His Wife, Her Stranger
Chapter 7
Later in the day, Fernandez was going through Charlotte’s bag searching for her bank card, hoping he could find something to clear her bills. He couldn’t take another loan after paying for her hospital bills the first time she had an accident.
As he rummaged through it, he grew increasingly disappointed—until his eyes landed on her card. But when he checked the date, he realized it had expired; she hadn’t renewed it yet.
Charlotte’s marriage hadn’t been the best. If her card had expired and she hadn’t thought of renewing it, then there was nothing in her account. What he didn’t know was that Charlotte only received money when it was required—not because she needed it for her maintenance.
He felt even more disappointed, holding back tears so he wouldn’t break down in the hospital. His health was deteriorating, and he needed to stay strong to take care of his daughter. If anything happened to her, there was no way she would survive this—not with Michael still around.
He blamed himself for letting her go without him. If she had listened and come home when he asked, she wouldn’t be lying in a hospital bed, and he wouldn’t have to worry about how to settle her hospital bills.
Depressed and heartbroken, he picked up the bag when an envelope slipped to the ground. He reached for it, about to place it back in her bag, when he realized it was from a court.
He wondered if she had gotten herself into some kind of trouble she couldn’t bail herself out. Curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it.
Fernandez furrowed his brows, dropped the bag, and carefully unfolded the envelope. His eyes widened at the headline, confusion etched across his face.
He read through the document, his mouth in disbelief.
“What is this? wedding? And it took place just yesterday? What is going on?” he asked, speaking to no one in particular.
Fernandez couldn’t believe his eyes. His daughter had gotten married just yesterday—right after being discharged from the hospital. He had never known her to make such decisions without informing him, so he was skeptical that the letter was real, even as he saw the court stamp and those of both couples.
She didn’t just marry anyone, but the wealthiest tycoon in the country. Is this someone I know, or just some ordinary guy with the same name? Fernandez thought, inwardly shocked.
If confusion could take human form, Fernandez would have been that person. He didn’t even know what to do or how to uncover the truth. He replaced the paper in her bag and turned toward the doctor’s office.
Once at the door, he exhaled deeply, knocked, and pushed it open.
“Oh! There he comes!” the doctor said, gesturing toward him.
Fernandez was stunned but kept his expression neutral. He had just seen that his daughter had married the tycoon, and now that man was sitting right in front of him, alongside his grandmother.
“Hello, doctor! Is everything okay?” he asked as he took his seat.
“Yes, everything is fine. But I think you need to clear the air. We can’t allow further commotion in the hospital.”
“Commotion?” his grandmother asked.
“Yes. A few minutes ago, Mr. Michael and his mother were here claiming to be her family, and now you are here.”
Fernandez trembled, his breathing hitched. She had really married, the marriage had taken place yesterday, just before she came home.
“What do you mean? She married my son, and now someone is here claiming her as his? Didn’t you see the news about their divorce?” his grandmother interjected.
“There could be news, but if he hasn’t signed the papers yet, the marriage between them stands.” the doctor replied.
Xavier's grandmother looked steadily at him, outstretched her hands, and handed over some documents.
“These are their wedding papers. You can confirm it yourself.”
Xavier, got irritated, but he had to endure it because of her.
He sluggishly took the papers from her and went through them. They were the same papers from her bag, and their signatures were there.
“I’m sure your daughter has it, and it must still be with her. The mistake I made was allowing her to go home alone. If I had dropped her off, none of this would be happening.”
The doctor took the papers and read through them. He became even more perplexed than Fernandez himself. There had been news, everyone knew he had divorced her, but now someone was claiming her as his wife. He only realized they had a divorce a few weeks back, and she had been hospitalized over an accident.
The tycoon’s family would do nothing to ensure she ended up with them, since the wedding had just taken place.
But how does someone get a divorce and already end up with someone else? Does that mean the speculation about her cheating was correct? The doctor wondered inwardly.
“Doctor! I would like to see her. I want to know her condition,” Xavier said, speaking up since they arrived.
He had to follow his grandmother’s instructions. He would rather not get an earful when they get home. At first, he wasn’t bothered that she hadn’t come home, until his grandmother grew worried about the entire situation.
She made him order a search for her, only for them to realize she had been in the hospital. That wasn’t enough; she had to drag him away from his work and bring him to the hospital, following her instructions.
“Please come with me,” she said.
He followed. The doctor led the way out of the office, leaving her father behind, unaware that they had just left the room.
They marched into her room and found her sleeping.
“She’s asleep. I think you’ll have to visit her another time,” the doctor said, turning to make eye contact with Xavier. “But rest assured, she’ll be fine with proper medication.”
“I have to stay with her. I can’t leave her alone,” his grandmother responded, making both men look at her.
“Grandma! You can’t do that,” Xavier protested.
“Yes. Her father is here. He’s already looking after her, you have to go home,” the doctor added.
That was when Fernandez walked into the room. She shook her head vehemently, standing firm.
“She needs us. We are family. We can’t be apart from her.”
“You should think about your health. I’m sure she wouldn’t want you to do this for her,” Xavier pleaded, hoping she would listen.
She was an adamant person who would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.
“Your son is right. Besides, both families need to figure out a way out of this mess. The patient can’t identify who her husband is until she fully recovers.”
“What do you mean by that?” Xavier asked, his tone almost a whisper.
“What I mean is this patient has lost her memory and can’t identify who her real family is, not even her father.”
His grandmother’s breath seized momentarily, causing her to collapse.
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