Elijah immediately went to check on Evan and asked, “Has his condition improved?”
Orion checked and replied, “No, it’s just the sound of the medical equipment operating.”
A hint of disappointment flashed in Elijah’s eyes. Seeing Evan in such a state was also difficult for him. Suddenly, Sacha Lowe walked into the ward with an empty bowl in her hands. When she saw the people in the room, she seemed taken aback for a moment before saying, “Oh, you’re here.”
Elijah gave her a casual glance. He didn’t ask anything and walked out of the ward. Orion followed him, thinking that Elijah didn’t know Sacha. He said, “I don’t know when this guy started dating her. When she first arrived, I thought she was a bad person.”
“And then?” Elijah asked.
“She’s actually a good girl…”
Elijah stopped in his tracks and turned to look at Orion. “How did you determine that she’s a good person?”
“I didn’t let her see Evan, so she stayed outside the ward all the time. She even slept on that bench at night. I saw her sincerity, so I let her in to see Evan. And she didn’t leave. She takes care of Evan’s daily needs and even learns massage techniques from the nurses.”
Orion sighed and said, “Evan is lucky. Despite his condition, this girl is willing to take care of him.”
“Are your eyes functioning properly?” Elijah sarcastically remarked.
“Isn’t she a good person?” Curiously, he asked, “Do you know her?”
Elijah’s impression of her before wasn’t that great, though. But soon, he remembered something. Evan never used to be late when returning from Country M, but that day he was. It must have been because of Sacha Lowe. Otherwise, Sacha wouldn’t have come back from Country M just to take care of Evan.
“Should I chase her away?” Orion didn’t understand Sacha.
“Let her be. Tell me about yourself.”
“Me?” Orion felt embarrassed to say it out loud. But there were some things that he needed to confide in someone about.
“Haley cheated on me…” Orion struggled to speak, and there was no one else who could give him advice. He had to share it with Elijah. “No doubt about it, I caught them in bed together.”
Although he didn’t like Haley, she did have the title of his wife. Orion felt a mix of resentment and embarrassment. Being cuckolded was a humiliation to a man’s dignity.
Elijah frowned. But he didn’t sympathize with Orion. It was Orion’s own choice. He married Haley even though he didn’t like her. Trouble in the future was something he could have anticipated.
“What are you going to do?” asked Elijah.
“I want a divorce, but the Holt family doesn’t agree. You know, it was my mother who forced me into this marriage, set me up. Or I wouldn’t have agreed to marry so easily…”
“Enough.” Elijah didn’t have time to listen. He looked at Orion with the weight of an older father advising his son. “Orion, it’s time for you to be independent. Whoever stands in your way, break through them. If that doesn’t work, take them down directly. You’ve had enough time to grow, show your courage.”
Orion seemed to understand, yet also seemed confused.
“You’ve reached this point. Think for yourself.” With that, Elijah left the hospital.
Orion, however, fell into deep thought. Ultimately, it came down to the Holt family. He married Haley because his mother saw the Holt family’s background. Indeed, the alliance between the two families brought him benefits.
Was Elijah suggesting that he should take down the Holt family?
It seemed like that was what he meant, Orion thought. And he knew what he had to do.
…
The Next Day.
Freya woke up to the sight of a young little face, strikingly similar to Elijah’s. She reached out and touched Kai’s cheek. Kai suddenly ran out. Shortly after, Elijah walked in. She had slept deeply the night before and had no idea what time Elijah had come back. But when she saw the dark circles under his eyes, she immediately knew Elijah hadn’t slept. He hadn’t been taking care of himself these past few days. So, there was a faint tiredness on his face.
She got up and said, “You should get some rest.”
Elijah sat down by the bed, holding her hand in his palm, and said, “Xander has reached out to the best international private detective. I need to go and meet with them as soon as possible. I’ve arranged for security to protect you both. I’ll handle things over there as quickly as I can.”
Freya understood his need to travel back and forth and knew how hard he was working. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy. While she was consumed by her own sadness, Elijah was a father. Didn’t he feel heartbroken too? She raised her hand and gently touched his cheek. No words were spoken. But it felt like everything had been said.
Elijah quickly finished his lunch and left. Freya lay on the couch in the living room, not watching TV or reading a book, just staring unfocused at the ceiling. She didn’t know what she was looking at or what she was thinking about. Elowen came over and covered her with a blanket.
“What are you thinking about?” asked Elowen.
Freya snapped out of her thoughts and said, “Nothing.”
She turned to look at Kai. The little boy sat on the carpet in front of the couch, playing with his toy dog.
“Does Kai really like dogs?” She noticed there were many toy dogs.
“Yes, one time, when I took him outside, he saw someone walking a dog the size of a small cow and he pointed at it. I was scared just looking at it, but he wasn’t afraid at all. The little one dares to want anything.”
Freya reached out to Kai and said, “Kai, come here.”
The boy looked up at her, blinked his big black eyes, and fluttered his thick eyelashes a few times.
Elowen coaxed him, “Go on.”
Only then did Kai crawl towards Freya. Freya held him in her arms and touched the toy dog in his hands, “How about I buy you a real one?”
“But we can’t have pets at home, right?” Just as Freya finished speaking, Elowen interrupted, “Exactly, if animals carry any bacteria, what if Kai gets infected? You want to please your son, but you can’t do it this way, right?”
Kai seemed to understand and nudged closer to Freya, his voice soft and tender, “O-Okay.”
Elowen was afraid that Kai would touch Freya’s wound and tried to pull him away, but Freya stopped her, “I’m fine.”
It was not easy for Kai to get close to her. How could she push him away when they were finally getting intimate?
“Then let’s buy one.” She kissed her son’s cheek.
Elowen wanted to say something, but Freya said, “Let’s buy a small one, from a reputable pet store. They will have their shots, and there are pet hospitals everywhere now. If you’re worried, we can take them for a check-up.”
Elowen knew her daughter was trying to please her own son and reluctantly agreed, “But you can’t go out, have the driver go instead.”
Freya nodded.
“Oh, by the way, mom, how’s Zane doing lately?”
Elowen was momentarily speechless. She had been taking care of Kai and hadn’t been back to the house. She had no idea how Zane was doing.
“… I don’t know.”
Freya reached for her phone, wanting to contact him. But at that moment, a call came in. She picked it up casually.
A voice came from the other end, “I’m getting married. Come to my wedding!”
Freya couldn’t even make out whose voice it was.