Chapter 378
Chapter 378
Though I would spoil my two little gems rotten, I would never let them grow into jerks.
Neil Whitmore was great, except when it came to relationships!
“Neil, you have Karina Aaron and Hiram now, and I have my own family. Let’s stop interfering with each other’s lives. I probably won’t return to Rosemont. You might want to persuade Karina to go back with you and leave us be.” I finally broke the silence. After all, that was an issue between Neil and me, and it wasn’t fair to leave it all on Russel Dawson’s shoulders.
“I haven’t even begun to address your leaving without a word!” Neil shot me a cold glare, his words gritted out through clenched teeth.
Indeed, I left Rosemont without saying goodbye to Neil and even asked Stella Wallace not to disclose it.
Why should I have told him?
Neil had cut down on his interactions with me. The media had begun buzzing about Karina’s return, and he was so busy accommodating his old flame that I didn’t want to waste his time.
“Was it me leaving without saying goodbye, or were you too preoccupied to care about my family’s affairs?” I sighed. “Neil, didn’t you know that my family’s company was being transferred at that time? Or were you too engrossed with Karina’s issues to care?”
Neil froze. A complexity of emotions washed over his features. His lips moved, almost as if he didn’t know how to respond.
He must have known, and that was what I cared about. Knowing that things were changing on my end, he chose to deal with Karina first.
From then on, I knew I could never compare to Karina in his heart.
Even if Karina had behaved terribly in the past, he couldn’t bring himself to reject her!!
“She’s made it clear. You may leave now.” Russel opened the hospital room door, gesturing for Neil to leave.
“I won’t be leaving any time soon. Not until I’m certain these children aren’t mine. Irene Finch, if you’ve deceived me, I’ll do everything I can to take these children from you. You’ll regret this.” Neil threatened me as he was leaving.
He was never a good person. When he was angry, he never cared about how hurtful his words could be.
What I fear the most now was someone taking my children away. Neil’s words were a clear and present danger to me.
If it came to blows, I have doubt that I could stand against him.
“We should check out of the hospital!” As soon as Neil left, I felt a wave of unease wash over me. I told Russel.
“Now?” Russel frowned.
“Yes, could you please talk to the doctor? I think I should leave with the children. If it’s not safe in the country, I can leave the country. I’ve done it before.” I tried to calm myself down, but every glance at my children made my heart clench. I feared losing them.
Russel objected, “No, you must stay in the hospital until you’ve recovered. Your health comes first!”
“Then, could you ask when I can be discharged?” I practically begged Russel.
I realized that my health was important. Otherwise, who would take care of my children?
Russel looked at me with mixed feelings of pity and helplessness. “Would you consider my suggestion? If we become a legally married couple, your children would become mine. It wouldn’t be so easy for Neil to take them.”
“We’ll talk about this later.” I hesitated. Even though I was swaying, I should think it through. By doing so, I would distance myself from Neil but involve Russel.
Russel didn’t say anything more. He just went to talk to the doctor.
The result was that I could only be discharged after a week at the earliest. My dad, upon learning about Neil’s visit, took turns with my mom to stay in the hospital room as if facing a great enemy.
Under such anxiety, I finally managed to get discharged. Russel came to pick us up in his car.
Each of my parents held one of the children. I followed them, trying to walk steadily as any sudden movement would cause pain in my incisions.
We took the back door of the hospital, which was less crowded. Just as we were about to reach the exit, a child’s voice called out from behind, “Auntie Irene!”
It was Hiram’s voice!
I turned around to see Hiram rushing towards me, with Karina not far behind. She was smiling at me, a smile that made me uneasy.
Knowing that I had just given birth, she just watched Hiram rush towards me, making no effort to stop him.
Hiram had never been this affectionate towards me before, but today was different.
I tried to dodge him, but he changed his direction to keep running towards me. My parents, each holding a child, couldn’t block him and might even lose their hold on the children.
“Stop!” Russel appeared in time and pulled Hiram back, his tone stern.
Hiram stopped. He looked at Russel unhappily and said, “What’s it to you? I know Auntie Irene!”
Seeing that Russel had stopped Hiram’s dangerous actions, Karina finally quickened her pace to join us. She pulled Hiram behind her and said apologetically. “Ms. Finch, I’m sorry Kids can be a handful, and I couldn’t stop him. I hope he didn’t scare you?”
Standing here, I could feel discomfort in my abdomen and lower back. If the child had bumped into me, especially into my incision. I would have probably fainted from the pain.
And Karina had seen Hiram’s actions and made no effort to stop him. Now, she came there with feigned concern?
I gave her a chilly smile, “Really? It seems that every unruly child has an equally uncouth parent. In the future, please keep an eye on your child and stop causing
trouble for others.”
Karina apparently didn’t expect my harsh tone. She frowned and said, “He’s just a child, and he’s been living abroad for quite some time, so he’s a bit outgoing. He
just wanted to greet you warmly.”
“How come I never noticed how overly friendly your kid was?” Given my current health conditions, standing for too long wasn’t ideal. I didn’t even want to ponder what Karina’s true intentions were. All I wanted was to keep my distance from Neil and her.
Karina’s brows furrowed deeper, “So you’re implying he did it on purpose?”
“Let’s get going.” I didn’t respond, simply addressing Russel and my folks.
Karina seemed as though she wanted to say something more, but Russel cast her a glance, “Stop pestering her.”
