“I’m alright!” Cameron hissed in pain. “The pain will go away soon. Besides, we have to spend New Year’s Eve together.”
Frowning, Zachary looked at her with concern.
I studied her condition, and after some time, I finally declared, “Let’s get you to the hospital. If it is appendicitis, things may escalate if we drag it out.”
Agreeing with what I had said, Zachary immediately scooped Cameron into his arms and left the villa.
Sally followed behind them.
Unconsciously, I clenched my fists as I watched them hurry out the door.
At that moment, a pair of arms hugged me, and I looked up to see Anthony. His gaze deepened, and he whispered, “Don’t worry. The hospital isn’t far from here.”
Although I nodded in acknowledgment, there was still an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
In the end, I tagged along with them.
At the hospital, the doctor diagnosed Cameron with appendicitis and advised that she would need surgery. To allow everyone else to remain at the hospital, Sally decided to head back to the villa to look after Summer.
While we waited in the corridors, I felt bad for the woman in the operating room.
My eyes started to sting after staring into space for a long time. Therefore, I took a deep breath and looked away. It breaks my heart to look at the closed doors of the operating room.
“It’ll be alright,” Anthony assured me in a gentle tone.
“Yes,” I uttered before leaning against his chest as he tried to rub my arms to warm my icy cold body.
Thud!
The doors flew open, and the head surgeon stepped out while removing his surgical gloves.
Jumping to his feet, Zachary rushed forward and questioned, “Doctor, how is my wife doing?”
“It was a successful surgery, and she will make a full recovery after a few days of observation here. You don’t have to worry,” he explained before heading to another surgery.
Hearing the news, I heaved a sigh of relief and could finally relax.
A few nurses wheeled Cameron out of the room and to her ward moments later.
Zachary scurried after them, but I stood rooted to the ground. After some time, I announced, “Let’s leave.”
Seeing that I was heading to the elevator, Anthony said puzzledly, “Aren’t you going to see how she is?”
“No. Summer is still at home.”
Taking the hint, Anthony did not continue.
Silence ensued as we drove home. Watching the flashing lights along the road, I realized that the sky had already turned dark.
Initially, I planned to make dinner for Hannah. But looking at the time now, she probably would have already eaten by the time I got home.
I fished out my phone from my pocket and did not expect to see that it was switched off. Nonetheless, I turned it on and dialled Hannah’s number. It took only a few seconds for her to answer. She anxiously asked, “Sienna, how is Ms. Anderson doing? Is she alright?”
I froze for a split second. “How did you…”
“After we ended our call, I called you back, but the call could not go through. Since I was worried that something had happened to you, I called your landline. Summer answered it and told me that an older lady had fallen ill. I’m guessing it was Ms. Anderson, am I right?”
I confirmed her suspicions and apologetically replied, “My original plan was to send something over for you to eat, but it slipped my mind. Have you eaten?”
“Yes, I have. In any case, don’t fret! I have a housekeeper at home with me anyway. I’m doing okay.”
That is true.
Out of the blue, I thought of John. “Is John around?”
As though it was a sensitive question, Hannah paused momentarily before she muttered, “No. He is probably busy with work.”
Oh dear, I shouldn’t have mentioned his name. It looks like John hasn’t visited her in a while.
Without asking any further, I reminded her to take care of herself before hanging up.
Anthony held my hand and reassured me, “Don’t brood over it. Have a good rest when we get home, alright?”
I nodded. Then, I looked at him and commented, “In books, it often portrays that a man would do anything for the woman he loves. Why don’t I see that happening in real life?”
John liked Hannah. After so many years with her by his side, he was already used to her company. Yet, why did he have to leave her to fend for herself when she was in her most vulnerable state?
Did he not know that an emotional wound hurt more than a physical one?
With one hand on the steering wheel, Anthony gave me a side glance. He challenged, “Hmm, although there are ghosts and gods in books, do we see them in reality?”
I shook my head.
Chuckling softly, Anthony emphasized his point. “Well, it shows that we can’t trust everything in books.”
Feeling resigned, I kept quiet.
It was late in the night by the time we returned to the villa.
The sky in K City started to turn darker. Earlier, Sally mentioned that it was likely to snow again. After all, the city would experience a few heavy snowfalls every year.
Sure enough, it snowed heavily on New Year’s day.
The white snowflakes reflected light, and it brightened the rooms.
I woke up early the next morning, but to be precise, I could not get much sleep. “Do you feel unwell?” Anthony sleepily mumbled.
“No, I’m okay. Hey, it’s snowing outside. Be careful when you go out, okay?” I reminded.
Nodding, he looked at the time before getting out of bed and heading to the bathroom.
In the meantime, I headed to the balcony. As it was snowing heavily, there was a thick blanket of snow covering the plants in the yard.
It did not seem like a good idea to go out today.
At that moment, someone enveloped me in a warm hug. I took a whiff of the familiar scent and knew that it was Anthony. Turning to look at him, I asked, “Anthony, is Jared going to pick up Summer in the next few days?”
He nodded while gently rested his chin on my shoulder. “Summer is having her school holidays. Since we are too busy to spend time with her while she’s at home, we might as well let her have fun with Jared.”
Although I knew that he was right, I still felt uneasy at the thought of being apart from a child who had been under my watch all this time.

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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