That slap was far more brutal than mine because it knocked her straight to the floor.
She clutched her cheek as blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
Nathan’s voice was low but clear,“You’re insane. You used a child as a tool–used his cries to manipulate me,used his injuries to win back our pathetic feelings?”
“He is a child,my son.“His eyes were cold as a blade.“From now on, he belongs to the Campbell Family.”
Alicia was crying while shaking and holding her head. “No…no,you can’t!I gave birth to him!He’s mine! You can’t take him away from me!I’m his mother–I have rights too!”
“You?“Nathan sneered,his voice almost chilling,“Do you think you deserve it?”
Then he turned to the security guards.“Take her away.”
Alicia screamed as loudly as she could. “No! Don’t touch me! He’s my son!Nathan,you can’t do this
to me!”
Nathan glanced over his shoulder, his voice like ice.“You want to steal the Campbell Family’s child,huh? Let’s see if you have that ability.”
He paused,his voice so cold without a trace of kindness. “Try and see if you can fight the Campbell Family’s lawyer.If I really push this,having a prison tie will be a light punishment for you.”
Alicia collapsed onto the floor, clutching her head,sobbing like she had been shattered completely.This time,she wasn’t acting. She knew that it was really over.
In the hospital’s examination room,the EKG wave line was still pulsing on the screen. The doctor flipped through the test results as Collins stood quietly nearby while looking at him,his hands in his pockets.
“Your recovery is going well.“The doctor finally looked up,looked at me and smiled, “The hear rhythm is more stable than last time and the post–surgical complications that I was worried about before have not appeared. At this rate,we’ll be completely off medication maintenance in another two or three months.”
Relief flooded through me,softening the tension in my face.“Thank you.“I rose politely and bowed slightly.
The doctor nodded,then glanced at Collins with a knowing smile. “Mr.Lockhart has been taking care of you very attentively.”
I turned to see Collins smirking casually.“I take responsibility seriously.”
We walked out of the examination room together to the end of the empty corridor.I stopped near the bench by the wall and leaned lightly on the armrest,staring at the flower beds sprinkled with sunlight not far away.
“Are you still planning to wait for Nathan?“Collins asked softly. He was standing beside me.
I was silent for a moment,looking down at the tips of my shoes.
“Yes,“I replied quietly.“I need to end things with him properly. No unfinished business. No turning
back.”
4:28 pm DDDD
Collins didn’t say anything else,just nodded, then tugged gently on my sleeve.“Come on,I know you don’t want to go back right now, I’ll take you for a walk.”
We walked out of the inpatient wing and took the back door to the park outside the hospital.
It was early summer and the breeze was laced with the fresh scent of grass and trees.
We walked to an isolated wooden pergola tucked in a secluded corner,where hardly anyone was
around.
Collins sat down,opened the insulated thermos he carried and poured me a cup of steaming oolong tea. “You like this,right?I added lemon and honey,just the way you said you liked it.The combination is the most refreshing.”
I accepted the tea.A gentle heat rose from the cup,like the care he had done,gentle and
restrained.
“Thank you,“I murmured,taking a sip. The sourness and sweetness were moderate and warmed my throat.
Collins watched me,then suddenly chuckled.”You know… I’m kind of looking forward to you being single again.”
Startled,I nearly dropped the cup lid.
Aren’t you…“I looked up shyly, my eyes tinged with a teasing tone.“Aren’t you my boyfriend?Wh are you expecting me to be single?”
