His greatest saving grace? This was her first time seeing him display such immense guilt over all of his mistakes in the past. She felt compelled to hold him.She gazed at Aristotle, who was still full of energy, and suggested, “Maybe… We can try handing Aristotle over to Mary? He’s not sleepy yet, so he probably won’t fuss.”It took Mark a while before he understood what Arianne meant. Usually, he would have to force that little third wheel away. Today, it was a rare sight for her to take the initiative. Of course, he was happy. “Okay. Take him. I’ll wait for you in the bedroom.”Arianne blushed as she carried Aristotle away. She found Mary and tried her best to look as normal as possibly. She tried her best to regulate her breathing. “Mary, could you take care of Smore for now? I’ll take him to bed later.”Mary happily accepted Aristotle into her arms. “Sure. It’s fine. Come over for him later. He’s not sleepy yet, so I’ll take him for a walk around the garden. He’ll get sick too
“What happened?” she asked.He tightened his grip around his phone. “Something has happened to Eric. I’ve always known that his stomach problems would end up in a disaster… I’ve got to go.Arianne’s mind buzzed. She immediately remembered the first time she met Eric. He had an amiable temperament. He was always smiling and very easy-going, and he still seemed so dazzling next to Mark and Jackson. Despite severing ties with his own family and building his own business, he still shone like a star and worked hard to shine on his own…Based on the look on Mark’s face, Eric might be…“I’m going with you! Eric isn’t just your friend but mine too,” she insisted determinedly.This time, Mark did not object. Instead, he asked, “What if Smore cries? Who knows what time we’ll come home. It might be morning by the time we’re done.”Arianne quickly changed her clothes, afraid that he might change his mind. “Should it matter? Eric left his family long ago. We’re his only friends. If Smore want
The hospital.By the time Mark and Arianne arrived, Eric was in the middle of surgery. No one was waiting outside the operating theatre before they arrived. It was heart-breaking.Arianne sat on a long bench in the hallway. “Who called you? Why is no one here?”“Tanya.” Mark looked at her from his side profile.Arianne frowned. “Why her? I guess it makes sense… She left after making that call, probably because she didn’t want to run into us.”“The condo she lives in is right across Eric’s office. She probably happened to see that something had happened to him, so she sent him to the hospital and called us.” He guessed. “Jackson is on his way back too.”Arianne had nothing to say about that. At least, Tanya wasn’t completely evil and hadn’t forgotten Eric’s kindness toward her.The surgery took more than five hours. Once the operating theatre’s indication lights went out, Mark rushed forward and waited for the door to open. The head surgeon’s forehead was drenched in sweat when
Eric was still feeling very weak. It took him a while before he finally answered. “What are you saying? I just… don’t feel like living anymore. By the time I realized, it was already in the late stage anyway. There’s no need for treatment.”Jackson’s voice grew hoarse. “What do you mean, ‘don’t feel like living anymore’? If you really didn’t, why’d you get a girlfriend then? You obviously wanted to live…”Eric shut his eyes and shook his head. “Everything felt perfect before we got together, and I began looking forward to the future. But she’s not marriage material. She’s only good at having fun and is only concerned about enjoying herself. She’s not ready to settle down yet. We’re from completely different worlds. I’ve had enough fun, and now, I want stability. But she has only just started having fun. Our paths were different from the beginning. If I’m correct, she must have gone out drinking last night and isn’t home yet. It’s fine. We’re going to break up anyway. By the way, when
Arianne and Tiffany couldn’t stand it any longer. They had no idea that Vicky’s number was the first one Eric had dialed. Vicky had actually rejected his call while he was dying, all for the sake of having fun. Now, she had the audacity to claim that she was the closest thing to Eric!The biggest irony of all was that it was Tanya, whom Vicky hated the most, that managed to save Eric’s life for the time being.Vicky was losing control of the smile on her face, but she persisted. “What are you saying? Are you feeling confused? This is all in your head. I’m not doing this for any inheritance! I wasn’t even aware that you’d called me last night. I went to the washroom and my friend rejected the call out of mischief. She didn’t tell me about it either. I realized that I couldn’t call you this morning and that you were in the hospital when I checked your location. I asked a nurse downstairs when I arrived… and found your ward. I really didn’t mean to do it. Please don’t think of me that w
Arianne’s expression hardened. She lifted her hand and delivered a hard slap. Her upbringing prevented her from spewing foul language, so this slap was an amalgamation of how upset she was. “Leave.”Vicky gritted her teeth but was too afraid to do anything to Arianne, so she left in a huff. Arianne had put a lot of force into that slap because she was truly infuriated. Her hand was still sore and numb when she returned to the ward. Mark pulled her aside. “We can take care of Eric from here. You should go home. Smore won’t be able to endure your absence.”Arianne could see how tired Tiffany was as well, so she dragged her along. “Come on, you can come home with me. We’ll come over when we wake up. I have to go home and check on the baby.”Tiffany knew that Jackson and Mark wouldn’t leave, and there were people watching over him. She said nothing, ordering take out for them before following Arianne back to the Tremont Estate.It was a bright, sunny day when they left the hospital,
Her feelings for Eric couldn’t be explained. She thought that it was love, at first. Later, she realized that it was completely different from what she had felt for Jackson. Now, she believed that Eric felt more like a brother to her, like family. She wanted to stay at the hospital but was afraid of running into Arianne and the rest. She still felt very concerned.Just as she was growing fidgety, she heard the sound of a key turning in the doorknob. Only Jett had the keys to her place.Jett had mentioned that he had to take a trip to South Park with Alejandro and that he would probably be staying for a week. She was surprised by his early return and got up. “Have you eaten?” she asked. “I… I didn’t know that you’d be back so soon. I haven’t had time to cook.”“Don’t worry about me,” Jett calmly replied. “Are you going out?”Only then did Tanya realize that she had been holding her phone and keys, looking as if she was ready to head out. She paused and decided to be honest. “I’m goi
Tiffany’s words echoed in her mind. Eric was dying…She stared at the white walls outside the hospital. She didn’t want to leave like this, but she couldn’t come up with a reason to go back inside. In the midst of her hesitation, she noticed a black BYD on the side of the road. The car window winded down, revealing Jett wearing a pair of glasses and gesturing at her with his chin.She looked around, ensured that no one who knew her was around, then got into the car. “What are you doing here?” Jett started the engine with an emotionless look on his face. “I’m worried. I have to go back to Alejandro’s, but I’ll drop you home first.”Tanya bit her lip and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t go into the ward at all. I ran into Tiffany at the hospital. Don’t worry. I didn’t say anything.”Jett did not answer. He tossed a plastic bag from the hospital at her, with two small medicine bottles inside. She took out the bottles and found that it was folic acid. “These are… for me?”Jett nodded. He