Chapter 25

On the other end of the phone, I could hear the sound of my mother playing blackjack, along with her impatient voice. "Joshua, why are you calling me?" "Mom, when are you coming to the hospital to visit me?" As I asked the question, my grip on the phone tightened instinctively, and my palm began to sweat. The sound of shuffling cards continued. It was noisy in the background, but I could still clearly hear her reply. "You're fine, so there's no point in me visiting you. Besides, you have so many people around you. One more person doesn't make a difference." "But—" Before I could finish, the call was abruptly ended. The cold, repetitive beeping of the phone echoed in my ears, striking my heart with every tone. Over the next two days, Sophia continued visiting me at the hospital, chatting with me, feeding me various soups, and cutting fruit. Slowly, I believed there might be genuine affection from her side. But on the fourth day, after feeding me soup, she walked out of the roo