Diary of Fragile Heart (Spin of Loving You Too Long)

Abigail and Gladwin are focused on Julie’s condition. The anxiety about something happening to the middle-aged woman causes them to forget and overlook the presence of Phoebe and Penelope. So, without them realizing it, the two women leave with the evidence that Gladwin had given earlier.

Gladwin carries her mother to the car and quickly takes her to the nearest hospital. In less than ten minutes, Julie receives first aid. The results of the EKG (Electrocardiogram) show less than optimal results. However, she is not declared to have had a heart attack.

Julie Hampton now lies weakly with an oxygen tube under her nose. Her face is pale, and her body is sweating coldly. Even her body temperature is low due to her sudden drop in blood pressure.

Gladwin observes the devices attached to her mother’s left and right sides. Watching the graphs and numbers appear on the screen. And she is thankful; her mother is still within what is considered non-alarming limits.

Abigail, waiting outside the VVIP ward, has already contacted Claire because Gladwin saw her twin sister arrive hastily in her husband’s arms. “How’s Mom?” she asks, breathlessly.

“She’s improving. It was worrying earlier. But now it’s gradually returning to normal. The cause was due to blood pressure,” Claire says, relieved. “Oh God. What have you done to Mom?!” she shouts shortly afterward. Her eyes glaring at Abigail and Gladwin. “What if Mom had a heart attack?” Abigail just lowers her head. As for Gladwin? Who knows, her expression is completely unreadable. “But you succeeded, didn’t you? Your efforts paid off, right?” she asks again. “After what happened to Mom, I don’t want to hear that your efforts failed.” She says angrily.

“Honey, calm down,” Antony tries to reassure his wife.

“Aunty, if our efforts hadn’t succeeded, Grandma wouldn’t be here right now,” Abigail replies softly.

“You didn’t say anything to Flavia, did you? I don’t want anything to happen to her,” Gladwin finally spoke up.

“No, Flavia doesn’t know anything. She was already asleep when we left,” Antony calmly replied, which Gladwin acknowledged with a nod.

“It’s better if you two go home. Let me take care of Mom. If Flavia asks about my whereabouts later, just tell her that I suddenly had to undergo surgery at the hospital. I forgot to bring my phone, and it seems I left it at Mom’s house,” Gladwin requested of her twin sister, Claire.

Claire looked at Antony, and Antony simply nodded. Initially, Abigail wanted to accompany her grandmother, but Gladwin forbade her because someone had to stay to take care of Flavia at home.

As the three of them left, Gladwin pulled a chair and placed it beside her mother’s bed.

“I’m sorry, Ma,” she whispered. Her eyes gazed at her mother’s sleeping face. The face, already filled with wrinkles, seemed even more fragile.

Gladwin felt guilty for putting her mother in the current condition. Like a son, Gladwin loved and admired her mother very much. In her eyes, her mother was a fighter. She was a very tough woman. After Gladwin’s father passed away, Julie decided never to marry again just to take care of her children. And her children never opposed her decision. However, her middle-aged mother’s stubborn nature often made her sons angry even though they never expressed it.

Yes, perhaps Gladwin was the only one who dared to defy her mother to this extent. But Gladwin fought not because she hated her mother. Not because she wanted to be disobedient. But she fought because she knew that what her mother wanted this time was beyond reason.

Perhaps her mother was seeking attention. Gladwin had heard that as people grow older, they feel they need more attention. Especially parents, who often feel neglected by their children because their children are busy with their own lives.

But did it have to go this far?

Gladwin often heard and witnessed arguments between in-laws and their children. It’s not uncommon for these arguments to force the child to choose between their spouse or their biological mother. Yet, the issues are not significant. It’s just because the mother often feels jealous that her child pays more attention to their spouse than to her. Or vice versa, because the wife is jealous that her husband pays more attention to his mother.

But in this case, her mother’s fear stemmed more from the influence of others’ instigation. Because actually, Gladwin knew that her mother wouldn’t act this way if she relied on her own common sense.

Her mother woke up in the middle of the night. Gladwin could sense her faint movements. She, who had laid her head by the bedside, straightened her stiff back. Her mother was now gazing at her with a melancholic look.

“Mom, do you want something? Water?” she asked. Her mother nodded faintly. Gladwin stood up and poured hot water from the kettle, mixing it with cold water until it felt warm before putting a straw into the glass and handing it to her mother. Her mother sipped the drink slowly, then stopped when she felt satisfied.

“What’s hurting? Do you want me to massage?” she asked again after putting the drink back on the nightstand. Gladwin sat at the edge of the bed, right beside her mother’s right foot. Her hands crept under the thick blanket and massaged her mother’s feet gently. Her mother didn’t say much. Her eyes seemed to drift off again.

Gladwin knew her mother had fallen asleep again. Perhaps the influence of the painkillers kept making her drowsy.

At five in the morning, after she came out of the bathroom, she saw her mother already had her eyes open.

“Mom, do you want to go to the bathroom?” Her mother nodded. Gladwin reached for the IV tube and turned it off before carrying her mother and taking her to the bathroom. After finishing, she brought her mother back to the room, helping her to lie down.

“Forgive me,” Julie whispered. Her eyes now turned red, tears welling up there. Gladwin approached, sitting near her mother’s hand and gazing at her. “I’ve made you and Flavia suffer all this time. I didn’t know she was like that,” she said. Tears now flowed down her aged face. So heavy, full of regret.

“You’re not wrong. And I don’t need to forgive you. I know everything you did was for my good. And not just you, even I who have known her longer never imagined she’d be like this, let alone you,” Gladwin held her mother’s hand, free from the IV, and squeezed it gently.

“What about Flavia? Because of my selfishness, she left you. I’ve sinned against her. I’ve also sinned against Antony for making his daughter suffer. Now that Flavia’s gone, where should we look for her?” Her mother cried even more. Sobbing with heart-wrenching pain. Gladwin, hearing her, also shed tears. “I have to apologize to her, Gladwin. Where should we look for her?”

“Mom, even without you apologizing, I’m sure Flavia will forgive you. You know Flavia isn’t a vengeful person, right?” Gladwin looked at her mother, her mother returned the look and nodded hesitantly.

“But the mistake I made to her wasn’t a small one. I’ve been cruel to her, I’ve insulted her, and I’ve driven her away from you, the person she’s loved for so long,” Julie spoke again. Still with her tears pouring down. Even her voice sounded choked.

“I don’t know if Flavia wants to come back to me or not,” Gladwin whispered. She saw her mother’s shoulders tense up. “Flavia always fears she can’t give me offspring, and she’s also afraid she can’t make you happy. So, she doesn’t want to come back,” she continued. Her mother’s crying grew louder and sounded more agonizing.

“Forgive me, Gladwin. Forgive me,” the woman repeated over and over. “If only I wasn’t so greedy. None of this would have happened. If only I had listened to you and Abigail. If only I had been patient. Now, how can I redeem myself to Flavia? How can I make her come back to you again?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“Would you truly accept Flavia even if she couldn’t give me a child?”