Chapter 83 Just My Colleague

"Not bad." Mandy bit her lips, not daring to look at Madeline's eyes. She hadn't been good at lying ever since she was a kid. To know she was lying, her tell sign was always the fact that she refused to look at the person she was lying to.

"You haven't changed at all, Mand. You're still a bad liar." Madeline took a sip of her coffee, her face scrunching at the bitter taste it left on her tongue.

"Mom, I didn't lie." Mandy looked up at her mother, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I went to your hospital last night, wanting to ask how your blind date went, only to hear from your colleague that you weren't in the hospital these last few days." Madeline set down her coffee cup with a loud 'thump.' Mandy knew that to be a sign that her mother was getting impatient.

"I... I'm living with my colleague now since it was uncomfortable living in the hospital. Her house isn't that far, so she asked me to live with her." Her voice was trembling now, and her fingers fidgeted around the fabric of her clothes.

"Really? Which colleague of yours? A man or a woman?"

Madeline shot an eyebrow up in the air, leaning forward. Mandy didn't answer.

"How did your blind date go? I heard someone was calling you sister-in-law. Who is your husband? Why didn't I know?" Madeline clenched her jaw when Mandy continued to be silent. She had worked tooth and nail to give her daughter the best education and made sure that she had everything she could've ever wanted or needed, and here she was, lying to her right in her face.

Mandy paled in an instant after hearing the sharp intonation of her mother's voice. She bit her lip, lost as to what to say or do.

As the silence persisted, Madeline scowled, her grip tightening around her cup. She knew Mandy better than anyone else did. If she found herself trapped in a lie, she'd just keep silent, just like what she was doing now.

"Tell me!" Madeline slammed her hand on the coffee table.

The atmosphere around them started to tense up as Mandy lowered her head

len into a warm embrace. She looked up.

It was Damian!

Mandy stumbled upwards, wiping the tears almost immediately as she lowered her head, not wanting him to see her this way.

"Doctor Zhou, what a coincidence to meet you here!" Damian said, not commenting on her appearance as he warmly smiled at her.

Mandy lowered her head, ashamed that she had to meet Damian under such circumstances. "Thank you."

"Doctor Zhou, you really shouldn't have done that. Life is precious, and you, as a doctor, should've known that. Don't do this..." he whispered seriously.

Hearing that, Mandy felt shame wash over her. The tears finally stopped, but she still felt down.

"Sorry, I have to go back now." She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"Let me give you a ride. You don't look well," offered Damian.

"No, thanks. I can handle it." Mandy shook her head. It was too troublesome for him, plus, she didn't want to owe him afterwards.

There was a glimmer of worry in his eyes, but he let it go. "Are you really, really sure? It's really no trouble."

"Yes." She managed a small smile.

Heaving a sigh, he shook his head. "You really are stubborn," he teased lightly. "As you wish."

Although Damian was unable to drive Mandy back to the hospital, he didn't leave until he saw her safely head towards the hospital.