Your Guise Is Slipping, Miss Pearl (Pearl and Richard)
Chapter 693

"You can't lie. You stutter when you do. I know that about you. Come on, spill it. What's really going on?" Beah pressed Gigi for the truth, sensing that something serious had happened. Unable to keep it to herself any longer, Gigi confessed, "I overheard a conversation between Doctor Hugo and Pea in his room." Her fingers fidgeted nervously as she spoke. "What did they say?"

"Pea said that she's only with Doctor Hugo because he forced her. It was all to cure your illness..."

Beah's smile disappeared in an instant, replaced by disbelief and sorrow. "Are you saying she was forced into a relationship with Doctor Hugo just to save me?"

She struggled to accept this revelation. To everyone else, they were just a cute couple. Pearl had managed to hide her true feelings so well that even her own mother had been kept in the dark.

Her daughter, whom she hadn't seen for many years, not only lacked a mother's love but had also endured so much for her. Her guilt weighed heavily on her as she realized the extent of her daughter's sacrifices.

"Gigi, do you think I've been too much?" Beah's eyes got teary, her guilt apparent in her voice.

Gigi shook her head vigorously, her eyes welling up with tears. "Aunt Beah, it's not your fault at all. You had no way of knowing. I believe that if you had known, you wouldn't have..."

Gigi's words seemed to give Beah a wake-up call, and her determination intensified. "Thank you, Gigi. I know what I need to do now."

Gigi looked at Beah, puzzled. "What are you planning to do?"

"I'm planning to leave this place, and I'll take you with me. But you mustn't tell anyone, okay?"

Gigi's initial response was to refuse. "Aunt Beah, you're at a crucial stage in your treatment now. If you leave Doctor Hugo, your illness might become incurable. What awaits you then is..." She left her sentence unfinished, but Beah understood the implication.

"It doesn't matter. As long as both of us won't become a burden to Pearl, that's enough." Beah forced a smile through her inner turmoil. "Gigi, I know you're worried about my illness, but if you think from my perspective, you'd understand. Your daughter is threatened by others, yet you have to pretend to smile. I'm sure any other mother will feel heartbroken."

The thought of the pain that Pearl might be enduring was too much for Beah to bear.

Gigi reluctantly respected Beah's decision. She had been treated kindly by Pearl, and it wouldn't be right to cause her any more trouble. "When are we leaving?"

Beah smirked. "Tonight. The sooner, the better."

Gigi asked, "Do you want to take another look at Pea before you leave?"

Beah briefly considered it but ultimately decided against it. Pearl was an intelligent young woman, and Beah believed that her daughter would understand her intentions. Instead of causing her unnecessary distress, it was best to leave now.

"No, it's fine."

Pearl was the pride of her life, and Beah was confident that Pearl would understand the sacrifice she was making.

*

As the night grew darker, everyone in the villa drifted into a deep slumber.

Pearl lay in bed, her mind burdened with weariness and unanswered questions. There was a void in her heart that she couldn't fill, a lingering feeling of something missing.

Attributing it to thinking too much about Richard, she reached for a sleeping pill out of frustration.

As drowsiness washed over her, she closed her eyes and drifted into a deep sleep, unaware that Beah and Gigi had silently left the villa.