In the evening, Carl returned home, his state of mind similar to usual, devoid of the joy one would expect from a new father.
Although Nana and the child were safe and sound, Carl felt like an outsider.
Carrying an indelible sense of dejection, he climbed the stairs slowly, intending to take a shower and change clothes.
However, before Carl could reach the bedroom, Mrs. Waters suddenly emerged from the room.
Looking at her son’s listless appearance, Mrs. Waters wore a face of reproach and stepped forward to intercept him, questioning, “Where did you go today? You’ve been idling around outside from morning till night.”
At this moment, Carl didn’t feel like talking, but his mother, persistent in her nature, left him no choice but to casually reply, “I had things to do during the day.”
“What things could you possibly have?”
Mrs. Waters dismissed his response, scoffing sarcastically, “Now you’ve turned yourself into a mess. If the reporters catch wind of this, won’t you become a laughingstock?”
Mr. Waters was a strong-willed woman with high expectations for her son. After Carl became a popular star in the entertainment industry, she regarded him as the pride of her life.
However, since Nana appeared in Carl’s life, she felt like her son had changed, shifting his focus from his career to trivial matters of the heart.
This was Mrs. Waters’ primary reason for disliking Nana, and the reason she favored Grace was that she believed the latter was sensible and obedient, more suitable to be a daughter-in-law of the Waters family.
Seeing Carl remain silent, Mrs. Waters, full of confidence, questioned him with an air of superiority, “Why aren’t you saying anything? Are you speechless in front of me?”
Mrs. Waters always acted this way, refusing to relent. Carl had grown accustomed to it and chuckled self-deprecatingly, “I’m already a joke, there’s no need for you to remind me.”
Having said that, Carl turned around and walked into the room.
Hearing the sound of the door closing beside her, Mrs. Waters felt dissatisfied, realizing that she had lost control over her only son.
She burst into the room, her face showing signs of anger, and confronted him, “What kind of attitude is this? Do you not care about me at all?”
Mrs. Waters continued to argue outside the door, quickly attracting Grace’s attention as well.
Seeing that a battle was about to break out between mother and son, Grace hurriedly stepped forward to support Mrs. Waters.
“What happened again? Carl just came back, why are you fighting?”
With Grace chiming in, Mrs. Waters became even more arrogant, venting her anger, “My son is becoming more and more unbearable. I asked him what he did during the day, and he locked me out!”
Understanding the situation, Grace’s gaze fell upon Carl, and she began advising him kindly once again.
“Carl, you should know that she is just concerned about you. Why do you have to make her angry?”
In the Waters family, Grace always liked to play the peacemaker, as it gave her the opportunity to provoke Mrs. Waters’ hatred toward Nana time and time again.
As expected, when Carl ignored her persuasion, Grace’s eyes shifted, and she cautiously asked, “Carl, is it because you saw the photo and went to find Nana?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Upon hearing Grace mention Nana, Carl instinctively shut her up without a second thought.
Mrs. Waters became even more infuriated and gritted her teeth as she complained to Grace, “Do you see now? He comes home like this every day, as if each one of us owes him something!”
After venting her frustrations, Mrs. Waters didn’t stop there.
The more Carl refused to tell the truth, the more determined Mrs. Waters became to get to the bottom of things.
“Just like Grace said, did you go to find Nana?”
Mrs. Waters grabbed hold of Carl’s sleeve, pressing him aggressively, and demanded, “Tell me where she and her lover are staying. I want to go find her tomorrow too!”
At that moment, Carl felt his head spinning, and his breathing became more rapid.
Unable to tolerate his mother’s relentless questioning any longer, he abruptly shook off her hand and locked the door as he closed it.
Outside, Mrs. Waters continued to create a ruckus, but Carl remained silent.
He knew that the premature birth of Nana’s child was something he must not disclose to his mother, as the consequences would be unimaginable.
He must keep this matter a secret, otherwise Mrs. Waters will definitely affect Nana’s postpartum recovery.
Early the next morning, Carl woke up.
He wanted to go to the hospital to visit Nana but was afraid of Mrs. Waters’ incessant questioning. So, he left the house before dawn.
Before long, Carl arrived at the hospital, hastily making his way to the door of the ward.
Hearing voices from inside, Carl guessed that Nana must be awake, and the worry that had been weighing on his heart all night finally eased.
On the other side, Nana lay weakly on the hospital bed, looking at Jane sitting by her side, a pale smile appearing on her lips.
“So, I gave birth to a daughter. Unfortunately, I can’t take care of her now.”
“Yes, I’ve looked after the baby for you. Although she’s still very small, she’s beautiful and will surely grow up to be a beauty.”
Jane held Nana’s hand, her eyes filled with both tenderness and contentment.
Nana nodded at the sound of her words, seeing Patrick dozing off on the couch. She knew they had stayed by her side all night.
“You’ve both worked hard. You should go back and rest. My parents will come later to take care of me.”
Nana said lightly, licking her dry lips, feeling an unusual thirst in her throat.
Noticing that she wanted water, Jane quickly woke Patrick up and asked him to go out and fetch some water.
Patrick abruptly opened his eyes upon hearing Jane’s call, realizing that Nana had already woken up.
“You’re awake. Take good care of yourself. I’ll go get you some water.”
Patrick gave a cool smile, his tone much gentler than usual when he was outside.
Nana responded with gratitude, glancing at Patrick as he left the room.
Unbeknownst to her, just as Patrick opened the door, Carl slipped into the hallway, waiting.
“Nana! You’re finally awake!”
Carl’s voice was filled with excitement as he rushed to the bedside.
“Nana, how are you feeling now? Does the incision hurt? Should I call a nurse for you?”
Carl was on the verge of tears, his eyes filled with tenderness and concern.
However, Nana remained unmoved. The moment she saw Carl, she felt a strong resistance in her heart.
Frowning, she forcefully pushed away Carl’s outstretched hand.
“You go out! I don’t want to see you!”
Nana’s attitude didn’t budge in the slightest. She tightly held Jane’s hand, panting as she pleaded, “Please help me send him away. I really don’t want to see this person!”
Jane, feeling helpless as well, knew that now was not the time to reconcile.
“You should leave for now.”
Jane gave Carl a meaningful look, stood up, and accompanied him out of the ward.
Being expelled by Nana, Carl felt deeply disappointed. He shook his head and smiled bitterly, “I never expected that even after giving birth to the child, Nana still won’t forgive me.”
Jane, also helpless in this situation, could only try to explain from Carl’s perspective.
“Nana just woke up, and her emotions are unstable. Don’t provoke her for now. Let’s give it some time.”