Chapter 1991

Adora's eyes widened in admiration. "Well, I don't care! I'm going to beat Daddy one day! I'll knock him down!" Elliot chuckled, feeling a mix of amusement and resignation. He decided not to engage further in Adora's spirited declarations. The family spent quite a while chatting in the meeting room. Adora completely forgot about her second-place finish in the wrestling match, shifting her focus to two other important people. "Mom, what are Auntie Mae and Uncle Nate up to? I haven't seen them in so long. I want to go skiing on Bloomsvale Mountain with them!" Sheena's expression stiffened upon hearing Adora's request. She had not mentioned Nathaniel and Mavis's issues to the kids, so she needed to come up with another explanation. "Adora, don't you remember that Auntie Mae is expecting a baby? She needs to take it easy and can't do risky activities like skiing." Adora was surprised. "Is a pregnancy that long?" "Of course," Elliot chimed in, breaking his usual silence. "A pregnancy lasts about nine months. It was really tough on your mommy when she was pregnant with both of you." Understanding this, Adora leaned in and kissed Sheena's cheek. "It took that long to have me and Asher? Mommy, thank you for your sacrifices!" Sheena's heart swelled with satisfaction. With such smart and adorable children, all the hardships she went through were worth it. However, Adora's words quickly reminded Sheena of something else. A few days ago, Mavis had been hospitalized due to bleeding during her pregnancy. After receiving news that Mavis had been moved to a regular ward, Sheena and Elliot left, but there were no updates about Mavis since then. Given Mavis's usual nature, Sheena expected she would have called to reassure them. Yet, everything was unusually quiet. They did not hear from Nathaniel either. Sheena thought the couple was acting strange and could not shake off her concern for Mavis. Elliot quickly noticed that Sheena was distracted and chose not to ask any questions in front of the children. Later, Adora was reluctantly led away by her teacher, crying. Elliot quietly leaned in and asked, "Is something on your mind, Honey? What's bothering you?" With Asher still nearby, Sheena did not go into details, simply saying, "I'm worried about Mae. Last we heard, she was hospitalized. I'd like to see her and check how she's doing." Elliot nodded in understanding. "We'll visit her first thing tomorrow morning after dropping Asher at school." Sheena nodded. Knowing she had his unconditional backing in her decision was incredibly comforting. They walked together hand in hand, with Asher trailing behind, determinedly ignoring his parents' affectionate display. … Mavis had been stuck in the hospital for days with no phone, doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and endlessly staring into space. Her life felt meaningless like she was a pet kept by Nathaniel with no sense of self. When Nathaniel was in a good mood, he would coax her into eating and speak to her gently. However, when he was upset, he would kiss her harshly as punishment or threaten to take away the baby, ensuring she would never see her child again. Mavis felt trapped and nearly driven mad by the situation. Thankfully, Sheena and Elliot soon arrived at the hospital, wanting to see her. Nathaniel kept Mavis confined and prevented her from going out, but he could not let Sheena and Elliot realize what was happening. Hence, he reluctantly agreed to let Sheena visit. Mavis instantly teared up when she saw Sheena. She wanted to embrace Sheena, but she was heavily pregnant, and it was getting harder for her to move around. Sheena held Mavis's hand, offering comfort. "How have you been lately? Is Nathaniel treating you well? Tell me if he's been giving you a hard time, and I'll have Elliot deal with him." Mavis's expression grew grim, her eyes even redder from the tears as she glanced at Nathaniel with a mixture of emotions.