it because you're addicted to being a good stepmother? Have you really started to see yourself as that woman's mother? What are you even thinking?" Sadie asked Karen hysterically.She was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The thought of the man she liked having been intimate with the woman she despised made her want to burst into the room and slash Rita with a knife. However, she could only stand outside the door, unable to do anything."Do you think I've los
Vince's face darkened. "That's enough! Just keep your mouth shut. This matter has nothing to do with Sherman. I'll kick anyone out if anyone dares to speak of today's events, so don't say I didn't warn you."Karen acted like she did not understand what Vince was saying. "Vince, what do you mean? We're family, aren't we? There's no way we'll tell anyone about this. Plus, we still don't understand what happened!"Though Karen was sweating bullets, she remained stubborn in confronting Vince. She knew she could not back down, or Vince would surely suspect her involvement.Even Sadie chimed in to support her mother. "Dad, you're being too harsh. Are you really going to disregard all the years we've been a family? Your words really hurt me, you know?"Both women began to tear up, and with Rita still unconscious in the room, Vince's head started to hurt. "That's enough, let's not embarrass ourselves any further. Save it for when we get home."Seeing Vince's hesitation, Sherman grew even
"It's not like you don't know how much I've sacrificed for this family. And yet, you're blaming everything on me even though it's Rita's fault for getting herself into this situation. I know my last name isn't Russell, but haven't I done enough to be considered part of your family?"Vince embraced Karen and patted her back. "Alright, I shouldn't have been so harsh. I didn't mean what I said. I was just very worried about Rita. But can you stop making a fuss for my sake since there's an outsider here?"Karen finally stopped crying after that, but her lips were pale, making her look weak."You don't look too well. You should get yourself checked too when we send Rita to the hospital." Vince then turned to his stepdaughter. "Sadie, come help your mother."However, Vince did not expect Sadie's attention to be fully focused on Sherman. She was watching him intently as if she was afraid to miss any of his expressions.Sherman noticed her gaze but chose not to engage with her. Sadie's st
"Karen, be honest with me. Are you involved in what happened today?" asked Vince.Karen's hand on his shoulder tensed momentarily. She was about to pull her hands back when he grabbed it.She forced a smile and asked, "What do you mean by that? Haven't I explained everything to you? Why are you asking me this again?"Vince stared at her sternly, refusing to let any of her expressions get past him. "Rita is my daughter, so no one knows her better than me. She'd never do something like this. Even if she likes having fun, she wouldn't joke about her health like this. Especially considering the presence of sleeping pills detected in her system by the doctor. As far as I know, Rita has no trouble sleeping, so where did these sleeping pills come from?"Karen withdrew her hand, feigning anger. "So you're saying I'm lying to you? Rita's so perfect, and it's never her fault, so I must be the one who drugged her. Do you know how many years she's been living away from us? You have no idea wha
"If I knew you were at the hospital, I wouldn't have asked you to come with me. What happened to Rita isn't something to brag about, so there's no need for so many people to know," said Vince.Karen turned away, visibly upset. She silently wiped away her tears. "Would you believe me if I had told you that earlier? It's such a simple matter that could be easily verified, yet you insist on me explaining it over and over again. In the end, you still don't trust me."Deep down in your heart, no one can compare to your daughter. Yes, I know this is a family matter, so how could I interfere? But you also should know that I've been her stepmother for so many years. Don't I have the right to care about her, too? If you can't even grant me this right, then I have nothing more to say.""That's enough. I've never said such things. I know you're only saying all these out of anger, but it was a shock to me when I saw Rita looking all disheveled in a hotel room with a man. So can't you understand