He Watched Me Shine Without Him novel Chapter 96

Rose was surprised. After all the effort Houston put into bringing her to the hospital, he was just going to drop the whole idea of having her checked out?

"Yeah." Rose nodded obediently.

The next day.

Rose arrived at the hospital for work, just like she always did. But after sitting in her exam room for over an hour, not a single patient came in.

Near the end of her shift, Charlotte showed up.

The moment Rose saw her, she was annoyed.

If Charlotte hadn’t thrown a tantrum outside her exam room, telling everyone she was an incompetent doctor, there’d probably be patients here now.

"What are you doing here? If you don’t trust my skills, feel free to find another doctor."

Charlotte sat down across from her, still full of attitude. "Rose, is that any way to talk to me?"

Rose had no patience for this. She held out her hand. "Appointment slip."

"I don’t have one," Charlotte replied.

"Then I can’t treat you. The exit is to your left. Have a good day."

Charlotte stared at Rose for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Rose, do you know who I am?"

"Yeah. You’re the one messing with my career." Rose said.

Charlotte crossed her legs and said smoothly, "I’m connected to you in ways you don’t even realize."

Rose nearly spit out her tea. "Madam Charlotte, you’re in the wrong department. The psych ward’s down the hall, the first building on your left."

Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I’m Houston’s mother."

Rose was stunned.

She never imagined Houston’s mom would be this young and beautiful. Then again, wealthy people often looked younger thanks to all their beauty treatments.

But what really shook her was this: the famous Madam Charlotte was Houston’s mom. Which meant Houston was part of the Clarke family—the richest family in Crestview.

Why didn’t he tell me? Why lie about who he really is?

She hated being lied to. After everything Ethan had done to her, she had no tolerance for that kind of betrayal.

If Houston already had someone he loved so deeply, then this marriage of ours is just a business deal. I can’t forget that. We got into this knowing it wasn’t about love. We were just supposed to hold it together, side by side. I’m not about to cling to something that was never mine to begin with.

She turned to Charlotte and said, "Even though we’re married, we’re still individuals. He doesn’t control my career, and I’m not going to depend on him."

Charlotte pouted. "I don’t like the sound of that," she said. And yet, she was exactly the kind of woman who leaned on others. Realizing she might’ve sounded too harsh, she quickly added, "In marriage, you’re supposed to be a team. There’s no such thing as yours and mine."

Rose’s face darkened. Yeah... marriage is supposed to be a partnership.

She’d never asked Houston for anything. Every little kindness from him felt like more than she deserved. But is that really love?

Charlotte, sharp as ever, noticed the sadness flicker in Rose’s eyes. She’d seen that look before—too many times. Rich wives were trapped in marriages that were cold beneath the surface.

"Rose, tell me... has Houston been treating you badly? If he has, you let me know. I’ll deal with him for you."

Of course, Charlotte was secretly delighted to see trouble between them, though she played the part of concerned mother-in-law.

Rose replied with a meaningful tone. "He and I were never supposed to cross paths. Now we’re married... and we’re both trying. But I don’t know if this marriage will have a happy ending."

She’d started out hopeful. But after learning that Houston still cherished another woman—after seeing him tear up just talking about her—Rose suddenly wasn’t so sure anymore.