“Do I look like your mother?” Eloise asked innocently, her eyes catching on to her every word.
Holding the soup, Niamh turned to look at Eloise. “Mmhmm. You look a lot like my mom, but she’s sick right now and can’t recognize me.”
Seeing Niamh sad, Eloise reached out to hold her hand. “Don’t worry too much. Your mom will get better soon.”
Niamh felt the corner of her eyes burn, but she kept the smile on her face. “I believe that my mom will get better too.”
Eloise nodded. “Drink the soup. Sean said you should drink more herbal soups. I also made you some snacks. Let me get them for you.” Eloise got up and walked out.
Perhaps it was the herbal soup, but Niamh felt warmth spreading to every inch of her body.
“I’m sure you’ll recognize me very soon, Mom.” She looked at Eloise’s retreating figure and hoped.
After finishing the soup, Niamh wanted to talk to Sean about something.
She got up to descend the stairs when she heard Ryan’s voice from a room next to her when she was making her way to the side of the stairs. “How’s Kendrick doing?”
Kendrick?
Niamh felt a tug at her heartstrings.
She made her way to the wall with light steps and realized that Ryan was on a call with someone. He seemed to be asking about Kendrick’s situation.
Did something happen to Kendrick?
Niamh’s heart began to race nervously before she knew it.
“Hmm? He’s still alive after losing so much blood? What an extraordinary body he has there.” Ryan’s words dripped with sarcasm.
Niamh’s breathing grew erratic.
Kendrick lost a lot of blood?
How could that be?
“Now that I think about it, he’s still fine even after being tormented by the poison for so long. Huh. Kendrick Waldburg sure is determined.” Ryan’s voice drifted over. “But so what if he’s durable and strong-willed? As long as Eveline Montgomery is by my side, he will never live his life in peace.”
Ryan Jones!
Niamh clenched her jaw as her detest for this horrible and scheming man grew.
Still, just what happened to Kendrick? Why did he lose so much blood?
Niamh was worried. Coincidentally, she heard Ryan asking the other person on the line, “Which hospital is Kendrick at? Kindred? Alright.”
Then, Niamh heard Ryan’s footsteps approaching the door.
She did not linger any longer and walked toward the staircase where she saw Sean.
“Dad.” Niamh intentionally raised her voice so that Ryan would assume that she was about to take the stairs down.
“Are you up already, Eveline? Won’t you rest in bed for a little longer?”
Niamh gave Ryan a good look from the corner of her eyes as he walked over. “It got a little stuffy lying in bed these days. I was hoping to take a walk for some fresh air.”
“You want to leave the house?” Ryan slowly approached.
Niamh turned back in mock surprise, pretending to only have realized Ryan’s presence. “Yeah. I want to take a walk outside, but I didn’t know if you’d let me leave or not.”
“Why not? Why would Mr. Jones stop you from taking a walk outside? He’s just worried about you.” Not knowing what kind of person Ryan was, Sean defended the man.
That was precisely what Niamh wanted.
“Dad’s right. I’m just worried about you. I can always have someone accompany you if you want to go take a walk.” Ryan let out a sigh of relief. He still wanted to keep the image of a gentleman in front of Sean.
“Will you really let me leave the house?” Niamh looked at the lightly smiling man with doubt.
Ryan stood next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder intimately. “Of course. How can I stop you from the things you want to do?”
Sean broke into a relieved smile. “See, Eveline. Mr. Jones sure does give in to you.”
Niamh faked a gentle smile and played along with Ryan. “Thank you, Rye.”
“I’m your husband. There’s no need for thanks between us.” Ryan made sure to tint their relationship with a more loving shade.
Niamh did not protest because she had gotten what she wanted.
Soon enough, Ryan prepared a car to send Niamh to where she wanted to go. Seeing Niamh and Sean about to leave the house, Eloise wanted to join as well.
Ryan agreed with a smile and got the driver to secretly keep an eye on Niamh and her parents.
Niamh was not surprised that Ryan had asked someone to watch over her. Getting in the car, she began to tap away at her phone casually.
“Is there anywhere you’d like to go, Madam?” the driver asked.
“Is there a cherry blossom park nearby?” Niamh asked without much thought.
The driver nodded. “Would you like to go to the cherry blossom park, Madam?”
“Sure.”
“Alright.” The driver then drove over without suspecting anything.
Niamh chatted here and there with Eloise and Sean while watching the scenery change outside the car window. When a specific building appeared before her eyes, Niamh’s expression shifted drastically into one of immense agony.
Sean realized the change in Niamh’s expression. “What’s wrong, Eveline?”
The driver turned to look at the rear-view mirror and panicked when he saw Niamh clutching her stomach with her brows furrowed painfully.
“Where does it hurt, Eveline? Tell Dad,” Sean grabbed Niamh’s shoulder and asked nervously.
Niamh bit her lip at the pain. “I don’t know. My stomach just hurts.”
“Is there a hospital nearby? Quick, go to the hospital!” Sean’s eyes were filled with worry as he ordered the driver.
“Kindred Hospital is nearby. I’ll bring you there!” The driver quickly turned the car around without a moment’s hesitation.
Niamh leaned against Sean’s shoulder as mirth flashed through her seemingly tired eyes.
The car drove into the hospital, and upon arriving, Sean carried Niamh out of the car. Then, he called out to Eloise.
“There are a lot of people in the hospital, Ellie. Follow behind me, okay? Don’t walk too far.” Sean requested, afraid that Eloise would get lost with her current mental state.
“I won’t run off. I’m right behind you.” Eloise nodded seriously as one would expect from a child. Watching Niamh in pain, she frowned. “What happened to Eveline, Sean?”
Sean stared at Niamh in his arms worriedly and turned around. “I don’t know either. Let’s get to the hospital first!”
While being carried into the hospital, Niamh took a look at the driver who was looking for parking from the corners of her eyes. She looked up just as Sean brought her in.
“Let me down, Dad. I’m alright.”
Sean was stunned. His footsteps came to a stop as he looked at Niamh with confusion.
“Eveline, what…”
Sean did not understand, but he slowly placed Niamh back on her feet.
Niamh glanced at the hospital’s entrance. “Just take it as I’m having an episode from my chronic illness. Pretend to line up at the counter for me when the driver comes over later and tell him that Mom and I went to the bathroom.”
“Why, Eveline?” Sean was even more confused.
Niamh did not have the time to explain herself to Sean. She took Eloise’s hand. “There are some things that I don’t know how to tell you, Dad. But no matter what, don’t raise the driver’s suspicions at all, okay?”
She then took Eloise’s hand. “Come with me, Mom.”
“You’re calling me your mom again. I’m not her.” Eloise corrected her in all seriousness.
Niamh did not think much of it and brought Eloise to the counter. “Hi, I’m here to visit a friend. Could you help me check which room he’s in?”
The clerk there did not suspect anything and inquired politely, “Can I ask for your friend’s name?”
“Kendrick Waldburg,” Niamh spoke his name clearly as her heart began to race nervously.
She did not know if she came to the right place. She prayed that Kendrick was alright and not in the hospital at all. Yet at that moment, Niamh was conflicted because she wanted to see him as well.
About ten seconds later, the clerk smiled and relayed, “Your friend is in room 1601.”
Niamh’s heart skipped a beat.
She did not know if she should feel relieved or worried.
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.