Chapter 722
Without sparing a glance at the baby, Natalie brushed past the nurse and rushed into the delivery room.
Laney lay on the operating table, her face ghostly white and her sweat-soaked hair clinging to her forehead. Natalie’s heart ached at the sight of her dear friend, so worn and fragile.
“Natalie, have you seen our baby? Isn’t she adorable?” Laney tried to sit up, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
“Stay still!” Natalie scolded gently. “You need to rest. You’re a mother now, and your little girl is absolutely perfect.” Hearing her baby was healthy, Laney sighed with relief.
Exhausted, she fought to stay awake, her thoughts consumed by Garrett.
“Where is Garrett? Hasn’t he arrived yet?” she asked, struggling to keep her eyes open. Natalie’s heart twisted with sympathy as she searched for comforting words.
Unbeknownst to her, Lola had silently followed. Seizing her opportunity, Lola interjected, “I contacted Mr. Harding. He said he’s too busy to come back and told you to take care of yourself.”
Her voice dripped with malicious satisfaction. “What did you say?” Laney’s face crumpled with disbelief and anguish. She couldn’t fathom Garrett’s cold indifference towards her and their child.
“Pay her no mind!” Natalie cut Lola off. Whirling around, she fixed Lola with a fierce glare. “Get out!”
Lola, cowed by Natalie’s intensity, muttered her discontent but retreated without further provocation.
“Natalie… Did Garrett really say that?” Laney clung to Natalie, her voice pleading.
Natalie quickly denied, “No, don’t listen to Lola’s lies. We’ve made contact with him and he is on his way over right now. He also asked us to take good care of you till he gets here.” Compared to Lola, Laney naturally trusted Natalie more. Hearing this, she finally relaxed. However, the next second, a wave of intense pain once again swept through her entire body.
“It hurts…” Laney appeared to be in anguish, gasping for air, as if she was about to pass out the next moment.
“Laney!”
Natalie was terrified, screaming, “What happened to you? Doctor! Doctor!” The doctors and nurses arrived as soon as they heard the commotion.
Blood dripped down Laney’s legs and her pupils began to dilate. “Oh, no!”
The doctor’s face became pale as he added, “She is hemorrhaging right now! We must do the surgery right now or she will bleed to death!”
“Hemorrhaging? Why is she suddenly hemorrhaging?” Natalie’s mind went blank and she couldn’t process what was going on.
But nonetheless, it was not the right moment to inquire. Laney needed to be rescued immediately, so Natalie had no choice but to step outside and wait.
Ian couldn’t help but feel more nervous when he saw doctors and nurses rushing in and out of the delivery room with a grave look on their faces.
When he saw Natalie come out, he hurried over and asked, “Mrs. Larson, is everything all right?” Natalie’s eyes began to well up with tears. She said in a hoarse tone while leaning against the wall, “Laney started to hemorrhage all of a sudden. They are conducting surgery to stop the bleeding.”
“How did this happen?” Ian frowned. “I don’t know. Suddenly…” Natalie covered her mouth with her hand as she couldn’t bring herself to speak.
“Mrs. Harding will be fine.” Ian looked up at the red light above the door of the ICU as he spoke.
In truth, he didn’t know if he was trying to comfort Natalie or himself.
Lola couldn’t hide the look of gloat in her eyes as she looked at the two flustered people and said, “She will be fine? Do you even know what you’re talking about? Only a handful of fortunate people survive from a puerperal hemorrhage.”
The look in Natalie’s eyes suddenly turned cold. It dawned on Natalie that Laney’s hemorrhage was triggered by her own overwhelming emotions, and Lola was the one to blame for it all.
“You liar!” With a calm yet piercing gaze, Natalie demanded Lola’s phone, “Give me your phone! I want to see when you got in touch with Garrett.”
Lola took a few steps back, lowered her head, and faltered, “I… I…”
“Give me your phone!” Natalie said coldly. What gives you the right to invade my privacy like this?” Lola retorted.
Natalie, no longer interested in conversing with Lola, snatched her phone and swiftly perused through the call history.
As expected, there were no traces of contact bet**en Garrett and Lola.
Natalie was further infuriated by the discovery that the most recent call Lola had made was to none other than Kailee.
Lola had also sent messages to Kailee, reminding her of Garrett’s departure and providing updates on Natalie’s arrival.
Natalie dialed Kailee’s number and within seconds, the call was connected, indicating that Kailee had been eagerly anticipating updates from Lola.
“How is it going? Are Laney and her baby dead?” Kailee’s voice was venomous, causing quivers of terror to those who heard it.
Natalie enunciated each word with an icy chill, “Regrettably, I must shatter your expectations. Laney and her baby are both unharmed.”
The idea of Natalie being on the other end of the line had never crossed Kailee’s mind, causing her heart to skip a beat. Before she could gather her wits, she was met with Natalie’s frigid voice once more. “I will not let you sl*p away, Kailee.”
Kailee’s nerves trembled with trepidation, and she abruptly ended the call. Ian prevented Lola from taking any action, leaving her powerless but to spectate.
A sense of panic surged through her as Lola realized that Natalie was not going to let her go easily.
In an instant, Natalie spun around to Lola and commanded Mesue, who had just arrived a few moments ago, “Detain Lola at once. I’ll deal with her once Laney gets better.’’
Mesue heeded the instruction and yanked Lola away, ignoring her feeble resistance. “Natalie!”
Lola howled and thrashed about, adding, “I was sent here by Mr. Harding! How dare you treat me like this? Are you sure you want to go up against the Harding family?”
Natalie ignored Lola and waved at Mesue to take her away. Disdainful and repulsed, Natalie refused to even cast a single glance at the despicable Lola.
At that moment, Leo and Vera made their entrance, their exp**ssions a blend of anxiety and concern.
Upon observing the unfolding scene, Leo inquired, “What in heavens is transpiring? Why are you restraining Lola?”
Natalie scoffed derisively, her disdain for Leo and Vera palpable, “Perhaps you ought to direct your question to Lola, the ‘stellar’ assistant you so thoughtfully employed for Laney.”
Though Natalie harbored a strong aversion to Leo and Vera, she had consistently maintained an air of cordiality. However, witnessing Leo’s disregard for Laney and the baby, and his unfounded accusations, her anger boiled over, and she abandoned all pretense of politeness.
