Right Person, Wrong Time

Chapter 878

Silence filled the entire room after Colton left.

When Nicole came in, Betty was reclining against the headboard. Although her face seemed rather pale, her cloudy eyes had regained focus and no longer looked so glazed over.

She seemed to have sensed someone coming in, and her eyes rolled a little as she turned her gaze toward where the sound came from. Seeing a figure, she first narrowed her eyes before trying hard to make out who the person before her was. When she saw that it was Nicole, her face finally broke into a smile of relief. She called out in a deep, hoarse voice, "It's you, Nicole."

Seeing that Betty recognized her, Nicole slowly walked up to her with a faint smile on her face. Then, looking smilingly at the woman, she called out softly, "It's been a while, Ms. Betty."

"Mm-hmm," Betty mumbled in response before slightly lifting her arm. Pointing at the stool in front of her, she said in a soft, weak voice, "Have a seat, Nicole."

Nicole sat on the stool while looking steadily at Betty. At this moment, the latter looked somewhat spiritless; there was light in her eyes, but she looked kind of lethargic. "Ms. Betty, how are you feeling now?" she asked tentatively while raising her eyes.

A smile spread across Betty's face. At this moment, she seemed particularly clear-headed. She managed a smile and replied in an impassive voice, "I'm feeling much better now."

Nicole stared at the woman's wrinkled face. For some reason, she felt a twinge in her nose. Touching the corner of her eye, she realized that a tear had really rolled out of it. "Glad to hear that you're fine," she said with a choke in her voice. She found that the older she got, the more prone to emotions she was, so much so that she was easily moved to tears.

Betty heaved a faint sigh. She replied in a faint voice, "Nicole, I'm already well up in years, so don't rush about for my sake anymore. I already have one foot in the grave, so it doesn't matter when I'll be gone—"

Cutting her short at once, Nicole insisted firmly, "Ms. Betty, you're not going to die."

Seeing the young lady's determined expression, Betty was visibly moved. She had lived the past few years with her mind in a blur, and there were times when she had no idea how she had survived. Now that her mind had cleared up all of a sudden, she was at a loss for what to do. Seeing Nicole staring at her, she said with a sigh, "You've grown up to be a capable woman."

Nicole helped tuck her in and said as if comforting her, "Ms. Betty, please take care of yourself first. Once you get better, I'll arrange for you to move back and live with me."

At this moment, Betty suddenly recalled something. Raising her head slightly, she looked at Nicole, asking, "By the way, Nicole, where is that guy? I saw him with you before."

A hint of confusion flashed across Nicole's eyes; she didn't know whom Betty was referring to.

Betty took her hand and patted it twice, explaining, "I mean the tall guy with a sullen face."

Hearing the woman speak of the man's sullen face, Nicole finally realized that she was probably referring to Colton. That's quite an apt description of him. She pondered for a moment with a hint of disappointment on her face. Then, she replied, "We've grown apart."

"Huh?" Betty replied in surprise. Puzzled, she asked, "What happened? You two seemed pretty close to me before. That young man looked a bit surly, but he was a nice guy."

Nicole wondered what had made Betty think Colton was a nice guy. That guy's a complete *sshole. Staying as calm as she could, she explained in a few words what had happened between William and the Gardners without the slightest change in her expression.

Betty had been wearing a gentle smile on her face at first, but she fell silent upon listening to Nicole's story. After a while, she finally said, "Nicole, what William had done has nothing to do with you."