Chapter 377: Cheated On
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Overnight, the news of Frank's miraculous recovery from terminal liver cirrhosis spread throughout the entire hospital.
There was no other way to describe it—
a medical miracle.
The doctors were all desperate to know what had happened. What had he eaten? What had he done to trigger such an impossible recovery?
But during this entire period, Frank had been hospitalized. Everything he consumed—food, medication—had been provided by the hospital.
While the doctors burned with curiosity, Frank himself couldn't care less. All he wanted was to get discharged, go home, and take a proper shower.
The doctors tried to persuade him to stay a little longer, hoping he'd cooperate with further tests. They wanted to understand what kind of transformation had taken place in his body.
But Frank had zero interest in becoming a lab rat. No matter what they said—he insisted on leaving.
His miraculous recovery brought excitement to everyone.
That night, they all gathered at the Alibi Bar to throw a discharge party for him.
"I knew it! Nothing can take Frank down—not even disease! To Frank! To health! Cheers!" Kevin shouted, raising his glass.
The bar was alive with laughter, music, and dancing.
The kids, especially, were overjoyed.
Ever since Frank had been diagnosed with terminal cirrhosis, they had acted normal on the surface—but the atmosphere at home had been heavy, suffocating.
Now, that weight was gone.
Watching everyone celebrate, Frank smiled.
For the first time, he felt certain—
he had made the right choice.
I'll find time soon… go to that place called San Venganza… and finish the deal with Crowley, he thought, taking a sip of his drink.
"Hm?"
Lost in thought, something caught his eye.
This party wasn't just for family—everyone who knew Frank had shown up. That naturally included Sheila and her daughter Karen.
What surprised him, however…
was Sheila—standing with Anfisa, the Russian escort who had changed her identity.
The two were drinking together, acting unusually close—far more intimate than expected.
For Anfisa, that kind of behavior wasn't surprising. It was practically part of her old profession.
But Sheila?
More importantly—
how did those two even end up together?
Before Frank could go over and ask, Karen approached him first and explained everything.
Yes—
Sheila and Anfisa had gotten involved.
Sheila had originally been with Frank—or more accurately, with the old Frank.
Even after that, Frank would still visit her from time to time, sometimes staying over at her place.
But as things changed, those visits became less frequent. He was constantly traveling between Chicago and New Mexico, rarely staying in one place.
After being diagnosed with terminal cirrhosis, he devoted almost all his remaining time to his children.
Sheila did visit him—she even took care of him at times.
But she had her own life too.
She couldn't stay by his side forever.
Sheila was no longer the same woman she used to be—the agoraphobic housewife who couldn't step outside, spending her days watching cooking shows and passing time in the kitchen.
Now, she was a major internet personality with millions of followers.
Given everything that had happened, it was only natural that her relationship with Frank had gradually faded.
After all, the foundation of their relationship—back when it began—had been largely physical.
Sheila had… unusual preferences, and that had been the root of her failed marriage with Officer Eddie. Back then, Frank—more precisely, the old Frank—had ended up staying at her place almost by accident, and their relationship had grown out of that chaotic beginning.
When the current Frank took over, he inherited that messy connection.
But unlike his predecessor, he had no interest in indulging those extremes. Their relationship became far more restrained, something Sheila had always felt a little dissatisfied with.
As Frank grew busier—spending less and less time in Chicago, constantly traveling—distance naturally set in.
Then Anfisa appeared.
During the time Frank helped Anfisa leave her old life behind and arranged a new identity for her, he temporarily placed her in Sheila's house. The idea was simple—Karen would teach her some accounting skills, which could later help with handling finances at the bar.
That's when Sheila and Anfisa met.
No one could say exactly when things changed.
But at some point, their relationship crossed a line—quietly, almost inevitably.
Anfisa, shaped by her past, had long held a complicated view of men. Compared to them, she found women easier to connect with. She wasn't bound by strict preferences.
And Sheila… well, the two of them simply fit.
Even after Anfisa moved out to live on her own, their relationship didn't end.
They kept it hidden well. Even Karen only realized what was going on much later.
Now that she was older, Karen chose to respect her mother's decisions.
But that left her in a difficult position when it came to Frank.
At the time she discovered the truth, Frank had already been diagnosed with terminal cirrhosis. Not wanting to burden him further, she kept it to herself.
Now that he had miraculously recovered, she finally told him everything.
Frank took it more calmly than expected.
He respected Sheila's choice. There was no anger, no dramatic reaction.
To begin with, his relationship with Sheila had been more about cleaning up the mess left behind by his former self. Now, it simply came to a natural end.
Even so, there was still some lingering affection between them—after all, Karen was still part of both their lives.
Their relationship now felt like that of a divorced couple who had parted on good terms, with Karen caught somewhere in between.
Frank could understand Sheila.
He could even forgive her.
But Anfisa… was a different story.
He had pulled her out of that life, given her a new identity, kept her from being deported, helped her learn real skills—
And this was how she repaid him?
Quietly going behind his back like this…
What exactly was that supposed to mean?
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