Chapter 303
Neil was working his butt off from dawn to dusk with a constant frown on his face.
Ryan pulled him aside for a chat, and I pretended to be oblivious. Whatever father and son were discussing, it wasn’t my place to butt
When mealtime rolled around, Neil and Ryan finally joined us in the dining room. Faith and Hannah had cooked up a storm, and the food looked mouth-watering
Usually, meals were a cheerful affair. But the atmosphere had tumed heavy because of the document. I couldn’t help but steal glances at Neil, trying to figure out what was going through his head.
Whenever he caught me looking at him, he’d give me a quick glance, and his frown would deepen.
This made me nervous. Was it something about me?
If so, Neil’s reaction suggested that I’d done something to upset him, and he knew about it.
I racked my brain but couldn’t think of anything that could piss Neil off unless there was some proof that I was taking advantage of
him.
Everyone was lost in their thoughts during the meal. After we finished, we all retreated to our rooms..
“I think I’ll sleep in the study tonight,” Neil suddenly announced when we got back to our bedroom.
“Sure, whatever,” I responded nonchalantly
I got into bed and started messing around on my phone.
Neil gave me a quick glance, then turned and walked out.
I had thought that Christmas would be a happy and relaxed time with Ryan and Faith around, but I quickly realized that wasn’t the case.
For three nights in a row, Neil and I slept in separate rooms. He didn’t tell me why, but knowing him, if he found out I’d done something to betray him, he would confront me.
So, I gradually ruled out that possibility. He must have been upset about something else.
“Irene, come here. I need to talk to you,” said Faith one morning She looked serious.
“What’s up?” I asked. It was just the two of us in the living room. Neil was out on business, and Ryan was having a smoke outside. Hannah was busy in the kitchen.
Faith sighed deeply and seemed to struggle with her words.
“Just spill the beans. It’s fine,” I assured her.
Faith gently held my hand, her expression full of worry. “Irene, you already know about Karina, right? And about her being pregnant when she jumped into the river?”
I didn’t deny it, just nodded and waited for Faith to continue. She must have found out something.
Faith’s voice dropped even lower as she said, “Neil didn’t believe it at first, so he had it investigated. The document we received a few days ago was the result of the investigation, but it wasn’t delivered by his people.”
“What were the findings?” I asked calmly
“The document was Karina’s medical record from when she was rescued. It showed that she was indeed pregnant at the time, just one or two months along Faith looked at me apologetically as she spoke.
I clenched my fist slightly. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t affected. But I had mentally prepared myself for this, so I quickly regained my
composure.
“Well, Neil and she were together then, and if they weren’t being careful, getting pregnant is natural,” I said.
“Yes, but Neil has been gloomy these past few days. Not because of Karina but because he feels he’s let you down. He’s afraid you’ll push him away again, reject him… Faith tried to explain.
Of course, she was Nell’s mother, and it was normal for her to defend him.
I gave a nonchalant smile and said, “That’s all water under the bridge.”
Upon hearing my response, Faith seemed relieved, and a faint smile appeared on her face. “Irene, you’re still my favorite. If you and Neil could get back together, our whole family would make it up to you.”
I avoided her gaze and bowed my head slightly, thinking if Neil could settle my dad and Oscar’s issues quickly, I could leave sooner.
“I’m a bit tired. I think I’ll take a nap, I told Faith.
“Alright, go get some rest,’ she said, patting my hand gently.
Seeing her peaceful expression, I quietly got up and headed upstairs.
I wasn’t really sleepy, so I veered off to my mom’s room. Although she couldnt answer any of my questions, just seeing her somehow calmed my restless heart.
Holding my mom’s hand, I gently stroked her palm and started talking to her
“Mom, wake up. You’ve been sleeping for a long time. The doctors said the sooner you wake up, the better your recovery will be. You cant just keep lying in bed, right? I tried to sound casual.
Just as I finished speaking, I felt my mom’s finger twitch
I was stunned.
Was it my imagination?
‘Mom, are you awake?” I asked excitedly.
It seemed like she was responding. Her finger twitched again.
I was beyond thrilled
“Hannah, call Bailey. My mom’s awake. Have him take us to the hospital” I ran to the hallway and yelled downstairs.
My shouting brought Ryan and Faith rushing upstairs.
Ryan stopped me and said, “Let’s just call the doctor over!”
He immediately made a call.
I was simply too anxious and wanted to move my mom, but after hearing Ryan’s words, I decided to stay by my mom’s side and keep talking to her, hoping to rouse her further.
Then Hannah said, “Ms. Finch, maybe you should call Mr. Whitmore and let him know.”
‘I’ll do it! Faith, who was genuinely happy for me, went outside to make the call.
But soon, I heard Faith’s angry voice, “Why is Neil’s phone with you?!”
Hannah and I exchanged glances, then went outside to see what was going on.
When I appeared, Faith quickly hung up the phone. If she was calling Neil, this suggested that his phone wasn’t with him.
Who else could have Neil’s phone that would make Faith so angry? Bonnie came to mind.
Neil had left early today. Did he go to Bonnie’s place?
“Irene, Neil’s tied up with some stuff right now. He should be back later, and we just gotta wait for the doc to show up.” Faith seemed a bit awkward, but she managed to shoot me a small smile.
My whole focus was on my mom right now, and I didn’t wanna get all cranky over Neil’s business, so I just nodded and didn’t say much. Seeing me retreat back into the room, Faith quickly bolted downstairs.
