19:42
Chapter 214
Chapter 214
Rosita stared at Irwin’s small figure as he walked away, not a trace of motherly affection in her eyes–only thinly veiled disgust. “Just my luck to be saddled with such idiotic genes…” she muttered under her breath.
With a dismissive snort, she tore her gaze away and headed upstairs.
Lauren had been holed up in her room for ages. What on earth was she up to in there?
Rosita hated looking after children–especially Irwin, who had been more unruly than ever lately. He was driving her up the wall.
Worse still, the wedding was fast approaching. There was no way she’d let Briony’s baby stick around any longer.
She had to deal with that child before the wedding. No excuses.
Rosita reached Lauren’s bedroom. The door was ajar, and she raised her hand to knock–only to freeze as voices drifted out.
“Neal! I told you to get rid of Briony, but you were supposed to check with me about the timing first!”
Rosita went rigid.
Neal?
Why did that name sound familiar?
She peered through the crack in the door. Lauren sat on the bed with her back to the door. Rosita couldn’t see her face, but Lauren’s voice was sharp with anger.
“You picked today of all days–completely ruined everything! Briony was supposed to finalize her divorce with Stewart today, but you… I’m not blaming you, but right now Briony’s perfectly fine, and you’ve already gotten the police involved…”
“Lay low abroad for now. I’ll wire you another payment soon, but don’t contact me until I reach out to you.”
Lauren hung up and, in a fit of rage, hurled her phone across the bed.
“That idiot Neal! If it weren’t for him, Briony and Stewart would have signed the divorce papers by now!”
Outside the door, Rosita frowned.
So Briony and Stewart were supposed to get divorced today, but everything got derailed because of that Neal?
Rosita closed her eyes, fighting down a surge of anger.
She turned on her heel and retreated to her own room.
Pulling out her phone, she searched for information on Neal.
To her surprise, she actually found something.
Neal was a fugitive, wanted for more than a decade.
Lauren knew a man like that?
Rosita’s expression grew grim.
Just how many secrets was her dear daughter hiding?
It was after eight in the evening when Briony finally woke up.
Gina, hovering anxiously at her bedside, rushed forward as soon as Briony’s eyes fluttered open. “Ms. Kensington, you’re awake!”
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19-42
Chapter 214
Briony’s mind was a haze as she came to, the events of the day slow to return to her.
She remembered fainting in front of Stewart. Then, with a jolt, panic set in–her pregnancy.
“Gina, who brought me to the hospital?” Briony’s hand flew to her stomach. “My babies–are they–7”
“Don’t worry, Ms. Kensington, the babies are perfectly fine!” Gina assured her quickly. “You’re at a private clinic now–Dr. Joyner arranged it. She asked me to tell you that Mr. Delaney woke up this afternoon and has already been moved out of the ICU. Marlene is there with him.”
Relief washed over Briony, the tension finally draining from her shoulders. “James is safe? Thank goodness. That’s all that matters.”
“Your pregnancy is still a secret,” Gina added gently. “Dr. Joyner wants you to stay here and rest until things stabilize. Once the babies are safe, you’ll be able to visit Mr. Delaney,”
Briony nodded, her mind at ease. “Understood.”
Briony spent three days on bed rest at the private clinic, her condition finally stabilizing.
James was recovering quickly as well. Though Briony couldn’t visit him in person, they spoke every day via video call. He was young and resilient, bouncing back with astonishing speed.
By the fourth day, James was almost his old self–cheerful and ravenous, already requesting hearty meals and rich comfort food.
Naturally, the doctors put a swift stop to that.
On the fifth day, Briony was officially cleared for discharge.
Just to be safe, her doctor prescribed another week’s worth of medication and instructed her to rest as much as possible at home.
After this close call, Briony became even more protective of her unborn twins.
Returning to Skybreeze Retreat, she carefully prepared a simple, nourishing meal–plain porridge and a few light side dishes–then packed it up and headed for the hospital.
James kept begging for steak and greasy takeout, but those were off–limits for now. Still, Briony hoped her homemade meal would lift his spirits.
But as soon as she stepped into the hospital foyer, she ran straight into Stewart.
He was carrying Irwin in his arms.
Irwin’s small hand was wrapped in thick bandages, his little face still streaked with dried tears.
The moment he spotted Briony, Irwin’s wailing started afresh.
“Mom! Mom, my hand got cut by a knife! There was so much blood-”
