Gwendolyn White pressed her lips together, a sting of tears building in her nose.
She was terrified that these memories would haunt her for the rest of her life…
Carney slipped an arm around his wife, letting out a heavy sigh. “As heartbreaking as this is, we should try to be grateful. At least fate left her with a daughter.”
When James heard about Briony’s accident overseas, he immediately called his father and caught the first private jet back to Silveridge.
He arrived at the hospital just as Cedric Clarke was pulling up.
They ran into each other outside the main entrance.
James’s face was dark. He glanced around, not seeing Stewart, and asked, “Stewart’s not here?”
Cedric had only learned after landing that Stewart had already taken the child’s body back to Northborough.
Word was, Stewart intended to bury the baby in the Wentworth family mausoleum.
But Cedric decided it was best not to mention that right now.
“He went back to Northborough.”
James gave a cold snort. “Better that he’s not here.”
Cedric Clarke let out a long sigh. At this point, he honestly didn’t know what else to say.
“Let’s go inside and take a look.”
James and Cedric hurried toward the inpatient wing.
Outside the intensive care unit, Gwendolyn White, Carney, and Carl were waiting.
Cedric had already introduced himself to Gwendolyn and Carney.
Gwendolyn gave Cedric a tired nod. “Bryn’s spoken of you before, Dr. Clarke. Thank you for coming all this way.” “I’m a friend of Ms. Kensington’s,” Cedric replied. “It’s only right that I check in.”
Gwendolyn pressed her lips together again, sighing. “Bryn’s been through so much. Stewart took the baby away–I have no idea how I’ll ever explain that to Bryn when she wakes up.”
Cedric hesitated, thoughtful. “Maybe Stewart just wanted to give the child a proper resting place.”
Gwendolyn’s expression tightened, but she said nothing more.
Briony’s condition had stabilized. Seeing her like this pained James, but he was slightly relieved.
“I’m going to check on my goddaughter,” he said quietly.
“I’ll go with you,” Cedric offered.
The two of them headed to the neonatal unit.
On the way, James asked, “Has Dr. Joyner gotten her memory back?”
Cedric shook his head. “No. But last night she had a nightmare–said she saw someone bleeding badly. She couldn’t make out who it was. It scared her so much she woke up with chest pains.”
James frowned. “She and Bryn were like sisters. Even without her memory, she must still care for Bryn deep down.”
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“That’s how it seems now. I blame myself,” Cedric said heavily. “I thought the nightmares were from trauma–I never connected them to Briony. If I’d paid closer attention, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way.” James’s expression darkened. “Hindsight’s always twenty–twenty. If I’d known what Bryn would go through while I was abroad, I never would have left her.”
Cedric turned to look at him.
James’s brows were drawn tight, his eyes rimmed red.
Cedric reached out and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze.
In the neonatal ward.
The baby girl–born three pounds, two ounces–lay in an incubator, her tiny body tinged red, tubes and wires everywhere.
James’s heart twisted at the sight. “She’s so small… and already being stuck with needles. Poor little thing…”
Cedric sought out the attending neonatologist to ask about the baby’s condition.
The news wasn’t encouraging.
In addition to being premature, she had issues with her heart and lungs.
The doctor, realizing Cedric was a physician, handed him the medical report.
After reading it, Cedric’s face was grave.
As a doctor, he knew better than anyone–judging by the report, the baby’s chances weren’t good…
As they headed back to Briony, James noticed Cedric’s troubled expression. “Did you just speak to the neonatologist? Is it bad?”
“Premature babies are always fragile,” Cedric replied, choosing his words carefully. “But let’s trust the doctors–this hospital has excellent staff. She’ll pull through.”
“She has to pull through!” James declared fiercely. “Bryn has already lost one child. This one–nothing can happen to her!”
Cedric pressed his lips together, keeping his worries to himself.
News that Stewart had brought a stillborn child to be buried in the Wentworth family mausoleum quickly stirred up the family elders.
Fiona was the first to object.
But Stewart refused to back down–he insisted on the burial and even arranged for a priest to conduct a service.
The whole ordeal left the family deeply unsettled, but Stewart’s presence was intimidating enough that no one dared openly oppose him.
From the burial to the memorial, three days passed.
During that time, Cedric and Carl kept vigil at the hospital for Stewart.
Yesterday, Briony was finally moved out of intensive care. She was stable.
Word was, she was lucid that afternoon.
The moment she woke, she asked about the baby.
Fearing she’d be too upset, everyone skirted the truth, saying the baby was in the neonatal ward because she
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was premature. Briony didn’t suspect a thing.
She asked to see the baby, and James showed her a photo of her daughter.
Briony’s eyes filled with tears, and she asked, “Why only photos of my daughter? What about her brother?”
James quickly pocketed his phone, feigning annoyance. “I didn’t take any of him–my eyes are only for my goddaughter!”
It was just the sort of doting ‘girl dad‘ thing James was known for.
Briony shot him a warning look but didn’t question it. “Tomorrow, take more pictures. I want photos of her brother, too. Got it?”
James grumbled, but relented. “Alright, alright, I got it.”
Once Stewart heard Briony was awake, and having finished affairs back in Northborough, he boarded another private jet bound straight for Silveridge.
