That said, Lucian did notice that Grant’s skin appeared more yellowish than usual, which was a common symptom of ill health. However, it didn’t seem a good idea to leave Grant unattended at the main gate.
Hence, he waved for his bodyguards to come over.
“Keep an eye on him!”
With that, the bodyguards quickly carried Grant to a security post outside the gate.
Back in the living room, Roxanne was chatting with the children about what their future siblings’ names should be. “If it’s a girl, can we call her Dawn? I’m Essie, so I want my little sister to be called Dawnie,” Estella suggested.
Archie and Benny thought the name was too simple and wanted something more meaningful. “Mommy, Archie and Benny’s names are too simple too. Why did you choose those names for them?” Estella asked in puzzlement.
Benny quickly answered, “Isn’t it obvious? Mommy gave us names that are easy to remember to make us more memorable to others, the same way as how Daddy left an unforgettable impression on Mommy.”
“That’s clearly not the case,” Archie refuted at once. Then, he offered his guess. “Mommy, did you draw inspiration from one of your favorite shows?”
Roxanne was stumped by their questions. / merely felt the names were catchy and genuinely didn’t put much thought into them.
Hearing their conversation, Lucian found their discussion about names interesting and chimed in, “Essie’s name was chosen by your great-grandfather. He said he wanted you to shine bright like a star.”
“Daddy, what do you think our future siblings’ names should be?” The three children looked at their father expectantly. Lucian furrowed his brows as a few ideas popped up in his mind. He hesitated, unsure which one was best.
Ultimately, he threw the question back to the children. “How about this? You guys come up with two names each, one for a boy and one for a girl. Once you’ve decided, we’ll have the whole family, including your grandparents, vote on them. Then, we’ll adopt the name with the highest votes. What do you think?”
The kids were fond of that fair voting method and agreed with alacrity. “I’ll look up names in poetry!” Archie hastily went upstairs. “I’ll search in classic literature books!” Benny trod behind his brother’s heels.
“I-I’ll find names in storybooks!” Estella didn’t want to be left out and immediately followed them upstairs. Subsequently, the living room plunged into silence. Lucian took a seat, and Roxanne skillfully poured him a cup of coffee.
“How is it? Has he left?” she asked while wearing an impassive expression. She no longer wanted to concern herself with Grant’s fate. Her only hope was for him not to disturb her current bliss.
“He didn’t leave. He fainted. I had the bodyguards watch him.” Lucian took a sip of the coffee, wondering if he should tell his wife about what Grant had said. Roxanne is a renowned doctor. After examining his condition, she can easily ascertain whether he’s truly suffering from a terminal disease. If Grant is lying even about this, he’s genuinely an appalling sinner.
Subconsciously, Lucian believed Grant was being honest. Roxanne knitted her brows. “You could’ve asked someone to send him away to the hospital if he fainted. Did he admit to taking money from the Crawford family’s scion?”
Lucian nodded and decided to be frank with Roxanne. “If he’s just putting up an act by pretending to pass out, I’ll kick him out right away. However, he told me he has a terminal illness and doesn’t have much longer to live. Therefore, he wanted to see you and apologize to you in person,” Lucian uttered gently.
Roxanne was stumped and fell into a momentary daze. Her eyes were filled with doubts, but her lips quivered.
“I-Is that true? Huh. I never thought his retribution would come so soon. He’s only in his early fifties.” Roxanne abruptly let out a pent-up sigh inwardly. This sigh is for my mom. Back then, that man abandoned his wife and daughter, brought a mistress into our house, and ruined our once-happy family. He had it coming.
Meanwhile, at the security post outside the manor, Grant woke up and suddenly started vomiting, spitting out a mix of sour gastric fluid and traces of blood.
The bodyguard was shocked to see that. Mr. Farwell told me to keep an eye on this man, but looking at his condition, he must be severely ill. He’s even puking out blood. Hence, the bodyguard hastily informed the butler. After considering the situation, the latter decided to report that to Lucian.
Noticing Lucian and Roxanne sitting in the living room, the butler immediately approached them and reported, “That man outside seems to be suffering from a serious illness because he just vomited blood.”
Roxanne’s right hand, holding the coffee mug. trembled after she heard that. She turned to look at her husband. Lucian got to his feet at once and said to Roxanne, “Let’s go take a look. If his condition is grave, we have to save him first.”
Pulling herself together, she nodded and quickly followed Lucian out of the house. Less than half an hour had passed since they last saw Grant. However, taking in his appearance now, Roxanne was startled.
His face was extremely pale and waxen, his eyes were murky, and even his breathing seemed labored. It was as if he was on the verge of death. As a doctor, Roxanne wasn’t repulsed by the vomitus on the ground. Instead, she stepped forward and examined it.
“Roxanne. Is that you, Roxanne? I’m sorry. I’ve hurt you and your mother deeply…” At that moment, Grant struggled to prop himself up with assistance from the bodyguard next to him.
A faint smile of relief spread across his face when he saw her daughter. Then, he shifted his attention to Lucian. “Lucian, I’m indeed a failure.”
“Stop talking. Do you have the medical report from the hospital?” Lucian had no interest in hearing his deathbed confession and searched his body for the report. Spotting a corner of a paper sticking out of his pocket, he reached out to take it. Before Lucian could unfold the diagnosis report, Roxanne grimaced. “It seems to be stomach cancer.”
Lucian handed the document to his wife. After a quick glance, the report indeed mentioned a malignant stomach tumor that might have metastasized to the liver. No wonder his complexion is so yellow. It’s a result of elevated bilirubin levels.
In an instant, Roxanne felt an indescribable discomfort in her heart. Judging by the spread of the cancerous cells, he’s probably beyond cure. Even my medical skills will be of no help. Hahaha! He deserves this.
Roxanne wanted to guffaw but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Instead, she stared at Grant with complicated emotions in her eyes.
Seeing his wife’s reaction, Lucian noticed her gaze held a mixture of resentment, pleasure, pity, and a touch of sadness, all tangled together.
“Grant, your time is indeed running short. So, are you afraid of death?” Roxanne stepped closer, riveting her eyes on Grant’s countenance.
At that moment, Grant revealed a faint, enigmatic smile. “Roxanne, I’ve been afraid for several days. But now, I’m genuinely not scared anymore. I spent a whole day thinking about what regrets I have in this life. In the end, all I can think about are only you and your mother. I’ve been impulsive and more prone to failure than success my whole life. I was arrogant, boastful, and didn’t understand the concepts of love and family. I truly deserve this. I betrayed your mother, and I owe her an apology.”
He wore a griefful expression as he spoke, and tears slowly rolled down his eyes.
“I wish to apologize to you. I know you can’t possibly forgive me, but I still have to say I’m sorry. I don’t want to die without apologizing. Thank you, Roxanne and Lucian, for giving me this opportunity.”
The couple listened quietly, not interrupting him anymore. It was said that the dying words of someone on his deathbed always came from the bottom of his heart, and they chose to believe that Grant was genuinely repenting and apologizing at that instant.
Grant’s voice trailed off as he lost consciousness yet again. Seeing that, Lucian ordered his bodyguards to bring Grant back into the manor.
“Roxanne, just do your best and leave the rest to fate!” Lucian said, squeezing her hand reassuringly. As he did, he noticed her hand felt slightly cold, a sign of how anxious she truly was. Roxanne nodded and quickly made her way back into the manor.
Putting aside their relationship and the animosity that existed between them in the past, Grant was now just a dying patient, in need of Roxanne’s medical expertise. Roxanne was a doctor, so she had to do her best to save lives.
Without hesitation, she began the preparations for Grant’s acupuncture treatment. At the same time, Jonathan and Madilyn were also summoned to prepare the medicine as instructed by Roxanne..
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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