"Yvonne''s here. Go on in and see your mother. The doctor said... she hit her head. We don''t know if she''ll ever wake up...


    11


    Mrs. James Sr.''s voice cracked as she dabbed at her eyes. Her performance was so convincing you''d think she was Teresa''s actual mother.


    Yvonne had no interest in wasting her breath on them, so she just nodded and walked into the hospital room.


    Inside the private room, there was a single bed surrounded by medical equipment.


    Teresay motionless, a clear oxygen mask covering most of her face, revealing only her tightly shut eyes.


    Dressed in his white coat, Jeffrey sat vigil by the bed, his head bowed. He looked utterly defeated, and hisplexion was pale.


    It seemed Teresa''s injuries were truly severe.


    Yvonne walked closer and stopped beside the bed.


    The sound of her footsteps made Jeffrey look up.


    His eyes were red, clearly from crying, and his voice was thick with emotion.


    "Is it serious?" Yvonne asked, ncing from Teresa to Jeffrey.


    Jeffrey nodded. "The crash caused a cerebral hemorrhage. We''ve operated, but she''s not out of the woods yet. Her vitals aren''t stable. If she doesn''t wake up in the next few days, the chances are slim. They''ll dere her brain-dead."


    Yvonne listened, nodded, and after a long pause, simply said, "I''m sorry."


    In just one year, Jeffrey had seen his father imprisoned, the Spencer family fall from grace, and now his mother in a car crash. He was a ma for misfortune, and in a way, it was pitiful.


    "Yvonne, I know Mom has done a lot


    to wrong you in the past. But you


    s kept in


    have to understand, she the dark for so long. She raised Queena Spencer as her own daughter for over a decade that kind of bond, built day in and day out, can be stronger than blood. That''s why she treated Queena better than you. And with Dad pulling the strings... we really did neglect you."


    Jeffrey''s voice trembled violently. He took Teresa''s shaky hand, a tear falling onto her pale skin.


    "Mom''s whole life... she was ignored by her father, plotted against by her stepmother; and then deceived by her husband She couldn


    even


    protect her own daughter Yvonne don''t you think her life has been tragic?"


    "Yes," Yvonne replied faintly. "But there are a lot of tragic people in this world. She was born into wealth and da life of luxury. That already


    her ahead of most."


    Yvonne''s time as a police officer, especially her internship at a local precinct, had exposed her to the raw struggles of ordinary people.


    Their hardships, their battles for survival, were real. Even the criminals often had desperate reasons for breaking thew.


    Compared to those wing their way up from the bottom, Teresa''s so-called suffering felt likeining for the sake of it.


    Her words left Jeffrey speechless.


    Just then, another doctor in a white coat entered. "Mr. Spencer, the head surgeon


    wants to see you to discuss your mother''s follow-up treatment."


    "Alright, I''ll be right there." Jeffrey quicklyposed himself and stood up.


    "Yvonne, can you watch Mom? I''ll be back soon."


    "Okay," she nodded.


    As Jeffrey left, Yvonne took his seat by the bed.


    With Teresa in aa, she didn''t need much care, just someone to be there.


    As she sat in the quiet room, the door opened again.