“Smack!”
Conrad watched the pen fall to the floor.
He silently bent down to pick it up.
His hands had gone through two surgeries, but he could still manage fine motor skills. Thankfully, no arteries had been damaged.
The pen was one that Lillian had bought.
It wasn’t from their second year together, though.
She had said it could be engraved.
She bought two of them, custom-made.
His pen had always been left unused in the drawer. But she had used hers every day. The pen had scratches on it, and Conrad’s name was engraved on it.
On the bookshelf, there were three large books of handwriting practice sheets.
She had secretly practiced calligraphy with the pen.
Her handwriting had originally been delicate, but after being with him, she began to imitate his notes.
It was like she wanted to be more like him, so she could stay by his side longer.
That silly woman.
Taylor Mansion-her room had been destroyed in the fire.
Everything that could be salvaged was here.
He moved all of it back to Hillside Villa.
It was like the foolish things Lillian had done in the past.
As long as he did this, it was like she was still in this home. Still by his side.
The weather was turning colder.
Everyone at the villa had already switched to long-sleeved work clothes.
Lillian, are you cold? Did you add more layers?
He took the pen and slowly began writing beneath her handwriting practice sheets.
“Ada had a litter of adorable little dogs. The villa’s lively every day.
The children’s room you set up for them is already too small.
I plan to clear some land on the back mountain so they can live there.
As you instructed, we won’t separate any of them. Is that alright?”
If you have time, come back and see them, alright?
Come and see me too.
I miss you.”
He felt like a whole day dragged on forever.
His thoughts had grown sluggish.
Sometimes, he’d hold her clothes in his arms and sleep for the entire day.
The long hours of sleep only made him feel more exhausted.
George came frequently.
Every day, he’d ask what Conrad had done the day before.
“What can I do? Sleep at home.”
“Are you really just sleeping at home?” George sighed. “How long has it been since you’ve seen a doctor?”
Conrad remained silent. “I don’t even want to see you guys, let alone her. Lillian doesn’t like other women coming to our house.”
George rubbed his forehead and threw a stack of photos onto the table. “You need to realize just how bad your situation is right now.”
“This was last week. You said you were sleeping at home, but you were at the beach.”
“This was two days ago. You said you were staring out at the balcony, but in reality, you were at the Lewis family’s old house.”
“What about this one? You were at a meeting at the office, but five minutes after you went into the break room, you left again, heading to some unknown place. You even drove to the small town where Lillian used to stay.”
“You scared the old lady at the flower shop so much she called the police. Do you know that?”
Conrad stared at the photos, his expression blank. “I don’t remember.”
“Of course, you don’t remember. You haven’t rested properly! You’ve lost your mind, you know? Your brain is constantly running at full speed, and you haven’t given it any time to rest. Conrad, go see a doctor. At this rate, you’re going to wear yourself out.”
When Gordon drove up to the entrance of Hillside Villa, the security guard let him through without hesitation.
He parked the car and asked, “What’s that over there?”
The guard leaned out and noticed a bamboo basket hidden in the bushes.
Frowning, he said, “I don’t know. The cleaning crew usually takes care of the entrance, but the person responsible is off today. I’ll go check, Mr. Gordon. You can head in.”
“Is it a kitten?”
The sound was faint, almost pitiful, coming in waves.
Suddenly, Gordon remembered when Lillian was young, how she had once found a litter of kittens in the school library, using her umbrella to shelter them while she stood in the rain.
His thoughts stirred, and he got out of the car, walking over with the guard.
“It’s a child!” The guard was stunned.
How could someone leave a child here? They had no idea how long the child had been there, but the baby’s face was red from crying, and their breathing was weak and shallow.
Because a light drizzle was still falling, the security guard closed the pavilion windows. Since the baby had been placed in a hidden corner, they hadn’t noticed it at all.
“How could there be a baby here?” The guard repeated, almost crying. If this got out, his job would be on the line!
Gordon bent down. The baby hadn’t even opened its eyes yet, its little face tightly scrunched up, its tiny hand reaching out toward the sky.
When Gordon reached out, the baby’s tiny fist barely grasped his pinky finger, but it was surprisingly strong.
Something in Gordon’s mind clicked, and he noticed a red string around the baby’s neck.
He pulled at the string and found an emerald necklace engraved with the word “Lillian” in red.
Gordon’s pupils dilated in shock, and after a moment of intense joy, he quickly grabbed the bamboo basket and rushed to the car.
“Quick! Open the door!”
The guard hurriedly pressed the button to open the gate.
Gordon placed the basket in the passenger seat, unsure how long the baby had been left in the bushes. The baby’s body was cold, with only a small amount of warmth left.
Gordon swore that ever since he had driven the car, he had never gone so slowly.
After carefully parking the car, George came out. He said gruffly, “I thought some old lady was driving your car.”
He had seen Gordon driving like a snail from a distance.
Gordon quickly said, “Is Conrad here? You’ll do too. Child. A child!”
“Get your tongue straight before you talk. What child?”
“Lillian’s child! In the car!”
George shoved him aside and looked into the basket in the passenger seat, where the tiny life lay.
“Go get Conrad down here! Maybe he can be saved now!” George’s emotions were all over the place.
Gordon rushed into the villa as fast as he could, even Andrew couldn’t stop him.
Conrad was about to take his medication when the door was suddenly slammed open. He was about to angrily tell Gordon to get out of his and Lillian’s room but was grabbed by Gordon’s wrist and dragged downstairs.
“Are you looking for trouble?” Conrad muttered in irritation.
Gordon turned his head and said, “You have a child.”
“You-what the hell…” Before Conrad could finish his sentence, the sound of a baby crying came from downstairs, and Conrad froze, his body stiffening.
George was on the phone while telling Nancy, “Hurry up and bring a blanket. Yes, there’s a child here, probably just born. Come right now!”
George called for his company’s helicopter and, holding the baby, looked up at the man on the second floor. “You can keep trying to die, but this child, I’m afraid, will be an orphan.”
Conrad didn’t even remember how he got downstairs.
When he jumped down, he almost injured his bad leg again.
He wanted to take the child from George’s arms, but he hesitated, not daring to touch it.
“Who’s the father?” His brain didn’t quite process things, so he just blurted out the question, desperate for a definite answer.
“Can you still have other women? “With a child like this, whose could it possibly be?”
Conrad stared at the red string in the baby’s tiny fist.
He stepped closer, his eyes red, gently holding the tiny hand, which felt like soft tofu.
The emerald necklace.
It was the same emerald necklace he had repaired.
The one Lillian always wore wherever she went.
“She’s really alive.”
“She’s really alive.”
He murmured to himself, unable to wait to run out and find her, but George grabbed him tightly.
“The child needs emergency care. The situation is bad.”
Conrad turned his head, staring in shock at the tiny bundle.
Lillian had given him this child.