Chapter 4
When Olivia woke again, she found herself lying in a hospital bed.
Sitting beside her wasn’t Nathan, but the family’s nanny.
“Ma’am, you’re finally awake,” the nanny said, visibly relieved. “I was the one who brought you to the hospital. It was also I made the soy milk for you, but I swear to God, I didn’t put any soybeans in it.”
Olivia closed her eyes, a clear tear rolling down her cheek. “I know.”
The soy milk had been made by the nanny, and Olivia was 100% certain there were no soybeans in it.
Yet the nanny still believed Olivia had suffered an allergic reaction and had rushed her to the hospital.
But where was Nathan? The man who had promised to love her forever had left her at home to die!
Claire’s hospital room was right next door.
When Olivia got up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, she discovered Claire’s hospital room was right next door.
Not only that, Nathan was s keeping constant vigil at Claire’s bedside.
In the past, when she had been sick, Nathan would watch over her in exactly the same way.
A man of his stature had countless matters to attend to every day, but whenever she fell ill, he would cancel all his work commitments to personally take care of her.
He would bring her milk, cook meals with his own hands, and coax her into taking her medicine…
Remembering these moments, Olivia’s eyes welled up with tears.
She couldn’t understand how their once beautiful relationship had deteriorated to this point.
“Nathan, darling, I’m dying. Before I go, I want one answer,” Claire lay in Nathan’s arms in the hospital room, tears in her eyes as she asked in a whisper: “After all these years, have you ever loved me?”
Nathan remained silent, unable to speak for a long time.
“Even just a little bit would be enough,” Claire sobbed. “Nathan, I don’t expect you to love me completely. If you have even the slightest genuine feeling for me, I can die without regrets.”
Looking at Claire’s tear–streaked face, Nathan’s heart ached.
He seemed unable to suppress his emotions any longer and pulled Claire tightly into his arms.
“Claire, of course I have feelings for you,” Nathan said. “Forgive me, I can’t tell you I love you because I already have Olivia, and I can’t betray her.”
“But if Olivia weren’t in the picture, I can tell you with absolute certainty that you would be the woman I love most in this world.”
Hearing the conversation coming from the crack in the door, Olivia’s heart felt like someone had punched a hole through it, with wind rushing in–cold and painful.
She reached up to touch her face, only then realizing she was already crying uncontrollably.
She had assumed that Nathan and Claire’s relationship was merely about seeking thrills.
She had thought there was only sex between them, not love.
But how could there be no love? When Claire had collapsed coughing blood, his eyes were filled with nothing but concern.
2.7%
Chapter 4
When Claire had put the meditation heads–the ones Olivia had reverently gotten blessed for him–into that filthy place, he hadn’t uttered a single word of reproach.
The scales in his heart had long since tipped to the other side.
Olivia left in tears. After walking just a few steps, her phone suddenly vibrated.
Claire had sent her a video.
Below the video was a caption: [Everything he once gave you, he’s also given me.)
Olivia opened the video. A lively wedding ceremony appeared on screen.
She immediately recognized it as the venue where she and Nathan had held their wedding.
Not only was the venue identical, but the wedding layout and decorations were exactly the same. For a moment, Olivia even thought the video was from her own wedding.
Until Claire appeared in the frame wearing a wedding dress, and Olivia gasped in shock.
“Claire, darling, I heard everything from Nathan. You’re carrying his children–twins!” In the video, Nathan’s mother affectionately held Claire’s hand, clearly fond of her.
“I’m so happy! You’re truly our Reed family’s greatest blessing!”
“Although you and Nathan can’t legally register your marriage, I promise you that whatever Olivia has, you’ll have too–and you’ll have even more than she does!”
As she spoke, Nathan’s mother removed the emerald jade bracelet from her wrist.
“This is the Reed family’s heirloom jade bracelet, an imperial item from ancient times, worn by the empress herself,” Nathan’s mother said with a smile.
“The Reed family has only this one bracelet, passed down only to the son’s wife.”
With that, Nathan’s mother placed the bracelet on Claire’s wrist: “Claire, you are the only daughter–in–law I’m willing to acknowledge!”
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