After Being Cheating

The man that was standing in front of her had a long beard and long hair, and Janet could've possibly recognized him only from behind.

"You want me to go? But Bill, I just got here." Janet then walked a few steps forward.

Bill reached out his right hand to stop her, and said, "Jane, please don't come over here."

He had become a disabled man; there were many things that he couldn't do by himself, and he didn't want Janet to see what he looked like now.

Outside the hallway

Charles rested his last shred of hope on Janet. After all, Bill had loved Janet for a long time.

Joyce Han was very curious, and asked, "Grandpa, who is this woman?"

Charles was standing outside the hallway with a stick in his hand. He stared at the closed door, and quietly said, "Samuel's daughter, your brother and cousin's great love." Joyce was so surprised that her mouth was wide open. The woman was really pretty, but wasn't he exaggerating a bit? Both her brother and her cousin had loved her?

"Oh! Her name is Jane, isn't it? Bill talked about her a lot before."

A long time ago, Bill had talked about a girl named Jane almost everyday.

Charles nodded.

'And Brian loved her too?' She felt it was unbelievable.

'Just because she was pretty?' Brain wasn't that shallow.

"I'm going back to my room. Joyce, ask Janet to meet me when they've finished talking."

"Okay, grandpa." After Joyce helped Charles walk back to his room, she waited for Janet downstairs.

In Bill's room

Janet walked to the window and drew back the curtains to let some light into the messy room. Bill wasn't pleased with this, and said, "Jane, stop it. Draw the curtains back as they were." Bill was looking much more pinched now, and Janet walked up to Bill, and stared straight into his eyes.

"Jane..." There were mixed feelings in Bill's eyes, both sadness, and delight.

Janet held Bill in her arms, and the empty sleeve of his shirt was pressed between them.

She softly said, "I'm sorry, Bill."

Bill was confused, and was jus about to pull away from her embrace.

"If it were not for me, Daniel wouldn't have sent you to Africa. You wouldn't have lost your arm," said Janet.

Bill shook his head and held her back with his right arm.

"Jane, that's not your fault. I don't blame you." Bill had stayed there of his own free will.

"You sacrificed an arm to save the lives of others. Bill, you are a hero, don't do this to yourself." Janet took Bill's right hand, and together they sat on the edge of the bed, looking out the window. Many people had told him the exact same words, but he just couldn't think it through.

He clearly understood what Janet meant. Bill nodded his head, and asked, "Jane, do I look ugly?"

Janet glanced at his beard and nodded her head.

He felt disappointed, and the cheerfulness in his eyes disappeared. Even Janet felt ashamed of him now.

Janet chuckled, and said, "It's not because you lost your arm that I think you look ugly. Oh, just look at your hair and your beard, Bill, I've never seen you this ugly and messy before."

This was true. Before the accident, Bill was always clean and neat, and he had used hair gel, and had worn red, sexy sport coats on him...

Janet continued, "I'm telling you the truth. You lost your arm because you were saving lives. Even without your left arm, you're still the handsomest soldier I know."

Bill's eyes filled with tears, and while holding Janet's hand, he said, "I wanted to contact you when I came back, but I was told that you weren't home. I just thought that you didn't want to be friends with me anymore because of my disability."

Janet stared at him, and said, "Bill, do you really think I'm that shallow?"

He shook his head like a little boy, and while holding her back with his hand, he said, "Jane, I've missed you very much! Where have you been all this time?"

They had been in the same school, and had been friends for a long time. Bill was used to having Janet in his life, and that was why he had come to see her the moment after he had got back from Africa. He hoped that she could comfort him and gave him the much needed support that he needed.

"I wasn't in C Country in the past three years." Then she told Bill what she had also told Brian.

Bill gave her a determined look, and said, "If you can believe in me, I will provide for you and your child."

Although Janet had asked him to stop loving her, he still could not let go of her every time he laid his eyes on her.

Janet smiled at him, and while she shook her head, she said, "I'm going to take a look at my old store the next two days. Don't worry, I can support myself and my child by myself. Bill, you have to stop saying things like this."

Bill held her hand tight, and said, "Jane, I'll make sure to take good care of myself from now on. Will you visit me more often?"

Janet was the cure he needed for his frustrated soul. It was her, and only her, that he needed.

"Yes, I will. But you should not only take care of yourself, but also go out more often, keep doing what you like."

Bill looked at the girl siting next to him affectionately; he regretted that he had given up on her in the past. "I promise to you that I will, but if Daniel ever lets you down again, I'll come straight to your house and propose to you."

He now knew that Janet wouldn't mind his disability.

He would work harder to provide for her and her child.

Janet was stumped by what he had just said, and she didn't know how to answer him, with a yes, or with a no? She just nodded her head, and eventually said yes.

If she and Daniel couldn't eventually work it out, she would't care anymore with whom she would end up.

Janet stayed and talked to Bill for the whole afternoon; she left his room at almost 5 pm.

Bill walked her out.

There were voices and laughters coming from the living room downstairs.

Brian saw her immediately as she walked down the stairs, and while he stood up from the sofa, he greeted them, "Janet, Bill..."

"Brian!" Janet smiled when she saw him.

Charles was touched by the warm event and was thrilled to see Bill finally coming out of his room.

He stood up with his walking cane and walked up to them slowly with his great-grandchild.

"Grandpa Charles," said Janet politely, but then, Janet's attention was caught by the child besides him.

"Who is this cute little boy?"

"He's my child," said Brian, painfully.

Bill and Janet were so surprised that they were left with their mouths wide open.

That was the moment when Janet noticed that there was another woman sitting in the living room besides Joyce.

That woman was Ivanka.

Janet and Ivanka looked into each other's eyes, and then Ivanka walked up to Janet, and said, "Janet, I'm sorry... for everything that happened back then."

Janet understood what she said, as well as Brian, but not Charles and Bill.

Charles curiously asked, "Janet, Ivanka, you know each other?"

Janet nodded, and said, "Yes, sort of."

After she had found out that nothing had happened between Daniel and Ivanka, she had stopped holding her grudge against her.

For a while, there was nothing but silence in the room. Charles broke it, and said, "Janet, won't you stay and have dinner with us? I can have the cook prepare some more dishes."

Bill looked at Janet expectantly, and said, "That's right. Come on, Jane, have dinner with us!"