Chapter 411
Chapter 411
Neil clamped his lips shut, casting an unreadable gaze my way.
“Because she’s the mother of my child, I won’t let her suffer harm she doesn’t deserve After a moment, he finally responded to my question, but his answer took me by surprise.
Sc, he wasn’t protecting Karina out of love, but because she was the mother of Hiram. And so, for his son’s sake, he defended her?
“Don’t you love her?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Neil fell silent again, his expression growing somewhat restless.
A strange thought occurred to me, and I asked again, “Neil, do you still have feelings for me? That project with Mitch, why did it happen to be in Eldoria?”
As soon as I asked, I regretted it. It seemed as though I was testing him, implying that I still cared for him, but indirectly asking if he still had feelings for me.
Neil looked somewhat taken aback. He was about to answer when my phone rang. It was my mom, “Rena, have you and Russel returned yet? Serena and Brandon seem to miss their parents today. We can’t calm them down!”
“What about Norah?” I felt a pang of anxiety.
“She wasn’t feeling well tonight, so I sent her to the hospital. It’s just me and your dad at home now,” my mom replied.
‘Russel is tied up with a surgery, so he can’t make it back. I’ll come home to soothe the kids!” Thinking of my children crying at home made my heart ached. I hung up the phone and hurriedly hailed a cab.
But I couldn’t get a cab, and the ride-sharing app showed a queue. It seemed like fate was deliberately delaying me.
I was getting frustrated when I noticed Karina exiting the hospital. She had changed her clothes and carried a black bag, her expression somewhat gloomy. She walked over to Neil.
Neil hadn’t answered my question, but it no longer mattered.
Karina noticed me waiting for a cab. She walked over without uttering a word, simply asking, “Ms. Finch, would you like us to give you a ride? Where’s Russel? Why isn’t he with you?”
She spoke as if nothing had happened that night, harboring no resentment towards me.
All could say was that she had ten times better mental capacity than Bonnie.
“Sure,” I answered plainly since all I wanted was to rush home to my children, and I didn’t care whose car I took.
Karina, seemed surprised by my quick agreement, considering my previous avoidance of her and Neil.
But since the words were out, there was no taking back. Karina turned to Neil, “Neil, can we give her a lift?”
For some reason, Neil’s face fell, turning even colder than before. “No, doesn’t she have a husband? Her kids at home need their father. She can call Russel.” Neil’s words made Karina’s face shift. Although he was a mature man in many aspects, his words at that moment were filled with inexplicable bitterness. Perhaps noticing that, he said to Karina, “I’ll take you home first. You rest well. Don’t worry about other things. I’ll handle them.”
“I’m sorry, my issues might cause trouble for you. I’ve already resigned from the hospital,” Karina said softly, her head slightly bowed.
“Why did you resign?” Neil’s voice turned icy. “Did the Dean ask you to?”
“No, I just don’t have the dignity to stay. I’ll take a break for a while and find work when an opportunity comes up.” Karina quickly explained. She glanced at me, “Let’s take Ms. Finch home first. I believe she didn’t mean to target me tonight. She was just deceived by those manipulated messages on the phone.”
I was not a fool. Those were definitely not manipulated messages.
Just then, Russel appeared, rushing towards me and panting. He sighed in relief and asked, “Rena, are you okay?”
He hadn’t even noticed Neil and Karina.
I shook my head, “I’m fine. Have you finished the surgery?”
“Yes, it was a simple one. I got a call about Serena and Brandon crying at home, so rushed off from work. Let’s go home.” Russel’s concern for the children was evident.
Karina chuckled and said, “Russel, you’re such a good dad. You’re even more worried about the kids crying at home than their own mom.”
Only then did Russel notice Neil and Karina. He looked surprised and responded, “Of course, they’re my children. Don’t you feel the same?”
For some reason, Neil didn’t react, but Karina seemed a little odd, casting an unnatural glance my way.
“All parents feel the same,” Karina regained her composure and extended her hand to Russel, “Nice to meet you, Dr. Russel. I thought it was fate that we were alumni and now colleagues, but it seems our fate was short-lived. I hope we can cross paths again.”
-Russel looked at Karina’s hand, puzzled, “What do you mean?”
He didn’t know about the incident at the awards ceremony. It seemed like he rushed here as soon as he finished the surgery.
Seeing Russel’s hesitation, Karina didn’t feel awkward. She withdrew her hand and returned to Neil’s side, intimately holding onto his arm, “You can have your wife explain what happened tonight. We should get going.”
Neil gave me a cold glance. In the face of Karina’s intimacy, he showed no resistance or discomfort.
So, his earlier claim of caring for Karina merely because she was Hiram’s mother was a lie?
A wave of irritation stirred within me. I hated that subtle, uncontrollable feeling, always overthinking even when I knew I shouldn’t.
Not until Neil’s car faded into the distance did Russel take my hand, “Come on, let’s get back home.”
“Okay.” I nodded in agreement.
On the ride back, I told Russel about the happenings at the award ceremony tonight.
Russel’s brows furrowed, “So, Karina has resigned?”
“Yes. Do you seem like you didn’t want her to resign?” I quickly caught on to the odd focus of Russel’s concern and immediately questioned him.
“No, it’s just unexpected that the Dean would agree. Given Neil’s influence, the hospital is likely to keep Karina on board rather than let her go,” Russel explained.
