She fell silent after that.
I brought her to my car, and Boris started the engine. Throughout the entire journey, Amy didn’t crane her neck to stare at the scenery in wonderment like she used to do. Instead, she sat quietly without showing any emotion.
I parted my lips to comfort her, but the words died in my throat.
Hence, I stayed silent.
After some time, I noticed we hadn’t entered the highway yet. Feeling doubtful, I queried, “Boris, did you take the wrong route?”
In response, he glanced at the rearview mirror and explained, “Ms. Stanhope, someone seems to be tailing us.”
With a frown, I turned at my shoulder and noticed a grey van behind our vehicle. Surprised, I asked, “How long has the van been tailing us?”
“Since we left the village. I thought it was a coincidence, but they are still behind us even though I took a longer route,” revealed Boris.
“Could it be Ronald’s family?” I asked though it wasn’t likely. Ronald wasn’t someone who’d do this.
Boris shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
After a pause, he sought my approval. “Should I lose them?”
Shaking my head, I replied, “No need. Let’s just take the normal route home and see how long they will follow us.”
Amy remained silent on the way home. I texted Cameron to ask about Summer’s condition. Her reply stated that Summer was fine after undergoing chemotherapy. As Summer was then sent to the disinfection chamber, Cameron could no longer take care of her.
I wanted to call Anthony, but I was feeling nauseous from the long car ride. Hence, I gave up on the thought.
Finally, we arrived in A City at midnight. Boris brought a sleeping Amy to her bed and left some instructions before leaving.
I walked him to the door, where he glanced around carefully and reminded me. “If anything happens tonight, give me a call at once.”
Clearly, he was referring to the van which tailed us back then. I nodded and watched as he left. After making sure all the doors were locked, I went to Amy’s room and made sure she was still sound asleep.
Back in my room, I was about to call Anthony when a call came in. It was from Anthony. When I answered the call, his voice rang out. “What happened? Why were you unreachable the whole day?”
“Boris and I went to Amy’s hometown. The line was bad there, and I’ve just reached home. What about you?” I explained as I made my way to the balcony.
“Mm, it’s a little tricky. Nothing serious, though. Joseph is in A City. You can contact him if any problem arises. I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”
I glanced out of the window before closing it. “I’ve adopted Amy legally. Anthony, I still want Summer to get that surgery in the open.”
Anthony fell silent at the other end of the line. I thought he was mad at me, but he spoke. “Sienna, have you ever thought about this? What is the difference between you, the child’s parents, and Armond?”
We were the same. Amy’s parents and Armond were after money, while I had my own goals.
I tried to convince him. “I adopted Amy, so she’ll be treated as my own. Her future will be different now. Just like Summer, she will have both the Moore family and Featherstone family behind her. She will have a better future with us.”
His reply took me by surprise. “Mm, sounds great.”
I was startled, but he immediately added, “But did you ask the child what she wants?”
Knitting my brows, I felt rage bubbling up inside me. “Anthony, Summer isn’t your flesh and blood, so it’s normal for you to disregard her. I know you think I shouldn’t hurt an innocent child, but sorry. I’m a selfish person. I brought Summer up, so I can’t bear to see her in pain. I need to do this.”
After a long silence, he sighed and replied, “Sienna, Summer has always been my daughter. I too want to save her life, but we need to make sure how our decision will affect the future.”
He might be right, but I could only place my hope on Amy for now.
Anthony was against the idea of Amy donating her bone marrow, so we were at odds.
The next day, I woke up from a restful slumber.
My pregnancy probably made me sleepy. When I opened my eyes, I could hear someone talking in the yard.
After I pulled the blinds open, I spotted Amy in her pajamas, her hair uncombed. She was talking to Nora, which was outside the door. I hadn’t seen Nora for some time.
I was confused to see her. Shouldn’t she be in K City with Armond now? Why is she back here? I greeted her through the windows before changing my clothes to go downstairs.
The door could only be unlocked using my fingerprint, so Nora couldn’t come in. She only walked in after I unlocked the door, her hands full of breakfast and fruits.
She was rowdy as usual. “Why did you keep putting your phone in silent mode? I’ve been calling you the whole morning. How are you recently? Do you feel exhausted? You only woke up after ten.”
I glanced at my phone in shock. Indeed, it was already half-past ten. “Have you been here for a long time?”
She nodded. “I’ve waited for a long time. If I hadn’t called Anthony who told me you are still living here, I would’ve thought you moved away. By the way, who is this girl?”
She walked toward the villa and asked about Amy. I helped her with her stuff and answered, “She’s Amy, my adopted daughter. I haven’t given her a proper name as of now.” I asked her, “I thought you went to K City? Why are you back here?”
“It’s all Armond’s fault!” she complained. “It took me some time to find him in K City, but he told me to come to A City instead. He must be crazy! Is it fun to fool me?”
She opened a box of durians. The smell was too much for her, so she immediately complained, “I can’t believe you like durian. It’s so smelly.”
I was quite surprised. “How did you know I like durian?”
She pouted. “Armond told me you are pregnant, and I was to come to spend time with you. I didn’t know what you like, so I asked him. He said you might like durian, so I brought some along.”
“Didn’t Armond come to A City, too?” I was taken aback.
Nora’s lips thinned. “He’s here. He said so himself, but the house next to yours is empty. I don’t know where he is. Is he that busy? Did something happen to him?”
It was clear that Nora had no clue what was going on. I didn’t press on and brought Amy to the bathroom to teach her how to wash herself up. I washed up and sat down to enjoy my breakfast.
Nora must’ve been bored as she extended an invitation to me. “Are you busy later? If you have time, wanna come shopping with me?”
I shook my head. “I need to go to the hospital. My parents brought Summer here as she needed to be operated on. I’m too busy to go shopping with you.”
“Oh, I see,” came her disappointed reply. “Alright. We’ll see. By the way, have you seen Hailey recently? She won’t pick up my calls. What happened to her?”
Shaking my head, I said nothing. Nora differed from me as she was used to leading a comfortable life. She had neither faced any difficulties nor wanted something really bad in life. Perhaps it would be a good idea to be as heartless as her.
As Nora was free, she followed me to the hospital. I had decided to carry on with the surgery even though I would bear the guilt of hurting Amy for my entire life.
Cameron and Zachary were elated to find out that Amy could donate her bone marrow legally. The surgery’s date was set for a week later. Amy was too weak, so the doctor wanted her to rest for a few days in advance. Afraid I would be too exhausted, Cameron hired a caregiver to take care of Amy.
There was nothing for me to worry for they would take care of the children well.
On a Sunday midnight, I received a call from Nora.
The background music was deafening, so I guessed she was in a club or something. Her voice came over the line. “Sienna, can you come to pick me up? I can’t drive. My whole body has gone limp.”
I hurriedly agreed. “Where are you? Send me your address. I’ll be there soon.”
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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