CHAPTER 39: CHAPTER 39: WHO IS SHE REALLY?

In the beginning, Mrs. Gallagher was completely satisfied with her daughter-in-law, Josephine Thompson.

But Mrs. Dixon kept whispering criticisms in her ear every day, gradually affecting Mrs. Gallagher’s feelings.

"Madam, don’t worry, the young mistress is surely just causing trouble."

As she spoke.

The two of them had already arrived at the entrance of the emergency room.

Seeing Nathaniel Gallagher sitting there dejectedly, Mrs. Gallagher’s face darkened, "Nathaniel, how is Josephine?"

Nathaniel Gallagher frowned anxiously, unwilling to utter a word.

"I’m asking you, what’s her condition now?"

"How could she drown in the bathtub out of nowhere? It sounds so bizarre, causing trouble all day long."

"..." Nathaniel Gallagher remained silent, his face as cold as ice.

"Sigh~" Looking at her son’s unpleasant expression, Mrs. Gallagher dared not ask more questions.

Her son’s personality had been tough since he was a child; she could never manage him.

Seeing the situation, Mrs. Dixon could only help Mrs. Gallagher sit down.

"The young mistress should be fine; let’s wait patiently."

...

After waiting for more than twenty minutes.

The door to the emergency room finally opened.

"How’s my wife?" Nathaniel Gallagher hurriedly asked.

The doctor and nurse came out, looking relieved, "Please rest assured, President Gallagher. Mrs. Gallagher had water in her lungs, but fortunately, the rescue was timely, and she’s not in serious condition now."

"However, Mrs. Gallagher is currently suffering from malnutrition, and her lungs are inflamed. She needs to be treated in the hospital for a few days before being discharged after recovery."

Hearing this, Nathaniel Gallagher finally felt a weight lifted off his heart, "... That’s good. Make sure to use the best treatment methods and use the best medications."

"Please rest assured, President Gallagher, we will ensure Mrs. Gallagher receives the best treatment and service."

"Nurse Lewis, please arrange the best VIP ward for Mrs. Gallagher at once."

"Okay."

A little later.

The nurse wheeled Josephine Thompson out.

Her consciousness had slightly returned as she lay groggily on the gurney.

"Honey, how are you feeling?" Nathaniel Gallagher walked to the gurney with a heart full of distress and fear.

His eyes turned red as he clutched her hand tightly, bending down to look at her intently, helping the nurse push the gurney to the ward.

Seeing this, Mrs. Dixon immediately began to fan the flames again, "Madam, you see, the young mistress is indeed playing the pity card, isn’t she?"

"If she really drowned, how could she have been resuscitated so easily! She’s putting on this act to make the young master worry about her and value her more."

Mrs. Gallagher said with disdain, "Sigh~, what’s the point of raising a son? Once he marries, he forgets his mother."

"One day, if I lie on the hospital bed, my son might not even shed a tear for me. Look at him, though, crying when it’s his wife lying there."

"What’s the use of raising a son? Truly, daughters are more considerate. I regret never having a daughter in my life; you’re the lucky one to have a considerate little sweetheart like Vivian."

Hearing this, Mrs. Dixon quickly flattered, "Isn’t Vivian your daughter? She grew up under your watchful eye, and you adore her so much; what’s the difference from being your real daughter?"

"When you get old, she’ll surely be as filial as a real daughter to you."

Mrs. Gallagher felt warmth in her heart, her lips curling into a smile, "That’s true, it’s fortunate I have a thoughtful and sweet goddaughter like Vivian."

"Eh~, Vivian has been abroad for half a month now, hasn’t she? I quite miss her."

Mrs. Dixon: "Madam, if you miss her, why not let her come back to see you?"

Mrs. Gallagher sighed, "Better not! The Republic of Arcadia is so far, let’s not make her travel back and forth."

"It’s Nathaniel’s fault, insisting on sending Vivian abroad. I can’t even easily see her now."

Mrs. Dixon felt even more resentment hearing this, "Madam, you’re right, this must be the young mistress’s idea. Madam, why don’t you ask the young master to let Vivian come back sooner?"

Mrs. Gallagher’s expression tightened, "... Forget it, let Vivian stay abroad for a while! The media spread rumors wildly recently, and it took so much effort to suppress the scandal’s heat. At this moment, let’s not stir up trouble again."

She’s not stupid.

Although she’s very dissatisfied with Josephine Thompson, she doesn’t genuinely want her son to divorce.

She certainly knows Mrs. Dixon and her daughter’s intentions, aware that Vivian Shaw eagerly wants to become her daughter-in-law.

But she’s more realistic and class-conscious than Nathaniel Gallagher. Even if her son indeed divorces Josephine Thompson, she would never accept Vivian Shaw into The Gallagher Family. She would choose another socialite to be the daughter-in-law of The Gallagher Family.

However...

Men tend to flirt outside, some even openly keep several mistresses. So, she doesn’t mind Vivian Shaw becoming the second wife of her son.

...

A little later.

The nurse transported Josephine Thompson to the VIP ward.

On the hospital bed.

Josephine Thompson lay there groggy, receiving an IV, with an oxygen mask on her face.

Nathaniel Gallagher sat by the bedside with lingering fear, tightly holding her hand. His eyes rimmed with red, tears continuously falling.

"Honey, are you feeling better? Is there anywhere still uncomfortable?"

Josephine Thompson kept her eyes closed, unwilling to look at him even for a moment.

Crocodile tears are the most deceitful.

And he is the best at pretending.

Devoted to love, charming and witty, madly doting husband - he’s mastered every role effortlessly.

What’s more lethal is that he’s coincidentally blessed with an exceedingly handsome appearance, every brow and eye appealing to a woman’s heart.

Such a devil in the guise of a handsome man is a deadly attraction for all women!

If not, he wouldn’t have gotten her in just three months. Julian Grant, for instance, had chased her fervently for three years without success. Of course, a big reason was that she didn’t like Julian Grant’s overly flamboyant, arrogant, and reckless personality.

"Honey, if you’re feeling uncomfortable anywhere, just tell me." Nathaniel Gallagher spoke as he gently smoothed the loose strands of her hair on both sides of her face.

Then, like petting a beloved cat. After smoothing her hair, he affectionately caressed her cheek and the top of her head.

Genuine affection is hard to conceal physically.

Perhaps in his heart... there’s no longer love!

But he was certain, he did genuinely like her and enjoyed the feeling of being with her. Having her by his side always brought a sense of peace and healing to his heart.

After all, he despised his former self and his past life too much.

Josephine Thompson slowly removed the oxygen mask from her face, feebly pushing his hand away, "Don’t touch me."

"Honey, you’re still on an IV, don’t move around."

"Do you know, today I was almost scared to death..."

The more carefully he coaxed her, the more creeped out she felt, and the more she resisted his touch.

"Nathaniel Gallagher, aren’t you tired?"

"..." Nathaniel Gallagher’s eyes flickered, looking at her in confusion.

The hatred and disdain in Josephine Thompson’s eyes were unmistakable, "How long are you going to keep up this act?"

"I... What am I pretending?"

"Heh~" Josephine Thompson didn’t want to say anything more.

"Honey, I know you’re very upset now, and you probably don’t trust me. But I want to say, I really value our marriage, and I don’t want to lose you."

Josephine Thompson let out a bitter, mocking laugh, "Is it that you don’t want to lose me, or do you have ulterior motives?"

"Nathaniel Gallagher, let me tell you the truth! Before we got married, I already wrote my will. If I die under unnatural circumstances, all my assets will be donated to the country!"

"Don’t waste your efforts, you won’t get anything."

Of course, she was just lying to deceive him.

She got married at 20; how could she have anticipated such a melodramatic mess happening afterward?

Naturally, she never thought of making a will at such a young age!

"..." Nathaniel Gallagher was stunned, instinctively loosening his grip on her hand.

After a long moment.

He snapped back to reality, his brows furrowing deeply, "What do you mean by that?"

Josephine Thompson looked at him coldly, "Just what it says on the surface."

"If I die unexpectedly, you won’t get anything, so stop bothering."

Nathaniel Gallagher listened, then stared blankly at her for almost half a minute, feeling as if a knife had stabbed his heart, "Heh heh~, heh heh~"

"Why are you laughing?"

Nathaniel Gallagher looked dejected, "So this is how you see me? You think I want to kill you and then swallow up the Thornton Family’s wealth?"

"Isn’t that so?"

"Heh heh... heh heh..." Nathaniel Gallagher couldn’t help but chuckle a few times, the pain in his heart growing more intense.

Nathaniel Gallagher had been out in the world since he was fifteen or sixteen.

What dangers and hardships hadn’t he endured?

Of course, he had indeed done many unspeakable and outrageous things before, and he had indeed reaped huge unjust profits.

But!

He would never covet a woman’s meager wealth, nor would he stoop to taking advantage of a woman.

He was always the one giving women money, never considering taking from them.

Josephine Thompson looked at him coldly, "Stop laughing, I’m not lying to you."

Nathaniel Gallagher felt a mix of emotions, wanting to cry and laugh simultaneously, "Heh heh... I just find it so funny. I never imagined you’d see me as so despicable and vile."

"Isn’t that so? You tricked me into giving birth to a child with another woman. What are you really after? You know it in your heart!" Josephine Thompson said with a breath, nearly exhausting all her energy.

"..." Nathaniel Gallagher was momentarily choked, speechless.

He admitted it.

What he did was indeed underhanded and despicable.

But it was not as she thought.

Before the marriage, the Gallagher Family was undergoing a difficult transition.

The Gallagher Group needed a good reputation.

He was in urgent need of a wife with a distinguished family and a positive image to uplift his own image.

Josephine Thompson fit perfectly.

The Thornton Family was a century-old distinguished name, and Elder Thompson was a highly respected figure in the antique world. So, marrying into the Thornton Family could quickly improve the Gallagher Family’s reputation.

Back then, he didn’t intend to truly enter into the marriage, and indeed had plans to use her.

He originally planned to divorce after three to five years, using some excuse.

So, he didn’t want a child to become a tie between them. To put it bluntly, after divorce, he didn’t want any further connection with her or his assets to suffer losses.

Of course, more importantly...

He wanted to leave a legacy for ’her’.

Josephine Thompson looked equally heartbroken, "Nathaniel Gallagher, nothing to say anymore?"

"If you think I’ve misunderstood you, then divorce me quickly. Then, I might think you’re a real man."

Nathaniel Gallagher’s heart was blocked, his face gloomy, "Josephine, do you want a divorce because you’ve already moved on?"

"If you’ve fallen in love with another man, just tell me directly, and I’ll let go easily."

"I don’t want a divorce because I still care about you and don’t want our family to fall apart."

Josephine Thompson wore a cold expression, "I haven’t fallen in love with another man. I just think there’s no need to continue our marriage."

Nathaniel Gallagher let out a heavy sigh, hesitating for a long time, "Is it just because of Henny?"

"Fine, I admit, Henny is indeed not from your genetic egg. But he was born from your womb. If you don’t mind that, isn’t he still your child?"

"If you really mind this matter, we can have another child that’s ours. We can even have three or five more."

Hearing Nathaniel Gallagher admit it out loud.

The heart of Josephine Thompson, already shattered, broke into pieces, and tears of despair fell.

"Why? Why did you have to scheme against me like this? Why did you do this?"

"..." Nathaniel Gallagher’s heart was blocked.

"I’ve said, we can still have a child that’s ours!"

"If you can’t accept Henny, I’ll send him abroad to study. You won’t have to worry about anything concerning him, nor will you have to be involved. You also don’t have to worry about him inheriting your assets; yours is yours, and you can give your wealth to anyone you choose."

"Josephine, we’ve been at this for so long. Can we stop this? Let this matter pass, and let’s go back to how we were before..."

Josephine Thompson was in tears, "Impossible, let go. Even if I die, I can’t go back to the past with you."

"I just want to know, who is his biological mother? Is it Vivian Shaw or someone else?"

"..." Nathaniel Gallagher stared into the distance, unwilling to answer her question.

"Tell me, let me at least die knowing the truth, okay?"

Nathaniel Gallagher’s heart stabbed, his eyes red, "Josephine, just consider the child’s biological mother as dead. She’ll never appear in our lives."

"She’s like a dead person, no need to dwell on this."

"So, besides Vivian Shaw and me, you have another woman, correct?"

"All these years you’ve fooled me, when clearly there’s a woman you love. If so, just let her bear your child. Why did you have to degrade me and deceive me?"

Nathaniel Gallagher: "It’s not what you think, and I can’t clearly explain it to you. In any case, I hope this incident passes, and I hope our life can return to normal!"

"I can assure you, she won’t appear in front of you, nor have any influence or threat on you!"