All of a sudden, Luke’s stern voice rang out through the stairwell. Brettley narrowed his eyes and let go of Bethan.
Bethan’s pregnancy had probably weakened her body, so when Brettley released her without warning, she could not stabilize herself and instead slumped against the wall wearily. She slid down the wall until she finally landed on the floor in a heap, then started retching again.
Luke glanced at her and remarked, “Look at this. You’ve made her sick.”
Brettley scoffed. “That’s because she’s pregnant. If she had listened to me and aborted the child, she wouldn’t be suffering like this at all.”
Bethan’s entire body stiffened when she heard this. She immediately propped herself up and warned, “
I’m saying this one more time: I don’t like it when you make jokes like this.”
Brettley snorted in indignation and grabbed hold of her chin. “I’ve already told you; I’m not joking. What if I really want you to get rid of the child in your belly right now?”
Bethan glared at Brettley and could no longer suppress her rage. “How dare you! “
“That’s enough. Stop messing with her.”
Luke glanced at Brettley and added, “The reason I came over is to tell you that Alice is here. She’s standing outside Gwen’s ward, demanding to see you. She made so much racket that she woke Gwen up. Please go take care of this.”
Brettley furrowed his brows in irritation. “Alright.”
With that, he let go of Bethan and strode out of the stairwell.
The two people watched as Brettley’s retreating figure disappeared from view. Then, Luke shrugged and tucked his hands in his pockets, glancing at Bethan simultaneously. “He’s really in love with you. Last night, when he found out you were pregnant with another man’s child, he was so upset that he came to find me and spent the whole night drinking.
“As for what he said about the abortion… He’s just saying it out of spite. Why are you taking him so seriously? He’s not that cruel and heartless.”
Bethan scoffed and retorted coldly, “That’s because you don’t know him as well as I do. Many years ago, he had an affair with Bethan Peterson’s sister, Cynthal. He was willing to kill Bethan Peterson just to please Cynthal.”
She shot Luke a cold glance before continuing, “He’s willing to hurt his own children. What makes you think he won’t do that to me?”
Luke stared at Bethan, his eyes wide with shock, but Bethan did not seem to notice this. Instead, she wiped the blood that trickled out of the corner of her mouth and said, “I have three more hours until my flight. I better go now.”
With that, she descended the flight of stairs.
Luke frowned and watched Bethan leave, limping slightly. “Aren’t you going to say goodbye to Brettley?”
Bethan closed her eyes. “There’s no need.”
With that, she left without a second glance.
Luke remained motionless and could not help letting out a deep sigh.
Bethan went down to the floor below and managed to find an elevator.
“Brettley, how dare you lie to me and say it’s not because of Bethan?”
“Where is she? You’d better ask her to come out right this instant! “
“Stop trying to lie! The reason you’re divorcing me is because of her! “
“I want to find Bethan right this instant so she can talk some sense into you! “
Even though she was on the floor below Gwen’s ward, Bethan could still hear Alice’s shouts. She let out an exasperated sigh and closed her eyes.
No wonder Alice was trying to get rid of Neil and Nellie. It was because Brettley had officially filed for divorce, and so Alice –thinking it was Bethan’s fault– tried to get her revenge.
The elevator descended two more floors. When the doors opened, two men dressed entirely in black boarded the elevator and said in a low voice, “You’re Ms. Bethan, right?”
“We’re Luke’s men. We’ve been ordered to escort you to the airport.”
Bethan lifted her head to glance at the two men before her. They were speaking in a distinct local accent, and although she did not recognize them, she could tell they were Luke’s men from the way they dressed.
“Bring me to the hotel first. “
Her belongings were still at the hotel.
The two men did not say a single word throughout the car ride from the hospital to Bethan’s hotel. One of them was focused on driving, while the other gazed out the window in silence.
The car soon arrived at the hotel. Bethan quickly packed her suitcase, checked out of her hotel room, then returned to the car, with the two men escorting her throughout.
When they got into the car, one of the men handed Bethan an unopened bottle of mineral water. “Here. In case you get thirsty on the way.”
“Thank you.”
Bethan nodded in appreciation. She did start to feel thirsty.
She did not expect Luke’s men to be exactly like him: thoughtful and kind beneath a hard exterior.
She twisted the bottle cap open and drank the water without thinking twice.
The streets were considerably emptier at night than during the day, so it did not take long for them to arrive at the airport.
Bethan got out of the car after a half hour’s car ride. She walked into the airport and made her way past the security clearance. The two men kept their eyes on her all this while and, after making sure she had successfully passed security clearance, finally turned around and left.
Bethan sat down in the airport waiting lounge and felt a little worried about Theo, so she picked up her phone and dialed his number.
However, no matter how many times she tried, she could not get through to him at all.
Bethan had no choice but to call Nigel for help instead. She knew that Nigel had kept in touch with Luke, Neil, and Nellie all this while, so he could probably help.
To her surprise, she could not get through to Nigel either.
Bethan was starting to feel anxious.
She exhaled and tried to dial both Theo and Nigel again, but none of them picked up their phones.
Finally, Bethan had no choice but to call Malcolm instead.
“Hello?”
Malcolm’s voice rang out through the phone, sounding a little weary.
Bethan frowned. “Malcolm, Nigel…”
“Nigel’s getting emergency surgery, “
Malcolm’s voice sounded exhausted. “Bethan, I can’t do this anymore. Nigel…can’t do this anymore.”
Bethan’s eyes widened when she heard this. “What… What do you mean?”
Malcolm let out a sigh. Every syllable he uttered after that felt like they were pounding against Bethan’s chest, “Nigel’s condition has been worsening for the past two months. He told me not to let you know, and he also ordered the doctor to lie to you, saying he was getting better… Didn’t you notice he was contacting you less and less now?”
Bethan almost dropped her phone.
Malcolm was right. Nigel did contact her less frequently than before, but he told her that he had learned a new type of hacking technology and was spending a lot of time trying to perfect it.
Besides, Nigel had always been a quiet child, so naturally, Bethan did not overthink his progressive lack of communication, but…
“He wasn’t learning some new hacking technology. He didn’t contact you as often because he’s so sick that he can’t even talk normally anymore. This morning, he even vomited blood, and the doctors sent him into the operating theater immediately. It’s been almost eight hours now…
“The doctor said if he doesn’t undergo bone marrow transplant soon… He won’t even have a year to live.”
Malcolm closed his eyes and continued, “Nigel made me promise not to tell you any of this, but I don’t think I can do that anymore. Bethan… Why don’t you give up on your plan and come back instead, to be by Nigel’s side? It’s been almost six months since you left, and if you haven’t gotten pregnant by now… “
“I have.”
Bethan clenched her teeth and said in a choked voice, “Malcolm, I’m at the airport right now. I’ll be back very soon. Take good care of Nigel for me–I’ll be home soon. Neil and Nellie are on their way, too. We’ll be fine…”
She clutched her phone tightly and could no longer keep her tears at bay. “Malcolm, I’m pregnant. Nigel can be saved…”
Malcolm remained silent. Finally, after a pause, he, too, said in a choked voice, “That’s great. When Nigel comes out of surgery later, I’ll tell him the good news.”
Bethan bit down on her lip and nodded. “Alright. We’ll be fine. Please don’t give up just yet, and please tell Nigel not to give up either. I…”
However, before she could finish her sentence, Bethan felt a twinge of pain shoot up from her stomach. The pain was so excruciating that she could not help bending over in agony.
Bethan gripped her phone tightly but could not say a single word.
Malcolm seemed to sense that something was wrong. “Bethan…? Bethan?”
Bethan bit down on her lip and opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She was in so much pain that tears brimmed in her eyes.
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.