As Vivian stared into Finnick’s sincere gaze, a burst of warmth finally bloomed in her frosted heart. The corners of her lips curved into a smile to indicate that she was fine. She was no longer sad now, merely having some feelings within her which she couldn’t quite describe.
About two hours later, the light above the operating theater finally went off. The moment the doctor came out, Rachel rushed forward with anxiety and fear written all over her face. “How did it go, doctor? Is my daughter okay?”
“She’s fine. The operation was very successful, so she’ll be fine after resting for a few days. The nurse will tell you the specifics later.” The doctor was exhausted after performing the operation, so he pivoted and left after saying that.
Upon hearing that Evelyn was fine, the anxiety on Rachel’s face finally eased, and her heart that’d been in her throat settled back in her chest.
Perhaps she was too tense earlier that her body couldn’t quite take it when her nerves suddenly relaxed, and she actually fainted right away.
At this, Vivian hurriedly called a few nurses over, and they swiftly carried her to the adjacent room to rest. Finnick, on the other hand, made arrangements for Evelyn.
When Vivian saw the nurse putting Rachel on an IV drip, she heaved a sigh and left the hospital room. In the past, I definitely would’ve stayed until she woke up, but now… A wry smile tugged at her lips, and she couldn’t help mocking herself. Now, I really don’t know how to face her. Besides, she probably doesn’t want to see me when she wakes up.
Just after she’d walked out of the hospital room, she caught sight of Noah in the corridor, asking the nurse something or other with an anxious expression on his face.
Is he here to look for Finnick? As this thought occurred to her, she called out, “Over here, Noah!”
Noah turned around upon hearing someone call out to him. He was stunned for a moment, seemingly having not expected to see her here. Thereafter, he promptly strode in her direction.
“Is Mr. Norton here, Mrs. Norton? He called me earlier and asked me to come over to the hospital, but he didn’t tell me what happened. Don’t tell me he’s injured?”
Vivian chuckled upon hearing that. Then, she replied, “He’s fine. It’s Evelyn who’s injured.”
“Evelyn?” Noah frowned. “What exactly happened?”
The woman hesitated for a moment, uncertain whether she should tell him about everything. But upon remembering that he was the person Finnick trusted most, she told him the truth about the kidnapping back then and repeated everything Evelyn admitted.
“It was her?” Shock swamped Noah after he learned the truth.
He knew better than anyone how malevolent Evelyn was. But never had he expected her to be so cruel and ruthless even at such a tender age. It’s truly horrifying if I were to dwell upon it!
Gazing into Vivian’s trustful eyes, he felt utterly conflicted. Should I tell her the truth about what happened five years ago? Evelyn is an extremely evil person, so she should’ve long since received her due punishment. Am I really going to help keep all those misdeeds she’d done in the past a secret forever?
While looking at her remorsefully, he couldn’t help apologizing. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Norton. I shouldn’t have done that to you five years ago. I… I…”
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but he lacked the courage to come clean about the incident back then.
Meanwhile, Vivian’s gaze darkened upon hearing this. She still couldn’t forget the scene when Noah brought along men to force her to have an abortion five years ago. Every time she recalled the despair she felt, she couldn’t convince herself to forgive Finnick. How can I forgive him when he once treated me so callously?
This matter was a gulf that stood between them. Despite him treating me no different from before – his concern and protectiveness tangible, I just can’t bring myself to bridge the gulf without any qualms.
Inhaling deeply, she forced a smile. “You did nothing wrong in this matter. Back then, you were merely following orders, so if we’re assigning blame, it could only be Finnick’s fault. It wasn’t your fault, so you don’t have to apologize anymore in the future.”
