He was clearly worried about my safety.
However, I refused to stay here and do nothing. “I insist on going today!” With that, I rose to my feet stubbornly.
He flashed a warm smile. “It’s cold outside—”
“You know how unreliable John is. Hannah had just given birth to his baby, so I’m the baby’s aunt. You’re the baby’s uncle. I’m free now. As long as I wear a mask and put on sunglasses, no one will notice me. I’ll be fine.” I told him honestly. Indeed, I didn’t know how John would treat Hannah now.
I couldn’t imagine how Hannah would feel if he wasn’t with her right now.
Anthony said nothing, so I thought he would refuse. I was about to convince him when he agreed.
“The bodyguards will go with you. Don’t go anywhere else, and I’ll pick you up later.”
Delighted, I nodded profusely. “Okay!”
I exited Featherstone Corporation through the back door and got into my car, surrounded by the bodyguards. It was too ostentatious, but I knew Anthony wouldn’t allow me to leave his side if I refused to bring the bodyguards along.
At the hospital, I ran into Kristina.
Half of her face was covered by the sunglasses, but I recognized her immediately from her outfit.
We weren’t exactly friends, so we could’ve crossed paths without greeting each other.
Nevertheless, when she walked past me, her lips parted to utter a crude comment. “B*tch!”
How annoying.
I came to a stop and turned to look at her. “Ms. Ludwick.”
She swiveled around and met my gaze. I couldn’t see her expression under the sunglasses.
“Ms. Ludwick, do you know why Anthony won’t take another look at you even though you’ve become Jared’s girlfriend?”
People used to say if we got bitten by a dog, we couldn’t bite it back. The only thing we could do was to stay away from it to prevent from another misfortune.
But why couldn’t we kill the dog? After all, the dog would continue to snarl and bite every person who came to it. Hence, it would be best to deal with it once and for all.
As I had struck a sore spot, Kristina blew up. “That’s none of your business!”
“Why is it none of my business? You’ve in love with my husband.” I wasn’t that petty, but she had vented her anger on me. I couldn’t sit by and let her have her way. Gazing at her coolly, I remarked, “Ms. Ludwick, you should go home and reflect on yourself. Some things belong to you, and some don’t. You can be ambitious, but please don’t cross the line. You’ll end up ruining your own reputation.”
I knew she had harbored feelings for Anthony since that dinner four years ago. She schemed her way up and successfully became Anthony’s secretary.
After I talked to her, she went to Jared instead. She was smart, but one would need to be responsible for one’s choice.
She was an arrogant woman, so my reply must’ve been a sharp blow to her. Luckily, the bodyguards stood in her way when she tried to launch herself at me while hurling harsh curses.
Quickly, I stepped into the elevator and watched her emotional figure disappearing behind closed doors. I pity her for loving someone she could never get.
When I arrived at Hannah’s ward, she was lying in bed, pale and exhausted. Upon seeing me, she forced out a faint smile.
My heart ached at the sight. “Do you feel better?” I wasn’t good at comforting others.
She nodded and tapped on the chair beside her. “I feel much better now,” she croaked out. “The anesthetic shot had worn off, so it hurts.”
I took her hand. Before giving birth, the doctor would inject the anesthesia right at the spinal cord. The expecting mother would feel nothing throughout the whole process, but after the anesthesia wears off, the pain would be excruciating.
I knew how that felt.
I rubbed her cold hands, trying to provide some warmth. “Have you eaten something?”
She nodded slowly. Perhaps touched by my action, her eyes turned red. “The doctor told me to drink some soup. I had some earlier.”
I struggled internally for some time before asking, “How is your child doing?”
She inclined her head and licked her dry lips carefully. “He’s in the incubator. I think he’ll be there for a couple of days as he’s a premature baby.”
I heaved a sigh of relief at her answer. “It’s fine. Summer was a premature baby too. She was skinny and frail at birth. Look how healthy she is now.”
Her face lit up with delight. “Mm, you’re right!”
Seeing her cracked lips, I poured her a glass of water and gave her the straw. “Have some water. By the way, where are the others?”
I’ve been here for a while, but no one had shown up. John, especially, was nowhere to be seen. Resentment flared up within me.
She inhaled lightly at my question. As her lips received moisture, she replied, “The caregiver went out for her meal. I’m fine being alone.”
I didn’t ask about John’s whereabouts lest she got upset.
“What about your child’s name? Is it a boy or girl?” I asked after a pause.
“It’s a boy. Uncle Louis will give him a name.” She was still talking when two nurses came in to help her with her vaginal discharge.
I rose to my feet and stood aside as both nurses folded her legs up before pressing on her bump.
Hannah bit her lip from the agonizing pain. She said nothing, but tears were trickling down from the corners of her eyes.
Two minutes later, the nurses left. She calmed down gradually. I tamped down my feelings and pulled the covers up. Sitting down, I held her hand, stumped for words.
Her lips curled up slightly in a tiny smile. “It’s not that painful as we imagine it to be.”
Clearly, she was trying to comfort me. I lowered my gaze as my heart ached for her.
“I’ve experienced the same pain,” I told her. Back then, I was so focused on my dead child that everything after that didn’t even feel painful to me.
After a brief chat, Joseph’s call came in. I paused for a moment before answering his call.
His haste was evident even through the line. “Mrs. Featherstone, Mr. Featherstone is in a meeting. The bodyguards informed me about you running into Kristina. Can you leave with them and go elsewhere for now?”
Frowning, I knew what he meant. The reporters were after me, so Kristina might inform them of my whereabouts as she had just bumped into met at the hospital. Besides, we were engaged in a heated conversation earlier.
“Sure!” I replied without hesitation.
I bade goodbye to Hannah and walked out of the ward. The bodyguards were waiting outside. I could sense that they were getting anxious.
Looks like Kristina revealed my whereabouts to the reporters.
After I got into the car, it sped off. We had just entered the expressway when a few other cars caught up to us. Some even took out their cameras and took as many photos as possible of our car.
The bodyguards tried to block the windows, but the reporters wouldn’t give up.
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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