Under the moonlight, George arrived at the church.
Turning the corner, he saw his wife sitting alone and dejectedly on the front steps of the church.
Just as George was about to step forward to apologize, the church door opened, and a figure walked out and sat down next to Mary.
Seeing this, George quickly hid in a nearby grove of trees.
After all, what George needed to apologize for was not something glorious. So he wanted to wait until his wife was alone before going to apologize.
"Oh, Pastor Jeff. I didn't realize anyone was still in the church." Mary, sitting in front of the church, looked a little surprised after recognizing the person.
At this time, it was already completely dark. Most people should be at home, enjoying their leisure time.
"I came over to check some material. You know, managing a church well isn't easy…" Jeff, after work, had completely shed his pastoral demeanor.
He looked at Mary and asked, "What about you? Why are you here? And you look very dejected."
"Nothing, just some small problems." Mary, whose thoughts had been exposed, said, feigning strength.
Then, she pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her person.
"Want one?" After skillfully lighting one for herself, Mary offered the remaining cigarettes to Pastor Jeff.
"No, no, no—" Pastor Jeff hastily waved his hand, "As a Christian, I don't smoke, and you shouldn't either."
Despite saying that, Pastor Jeff, seeing that Mary was in a bad mood, didn't try to persuade her further.
Afterward, the two sat side by side in front of the church, one silently smoking, the other quietly keeping company.
Not far away, George, hiding behind a small tree branch, was a little doubtful about life after seeing his wife smoke.
Having been married for so long, he, who considered himself to know his wife very well, had never known that she smoked.
…
In front of the church, Pastor Jeff waited for Mary to finish an entire cigarette before speaking: "Did you encounter some difficulty? Why isn't George with you?"
"Don't mention him to me…" Mary shook her head, her fragile nerves touched, "I need a shoulder right now."
After speaking, regardless of whether Pastor Jeff agreed or not, she buried her head in his arms, silently shedding tears.
Under the moonlight, their actions looked unusually "intimate."
"Damn it, I knew it—" In the small grove, George inexplicably felt a hat on his head.
His wife had been growing increasingly cold towards him recently because of her church work. Connecting this with the scene before him, George couldn't help but overthink.
At this moment, he really wanted to go out and loudly scold that couple.
However, thinking about his previous affair with Brenda, George felt he had no standing to criticize his wife.
Finally, he emerged from the grove and walked towards home.
On the other side, Pastor Jeff, with someone in his arms, held his arms out and dared not move.
After a long time, he carefully asked, "Did George do something wrong?"
Mary, who had cried a lot, felt much better. After pulling away from Pastor Jeff's embrace, she said, "You definitely wouldn't expect it, George cheated on me. And Brenda, her child is already so big, and she's still so shameless…"
Along with her complaints, Mary spilled everything she had seen earlier.
Pastor Jeff, listening beside her, grew increasingly surprised and said, "Do you two have some misunderstanding? As far as I know, George isn't that kind of person."
His gentle disposition gave George a very good reputation among acquaintances.
"I saw it with my own eyes, there's no mistake." Thinking of the scene she had witnessed at Brenda's house earlier, Mary became sad again.
"No way, you saw them… doing that?" Pastor Jeff touched his two index fingers together.
"Not that." Mary recalled, "But I saw them hugging each other with my own eyes."
"What you see isn't necessarily the truth." Pastor Jeff had great confidence in George's character. To persuade Mary, he gave an example: "For instance, just now, we also 'hugged' each other. But we both know there's nothing between us."
"Is that so?" With an example before her, Mary recalled her husband's usual behavior and became uncertain.
"That's right, before you understand the situation, you shouldn't jump to conclusions." Pastor Jeff struck while the iron was hot, "How about this, I'll go with you to confront George. If he and Brenda have nothing going on, that's for the best. If he really made a mistake, I will condemn him in the name of God."
Mary still held hope for her husband, otherwise, she wouldn't have been so sad.
Therefore, under Pastor Jeff's persuasion, she decided to give her husband a chance to explain.
At the Cooper family house, Connie had just finished arranging for Sheldon and Missy to return to their rooms to rest when she saw George stumble alone through the front door.
"Why are you back alone? Didn't Mike say you went to find Mary?" Connie said, about to go forward and help George.
George's face was covered in cold sweat, and his complexion was as white as paper, looking very unwell.
"Mary, she…" Before he could finish speaking, George collapsed to the ground.
Under the anxiety, his heart had problems again, and it was already his limit to have endured walking back from the church.
"Mike! Come help! George's pulse is fading fast!" Watching George fall to the ground, his breathing becoming increasingly rapid, Connie, frightened, quickly called for help towards the living room.
Being an elderly person, Connie alone couldn't move George, who had collapsed.
"The situation is very bad, he must be sent to the hospital…" Mike, who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, examined George's pupils and pulse before making his judgment.
A series of stimuli had finally pushed George's heart beyond its limit.
Just as Mike was helping George out the door to the car, the rest of the Cooper family, hearing the commotion, all gathered, even Georgie came out of the basement.
Soon after, with everyone's concerted effort, George was lying in the back of the pickup truck, which was padded with blankets.
"What happened? What's wrong with George?" As Mike was about to start the car, Mary arrived, accompanied by Pastor Jeff.
Seeing her husband's terrible condition, Mary immediately went forward to take care of him.
"Thank goodness, Mary, you're back. Then you and Georgie, together, escort George to the hospital…" Connie arranged.
Compared to Georgie, Mary was clearly more suitable to take care of George.
…
"Your husband's condition, the risk of surgery is very high. So the hospital recommends that you first use medication to observe the situation…"
"Of course, the final decision on which treatment plan to choose still depends on your own wishes."
"Also, regardless of the treatment plan, the patient needs to maintain a good mindset and must not be stimulated again…"
In the ward, the doctor was explaining the situation to Mary.
George, hanging an IV drip on the bed next to them, had already passed out of danger after emergency treatment, but he had not yet woken up.
"Okay, Doctor. We will pay attention to the follow-up treatment…" Mary no longer had the mood to pursue the matter of her husband's "affair." She now only hoped that her husband would get better.
In the hallway outside, Georgie, sitting with Mike, was scared by his father's previous symptoms.
Having grown up under his parents' wings, he suddenly realized the fragility of life.
"Mike, can you help me? I don't want to be a burden to this family…" At this moment, Georgie seemed to have truly grown up, taking on the responsibility of a man.
Thinking about it, if George really collapsed, who else could this family rely on?
"It's good that you've come to your senses. My previous offer is still valid. I can help you open a small repair shop…" Taking this opportunity, Mike guided Georgie onto the right path.
On the other side, George, who had been in a coma, finally regained consciousness.
Looking at his wife's worried expression by the bedside, he confessed guiltily, "Mary, I admit that I was hot-headed and almost made a big mistake before, but I can assure you, I absolutely did nothing to betray you…"
"Don't say anymore, George. I believe you," Mary held her husband's hand and said, "The most important thing now is for you to get better. We need you."
In the face of life and death, this old couple seemed to have resolved all their emotional knots.