Chapter 7

Whitney rushed back to the nursing home and wrapped Victoria and Nola tightly in her arms.

The real estate agent messaged her to say the house had been sold and the money had been deposited into her account.

She finally had money.

She could take Victoria and Nola away from here and start over.

She quickly arranged Victoria's transfer to another nursing home, carefully planning every detail of their escape, down to the timing and route.

She'd learned from the bodyguards that Lennox would be holding a press conference at the exact same time as her surgery to announce to the entire city that Winona was carrying his child.

It was the perfect opportunity to get away.

She even began to imagine what their future might look like.

She'd rent a small house, care for Victoria, and raise her child.

Life might be a little harder, but as long as the people she loved were by her side, she could face anything.

But when Whitney returned to the room, Victoria and Nola were gone.

She searched the entire nursing home, but there was no sign of either of them.

A sudden sense of dread washed over her.

Just then, her phone rang.

Lennox's voice came through the receiver. "It's time for your pre-op tests. Come back to the hospital."

Whitney was about to refuse when Nola's scream suddenly rang out from the other end.

"Mommy! Don't come!"

Whitney tightened her grip on the phone until her nails dug into her palm.

"Where's my mother?"

Lennox's tone was casual. "Be good and go back to the hospital for your surgery. Your mother will be fine."

"You bastard!"

Whitney screamed, but he'd already hung up.

She sank to the floor. There were still two hours until her surgery.

She wiped away her tears and rushed back to the hospital.

The wind howled across the rooftop. Victoria sat in a wheelchair, her gray-white hair whipped into a tangled mess by the gusts.

The bodyguards held Nola in place, her tiny body swaying precariously in the wind.

Whitney's scalp prickled with dread.

"Lennox, what are you trying to do?"

Lennox stood with his hands in his trouser pockets, his brows slightly furrowed.

Before he could answer, Winona jumped in.

"I knew there was something going on between her and that little girl. Look how worked up she is. Don't tell me she's your illegitimate daughter?"

Lennox's expression darkened by the second.

He fixed his gaze on Whitney, each word deliberate. "Who is this child, exactly? Why are you so protective about her?"

Whitney opened her mouth, but no words came out.

How could she explain? Tell him she was their daughter? Tell him she'd come from the future?

"She's just a relative's child. Don't hurt her."

"A relative's child?"

Winona let out a soft laugh and slipped her arm through Lennox's.

"I remember you and Whitney spent more than half a year abroad right after you got married. Maybe that's when..."

"You're talking nonsense!"

Whitney cut her off sharply.

Lennox shook off Winona's hand and took two steps forward.

"Whitney, I'm asking you one last time. Who is she?"

Whitney bit her lip. "She's our daughter. She came from the future. Her name is Nola. You're the one who named her."

"Enough."

Lennox let out a cold laugh and shook his head in disappointment.

"I can't believe you'd make up something that ridiculous."

Winona stepped up beside Lennox and made a suggestion.

"It's easy enough to find out. One is her illegitimate daughter, and the other is her own mother. When people are in danger, they instinctively protect the person they care about most. Why not let Ms. Westbrook choose? Then we'll have our answer."

Lennox's face darkened. He tipped his chin toward the bodyguards.

The wheelchair was pushed to the edge of the rooftop, and Nola was forced to the edge as well.

Just one more shove, and they would both plunge from the roof.

Lennox uttered a single word.

"Choose."

Whitney slowly sank to her knees, crying as she shook her head.

"I won't choose. I don't want anyone to die."

Victoria was unconscious, completely unaware of the danger.

But Nola turned her head and cried out to Whitney through her tears.

"Mommy, save Grandma! I came here to make sure you wouldn't die!"

Winona sneered. "Look at you two, so devoted to each other. And you still have the nerve to act so brazenly after cheating on Lennox."

"You wicked woman!" Nola shouted at her with all her strength. "Don't you dare bully my mommy!"

Winona's expression darkened. She strode over, raised her hand, and slapped Nola hard across the face.

At the same time, a severe, dull pain struck Whitney's lower abdomen.

Clutching her stomach, she let out a hoarse scream.

"Don't hurt my baby!"

Those words pushed Lennox over the edge.

His eyes were bloodshot, the veins on his forehead bulging.

"Choose one! Whitney, you have to choose today! If you don't, I'll push them both off!"

Nola suddenly fell silent.

She turned to look at Whitney, tears streaming down her face, yet a faint smile touched her lips.

"Mommy, it's time for me to go. Goodbye, Mommy."

"Nola!"

As Whitney screamed, Nola somehow found the strength to wrench herself free from the bodyguard's grasp and leap off the rooftop without hesitation.

Whitney lunged for the edge, but Lennox grabbed her and yanked her back.

She fought desperately, pounding her fists against him and scratching his face with her nails.

She couldn't think about anything else. One thought consumed her mind.

Her daughter had jumped.

A sudden gush of warmth spilled from between her legs, followed by another.

Blood streamed down her thighs, soaking through the white fabric of her dress.

Lennox's pupils contracted sharply. He scooped Whitney up in his arms and sprinted toward the stairs.

"Doctor! Save her! Fucking save her!"

As Whitney was wheeled into the operating room, she could clearly feel something slipping away from her body.

Just before the doors closed, she saw Lennox's assistant, Matthew Clark, grab him and hold him back.

"Mr. Graham, all the reporters are here for the press conference. They're waiting for you."

Then she heard Lennox's voice.

He barked at the doctor, "Don't let anything happen to her."

There was a brief pause.

His footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

In the final moments before losing consciousness, Whitney reached out and clutched the doctor's wrist in desperation.

"Help me. Get me out of here."