Chapter 639 Can’t Let the Plot Succeed

Meryl furrowed her brows, deciding to head to the hospital. She wanted to see for herself what game Rachel was playing – whether she was genuinely blind or just putting on an act.

At the hospital, she crept to the outside of the ward. Through the glass panel in the door, she spotted Chandler sitting on the couch beside the hospital bed, working on his laptop. Rachel lay motionless on the bed, appearing to be asleep. Meryl stood watching quietly from outside for a while, relieved to see Chandler maintaining his distance from Rachel.

“Mrs. Aniston…” Walter’s voice suddenly rang out.

The sound must have alerted those inside, as Chandler turned his head. The moment he saw Meryl, he immediately set down his laptop and stood up, walking toward her. “Why are you just standing there like that without letting me know you’re here?”

Chandler frowned, grabbing Meryl’s hand. “How long have you been here?”

The weather had turned lately, and with the strong winds outside, Meryl’s hands were ice cold. He held her hands tenderly, trying to warm them up with his own.

Meryl glanced sideways at the hospital room and asked softly, “I just got here. How is she doing?”

He replied, “She had tests done this morning. The doctors say everything else is normal, but her blindness has no clear cause. They think she might have damaged her optic nerves when she fell down the stairs.”

It would have been easier to treat if they knew the cause; the uncertainty only complicated things.

Meryl noticed Chandler’s bloodshot eyes, clearly showing his lack of rest. She asked, “How much sleep did you get last night?”

Before Chandler could answer, Walter chimed in, “Mr. Aniston is being proper! He didn’t want to sleep in the same room as Ms. Morgan. He spent all night on the couch doing paperwork and hasn’t stopped since.”

Though there was a couch in the hospital room where he could have caught some sleep, Chandler had his principles.

Walter muttered under his breath, “Ms. Morgan’s being difficult. She checks for Mr. Aniston every half hour, and if he’s not there, she starts throwing things around the room.”

He added, “Just this morning when Mr. Aniston went to the bathroom, she woke up and couldn’t find him. She caused such a scene that it disturbed the other patients.”

Walter was explaining why Chandler had to stay put. He literally couldn’t leave.

Meryl pulled her hand away from Chandler’s grip. She lifted her head to look at him and asked, “If she never gets better, are you planning to let her cling to you forever?”

Chandler immediately replied, “That’s impossible. She’s just newly blind and having trouble accepting it. She’ll be better in a few days.”

Meryl let out a bitter laugh. “Oh, really? So, you’re saying I should just put up with this for a few more days? Hand you over to her?”

Chandler quickly responded, “Meryl, that’s not what I meant.”

A heavy feeling settled in Meryl’s chest. “I chose to give up on Dalton because he kept hurting me for Lydia’s sake. But now, how are you any different from him?”

Meryl clenched her fists so tight her knuckles turned white. She fought back the stinging in her eyes, refusing to cry in front of Chandler.

She knew that Chandler was fundamentally different from Dalton. Dalton had been blind to her love, betraying her trust, while Chandler was caught in an impossible situation. But still, just like Dalton, he was breaking her heart.

As if sensing Meryl’s emotions, the baby in her womb made a gentle movement, either a tiny hand or foot brushing against the walls of her belly. Meryl felt the flutter of movement and softly caressed her bump. She was about to become a mother. She needed to be strong.

Besides, she now had a career that could support her. She didn’t need to rely on any man. With this thought, Meryl said, “Fine then, go be with Rachel. What happens to me clearly doesn’t matter to you. I’ll prepare the divorce papers right now and step aside for Rachel. Isn’t that what you want?”

She turned to leave.

Chandler grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms. “Stop being childish. What nonsense are you talking about? Meryl, how could I ever divorce you?”

It hurt him to hear Meryl comparing him to someone like Dalton. He admitted that he might have handled some things poorly. But he never meant to hurt her. Even when he did, it wasn’t intentional.

Chandler held Meryl tightly. “Give me some time. I’ll give you an answer that will satisfy you. You can be angry with me, but don’t mention divorce. I won’t divorce you.”

He was so in love with this woman. How could he even think about divorce when he’d finally made her his wife? Rachel was just a complication he never saw coming. He hadn’t expected her to be so blind to reality, to cling to him so desperately.

His voice was hoarse as he continued, “She won’t be able to interfere with us forever. I’ll handle this quickly.”

While Chandler’s embrace felt safe and secure, Meryl’s heart remained heavy as if weighed down by a stone. Logic told her she should get a divorce and raise the child on her own. But emotionally, she couldn’t bear to let go.

Chandler had been her protector, giving her warmth and slowly helping her lower her emotional barriers until she wanted to build a real home with him. When the Stone family had abandoned her and she had nowhere to go, Chandler had given her a home.

He had been so good to her. What she and Chandler shared was real love. If Chandler had genuinely fallen for someone else like Dalton did back then, betraying her love, Meryl wouldn’t hesitate to cut him loose.

But that wasn’t the case. His involvement with Rachel was purely out of obligation, and he’d been actively seeking a way out of this mess. Chandler was just as frustrated with Rachel as she was.

Meryl lowered her eyes thoughtfully. Come to think of it, she couldn’t let Rachel damage what she and Chandler had together. It simply wasn’t worth it.

Who did Rachel think she was? If Meryl and Chandler split up over this, wouldn’t that just mean Rachel’s schemes had succeeded?

The more Rachel tried to drive them apart, the stronger Meryl’s resolve grew to stand by Chandler.

“Chandler…” As they stood talking in the hallway, Rachel’s voice suddenly drifted out from the hospital room.

Meryl peered inside. Rachel was reaching out blindly, nearly falling off the hospital bed. She called out desperately, “Chandler, where are you?”

When no response came, Rachel grew frantic. “Chandler, have you abandoned me?”

Standing in the hallway, Chandler instinctively glanced at Meryl. Seeing Meryl’s silence, he remained rooted to his spot.

Meryl was satisfied with Chandler’s response and quietly opened the door to enter the room. Chandler had wanted to stop her, worried that Rachel might hurt herself in her agitated state. But after a moment’s hesitation, he followed behind.

Unable to see or hear Chandler, Rachel was becoming increasingly anxious. As she attempted to get out of bed to search for him, her foot twisted, and she began to fall.

Meryl quickly caught her before she hit the ground. Rachel immediately wrapped her arms around Meryl, trying to bury herself in what she thought was Chandler’s embrace. “Chandler, you scared me to death! I thought you’d left me!”

Meryl’s brows furrowed.

She thought, “She mistook me for Chandler? Is this woman actually blind?”