Chapter 7 Joanna, You’re Really Scheming

Justin and Hazel flanked Lillian protectively as the three of them strolled toward the exit, clearly having just finished a medical consultation.

"Lillian, no matter how hard you work, you have to eat properly. You have no idea—when you fainted, I was terrified. Justin was worried sick too, weren't you, Justin?"

Justin held a women's handbag in one hand while draping a shawl over Lillian's shoulders with the other. "It's chilly outside. Stay warm."

Joanna stared at the handbag. The style was too mature for Hazel—it must be Lillian's.

So the CEO of Lawson Corporation could carry a woman's purse after all.

In three years of marriage, she'd never received such treatment.

Lillian wrapped herself in the shawl, and the trio's figures gradually receded. Joanna's vision blurred, and then her legs gave out.

When her palm touched the cold hospital floor, darkness crowded her vision. Her body felt impossibly heavy—she couldn't even lift a finger.

Through the ringing in her ears, she sensed a crowd gathering around her.

"Hello, your wife has collapsed. Please come to the hospital as soon as possible..."

Wife?

When Justin had insisted on keeping their marriage private—no wedding, no announcement—Joanna had still changed his contact name in her phone to "Honey" on the day they'd gotten their marriage license.

They must have used her phone to call him.

Joanna regained consciousness quickly. After the hospital pulled up her medical records, her attending physician rushed over.

In the hospital room, the doctor once again urged Joanna to notify family members so they could discuss treatment options together.

Brain surgery, or conservative treatment.

Before coming here, Joanna had already made her decision.

"Doctor, I choose conservative treatment. I won't have the surgery."

The surgical risks were too high.

If she went under, she might never wake up.

Even if she did wake up, nerve damage could leave her with permanent disabilities—she might not even be able to care for herself.

Her grandparents were elderly, and her grandfather had a heart condition. She couldn't become their burden.

The doctor tried to persuade the young woman to reconsider, but when Joanna remained firm, he had no choice but to respect his patient's wishes. He turned to leave and prescribe medication.

He'd barely taken two steps when Justin and Hazel walked in, blocking his path.

Justin asked, "What's wrong with her?"

The doctor instinctively looked at Joanna. Without the patient's permission, he couldn't disclose her condition to unrelated parties.

Joanna was caught off guard by Justin's arrival. She hesitated, wondering whether to tell him.

Hazel stepped forward, arms crossed, chin tilted up. "You look perfectly fine to me. It can't be as serious as the nurse made it sound on the phone. Are you faking this to get Justin's attention?"

Joanna looked at Justin in surprise.

He was frowning, his face cold, as if extremely impatient. He probably thought the same thing. Joanna smiled bitterly to herself and offered a casual excuse: "Just low blood sugar. I fainted. Sorry for the trouble."

The doctor, seeing that Joanna didn't want to discuss it, left without a word.

Justin's gaze followed the doctor's retreating figure. When he turned back, Joanna had climbed out of the hospital bed. Right in front of him, she pulled up his contact in her phone and changed "Honey" back to "Justin."

Joanna held up her phone to show him. "It won't happen again. You can go now."

Justin studied her with a probing look. Hazel pressed on relentlessly. "Lillian fainted from low blood sugar, so we brought her to the hospital. We were just about to leave when your call came through saying you also had low blood sugar. What are the odds?"

Hazel paused for two seconds, then her face lit up with realization. "Oh... you were following us, weren't you? You saw us taking care of Lillian, got jealous, and deliberately faked fainting to make Justin come back."

"Joanna, you're really something."

Joanna had no energy to argue with Hazel. She only hoped Justin would stop Hazel's ridiculous accusations. But Justin said nothing. She understood. "Justin, is that what you think of me too?"

"If you're done with this tantrum, go home."

Justin didn't answer directly. Then he added, "I don't care whether you come home or not. But Grandma's angry that you're not taking your medicine. Don't make such a scene that you end up having to apologize to her yourself. It's not worth it."

He still thought she was throwing a tantrum.

So Justin also believed she was faking it, deliberately trying to get his attention.

She'd deliberately asked for a divorce, left home, and now—jealous of Lillian—she'd deliberately faked fainting. It was all part of her scheme to prove she couldn't live without Justin.

Joanna pressed her lips together. "I'm not going back. You—"

Before she could finish, Hazel cut in. "Go back or don't—who cares? Best if you never come back. Justin, let's go. Lillian's still waiting in the car."

They'd just gotten out of the car when Justin received the nurse's call.

Lillian had wanted to come up with them, but Justin, considering her weak condition, had asked her to wait in the car.

Hazel had tagged along for the entertainment value.

Now that Joanna was fine, it wouldn't do to keep Lillian waiting too long.

With that thought, Justin took one last look at Joanna. Without another word, he turned and strode out.

Hazel shot Joanna a glare before hurrying after him.

Joanna shook her head with self-mockery.

He was so anxious about Lillian that he couldn't bear to make her wait even a moment longer.

But anything concerning Joanna could always wait.

Joanna got her medication from the doctor and went home to rest.

That evening, she called her friend Cathy. After a long pause, she asked, "That SO robotics R&D project you mentioned last time—can I still join?"

Cathy Lopez asked in surprise, "You've finally decided to go back to work? But aren't you trying to get pregnant?"

"I'm getting divorced."

Joanna's voice was calm. Hearing that she wasn't being petulant or joking, Cathy realized this was serious. "So Justin really is having an affair with Lillian? He's going to marry Lillian and dump you?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Cathy realized this wasn't a conversation for the phone. She quickly gave an address and suggested they meet in person.

An hour later.

When Joanna pushed open the door to the Miko KTV private room, Cathy was already waiting with drinks poured.

"Here! First toast—to celebrate you seeing the light."

Joanna held her glass, looking slightly embarrassed.

Cathy was lost in her own thoughts. "So what if Lillian won first place in that robotics design competition? She's nowhere near your level! If Justin chooses Lillian over you, he's blind. Joanna, don't be sad. One day he'll regret it."

Not many people knew about Joanna and Justin's marriage. Cathy was one of them.

She'd long heard rumors that Justin was particularly fond of Lillian since her return from studying abroad. Now that Joanna was suddenly talking about divorce, Cathy could only assume Justin had dumped her for Lillian.

Joanna smiled faintly and explained, "I don't know if he and Lillian are actually together. I'm the one who asked for the divorce. So I don't need him to regret anything."

Cathy stared at her in shock, holding her glass with gleaming eyes. "That's even better! You've finally come to your senses! With your talent, being a housewife was such a waste. You should be building a career, continuing to shine in the robotics field."

Joanna's smile held a trace of helplessness. She'd never planned to be a stay-at-home wife forever anyway.