Chapter 5

As soon as these words were spoken, Brandon couldn't persuade Shirley to stay any longer.

Shirley gave me a jealous glare and, as she passed Brandon, she ran her finger down his back, making her intentions clear.

Brandon glanced at me warily, as if checking to see if I had noticed their covert interaction.

I calmly continued eating, pretending not to see anything.

After all, the most important thing for me right now is to take care of my health. After years of medication, my body is severely depleted.

Only by restoring my health will I have the strength to fight these two to the end.

After finishing my meal, I felt a wave of drowsiness.

Brandon looked at me and asked gently, "Are you sleepy?"

I nodded. I hadn't rested well today, so it was normal to feel sleepy now.

He smiled helplessly, "You get sleepy right after eating. I'll carry you to the room."

In the past, I never thought there was anything wrong with this, only that it was sweet.

But now, I was wary of every word he said.

"No need, I'll stay with you until you finish eating. It's rare for us to have a meal together."

I was afraid they would force-feed me medicine once I went back, so I quickly said.

Brandon nodded, "Alright then, I'll eat quickly so you don't have to wait long."

His display of tenderness made me feel as if everything that happened today was just a dream.

When the dream ends, I still have Brandon who loves me deeply, and none of this ever happened.

After finishing his meal, Brandon bent down and carried me back to the room.

"You've lost so much weight. You need to eat more and take better care of your health."

I couldn't tell if he was being sincere or not, so I just nodded.

Back in the dimly lit room, Brandon laid me on the bed and carefully tucked me in.

I was really drowsy until I suddenly jolted awake, realizing that Brandon was still standing by my bed.

He was watching me!

This realization sent chills down my spine, making it impossible to sleep. I pretended to breathe evenly as if I were asleep.

A few minutes later, Brandon gently patted my shoulder, "Caroline, are you asleep?"

He hadn't left; he was still standing by the bed watching me.

At that moment, the door opened, and Shirley walked in.

"Is she asleep?"

Brandon responded, "I've been watching her for a while. She's sound asleep."

I continued to pretend to be asleep while straining to hear their conversation.

"Starting tomorrow, increase the dosage. The fact that she could get up today means she's developed a resistance to the medication. We need to increase the dosage."

I felt terrified. Brandon was such a good actor. Even though I knew his true nature, his performance still startled me.

After they left, the room was silent, leaving me alone in bed.

I wanted to cry, but I didn't. I knew it wasn't the time to cry.

In my current state, I was practically imprisoned by them. The urgent task was to find a way to contact the outside world so I wouldn't be completely isolated.

But Shirley was home all day, and Brandon came back every day. Even if I wanted to contact the outside world, there was no way.

Thinking about this, I fell asleep that night.

The next morning, I surprisingly found that I had regained some strength.

After all, I had stopped taking the medication for two days and had eaten, so this method seemed to be working for now.

As usual, Shirley brought me my medication.

Seeing that I was awake, she was surprised, "Mrs. Jordan, you're up so early?"

I nodded, "I went to bed early last night. I don't know why, but I've been feeling increasingly dizzy these past two days. Did you reduce my medication?"

I said this on purpose to prevent Shirley and Brandon from suspecting my current state.

Sure enough, Shirley nodded and said, "Maybe it's because you've been taking this medication for too long. I'll ask Mr. Jordan to consult the doctor and get you some different medication."

I didn't say anything and took the bowl of medicine.

The bitterness was stronger than usual, indicating they had indeed increased the dosage.

I frowned and drank it down. Shirley looked satisfied as I finished the medicine.

After she left, I went to the bathroom to vomit it out, as I had done before.

After vomiting, I pressed the bell to ask Shirley to prepare breakfast for me.

Shirley was a bit surprised, but knowing that I had developed a resistance to the medication, she didn't find it too strange.

After breakfast, I took a nap to conserve my energy.

The most important thing now was to wait for an opportunity to contact the outside world.

If I remained in my previous state, I wouldn't be able to escape even if I had the chance.

In my sleep, I felt hands touching my face.

Startled, I quickly opened my eyes.

It was Brett sitting by my bed, looking at me with wide, worried eyes.

Seeing me awake, he exclaimed, "Mom, you're awake?"

Seeing it was Brett, I felt relieved, "Is today Friday?"

Brett nodded, "Yes, Mom. I have a day off today and can stay with you all day tomorrow!"

I suddenly realized this was the opportunity I had been waiting for!

I nodded and glanced at the door.

"Has Brandon or Shirley ever acted strangely?"

Brett shook his head, "No, but Shirley doesn't seem to like me. She only likes my younger siblings. She doesn't talk to me when I come home."

I was taken aback, remembering Aria calling her mom.

It seemed Shirley had already considered my children as her own.

Brett, being older and more independent, naturally wasn't liked by her.

I was furious, but I didn't show it, "Did you tell Dad?"

Brett nodded, then shook his head dejectedly, "I did, but Dad said I was overthinking it. He said Shirley is too busy to take care of me and that I should handle my own affairs."

Hearing this, I couldn't contain my anger.

Brett was only eight years old. What could he handle on his own?

Brandon, that bastard, was neglecting Brett to cover up his affair with Shirley!

I nodded and said, "Brett, can you do something for Mom?"

He nodded eagerly, his eyes bright.

"Mom, tell me. I can do it!"

I finally spoke, "Mom doesn't have a phone right now. Can you find it for me?"

Since I got sick, I had moved out of the master bedroom into a separate room.

My phone was in the nightstand in the master bedroom. It would be suspicious if I went to get it, but not if Brett did.