OMG!!! My Crippled Husband is a Hot, Powerful CEO-Chapter 11 – Her mother’s secrets

Betty contemplated whether to tell her, but remembering last night’s warning, she decided not to.

She knew why her boss did not sleep at home, even when she was not there, but she could not tell Joana about it as it was not her place to do so.

"The security said that sir did not sleep at home last night. He left after a few hours."

It certainly was not what Joanna expected to hear. Their marriage might be a contract, but she genuinely cared, afraid that something must have happened to Alex. She dialed his number, but it was switched off.

"Where did he go?" Joanna asked, wondering if he went to work in the night. Aside from that, where could he be? A cripple would not have multiple women, right? But then, whose picture did she see in her room last night?

She would have asked again but remembered that this was not even Alex’s house. Perhaps she was just overthinking things.

There wasn’t much she knew about the man she married, not even his place of work. "I think you should have breakfast," Betty said, politely refusing to answer her question.

Joanna forced herself not to worry about anything that was not related to her mother. They could all wait until she got better.

"I’m not hungry," she said in annoyance, ready to leave for the hospital when Betty politely countered,

"We have been instructed to ensure that you are well-fed before leaving the house."

Care resonated from the woman in front of her, but Joanna was not used to being cared for. Ever since graduating from college, she was the one who began to care for her mother, and it had always been just the two of them.

Her relationship with Logan at the time, as she began to realize, was rather a complicated one. "I said I’m not hungry. Are you going to force the food down my throat or what?"

"Of course not," Betty politely refused, but after Joanna left, she regretted not being polite to Betty and learning more about the new area she was living in.

There were no cabs to flag down until she walked a long distance. By the time she reached the hospital, her mother was not in her ward.

"Nurse, where is the brain tumor patient in room..." Joanna was worried and asked when the nurse cut in eagerly.

"Oh, her surgery was successful, but she’s being monitored for a while," she revealed. That patient had become a VIP patient within the blink of an eye.

Joanna was amazed by how fast it was and waited. However, her mother was not wheeled back to the ward she expected and waited at.

"Why are you still here? Your mom is at the VIP ward," the nurse informed her, and Joanna’s expression changed.

"VIP? I can’t afford that."

"Management said it was arranged by an anonymous donor. You and your mom are very lucky," the nurse patted her on the shoulder and left.

Joanna rushed to the VIP room to indeed see her weak and pale-looking mother. Colton was there, writing something in a notebook but seeming elated to see Joanna.

"She will need a lot of rest," he said, and Joanna stared at her mom with tears in her eyes.

It was finally over. Her mother was going to get better, and she was certain that with time, things would as well fall into place.

"Can I stay here with her?" She asked, taking in the tired form of Dr. Colton. His lips pursed thoughtfully.

"It’s better to leave her to rest."

"Thank you." Joanna was grateful, and Colton smiled. "You are welcome."

She shook her head, knowing he didn’t understand. "I mean, thank you for taking care of the bills. I promise to pay back as soon as I can."

Colton was confused but did not want to lose the smile on her face. This was a rare opportunity to have her close to his heart again, especially when the person who paid the bills remained anonymous.

He hoped that with this date, Joana would be able to remember things of old times.

"It’s nothing. Can we have lunch together?" He hoped she wouldn’t refuse when he saw her checking her wristwatch after the request. "It will mean a lot to me than a mere thank you.

There was no ring on her finger, so she could not be serious about that marriage thing either.

"I already promised my girlfriend, Violet, to have brunch with her," Joanna recalled thoughtfully.

Having disappointed Violet once, she could not think about doing so again, but the disappointed look in Colton’s eyes made her guilty, as she felt like she owed him for paying the bills and adding.

"We can have dinner later."

Colton beamed. This was even better than the lunch he proposed before. "I will be off duty by then and will pick you up."

He already had a special place in mind and even confirmed that Joanna was indeed not married.

If she was, then why would she agree on dinner? She was once his, and he swore in his heart to make her his again.

Joanna nodded, and after a few exchanges, he left. The ward was very comfortable, making Joanna envy those rich folks.

After her experience at the mansion Alex took her to and even the VIP ward, she had the understanding that luxury was expensive but equally worth it.

Violet arrived with a lot of food, and because her mother was sleeping, they ate at the coffee table at the far end close to the window.

"Hey, you look famished." Violet was bringing out the different delicacies she brought with her and was glad that Joanna had a VIP ward.

Violet had never entered a normal ward before but heard about how small they were.

"Indeed," Joanna agreed as she had a taste of the chicken butter and rice. "Delicious."

"I know. How is your mom?" Violet asked, looking at the woman on the bed. Joanna paused her meal and replied,

"She’s still recovering."

"And your husband? Is he the anonymous donor?" Violet asked suspiciously. Joanna shook her head and replied through mouthfuls.

"I haven’t seen or heard from him today, and he’s just an IT officer." Alex didn’t look like he could afford it.

"He must be swamped," Violet observed, Joanna shrugged.

"I guess."

The two ate in silence after that. After about thirty minutes, they finished eating and had a few chats here and there before Monica woke up.

Even in her condition, she was curious to know how Joanna paid the bills. "Did he give you the money?"

Joanna knew she was referring to Cole, shaking her head with a reply following. "No. Dr. Colton paid."

Violet was shocked that she knew the donor and yet called him anonymous but reserved her comments for later.

"Such a sweet young man. You two were very close before," her mother said in a weak voice, adding, "but your grandfather had plans.

"Really? How come I don’t remember? Mom, what do you mean by my grandfather had plans?"

A frown crept onto her mother’s face. "I didn’t say that."

Joanna was heartbroken. This was a sure sign that her dementia was kicking in. "I will call the doctor."

She expected to see Dr. Colton, but a different one showed up. After some time, he broke the news. "She’s showing signs of early dementia."

"Can it be cured?" Joanna asked worriedly, and the doctor replied thoughtfully. "No, but we can treat it to lessen the effects after she recovers."

Her mother had a lot of secrets, and Joanna did not want them to die but decided to keep her marriage secret for now. Violet left later, promising to bring her lunch the next day. freewebnσvel.cøm

She stayed with her mom until she fell asleep, but it was already evening, and since she planned on spending the night at the hospital, she waited for Colton to have dinner with her, but he did not turn up.

Dialing his number, the phone was switched off, so she gathered courage and inquired from one of the nurses.

"Hi, what is Dr. Colton’s schedule?"

The nurse had a bitter smile on her face, and what she said next broke Joan’s heart.