Chapter 264

Upon leaving the hospital, Giselle's feet felt like they're floating. Harper worriedly followed beside her, catching her unstable steps several times. "Giselle..." Harper said, "Should we find a place to sit for a bit?" She was sincerely worried, fearing that if things continued this way, Giselle might stumble and fall. Yet, Giselle did not respond. After a considerable pause, she stiffly turned her head, looking at Harper. "Harper, did I mishear it just now? Vanessa mentioned that Patrick is sick, but it's not serious, right?" She asked Harper, as if longing to hear something different from her. But-- Harper was a doctor, she knew better than anyone. Giselle was deceiving herself, how could Harper provide her with the answer she wanted? "Giselle, stop thinking about it." All of a sudden, Giselle chuckled, she bit her lip, looking quite aggrieved. "Why did he fall sick? And so seriously at that. I’ve told him before that he has a weak constitution and needs to get a physical check-up every year. Why didn’t he listen? Why did it have to get so serious?” "Harper, I feel terrible... How could he die? Patrick isn't supposed to die, he … he is such a gentle person, always nice to everyone… In the past, he would even hold up an umbrella for stray cats during rainy days. A good person like him should live a long and happy life, right? " "He won't die, how could he die?" Giselle felt an intense pain in her eyes, she squatted down, burying her face into her arms. "He can't die...he can't die..." Giselle's body shook violently. She was usually one to wear her emotions on her sleeve, but this time she bit her lip fiercely to prevent herself from crying loudly. Harper squatted down slowly beside Giselle and lightly patted her back. But she couldn't find the words to comfort her. She didn't know how to comfort her. To tell her not to care about this matter? How could she not care? Even Harper felt terrible, let alone Giselle. He was the man that she had loved deeply. As Giselle cried, Harper just accompanied her in silence. Until... Giselle's phone rang. It was a call from Maverick. He knew that Giselle and Harper were having dinner together, because Giselle had told him so in the afternoon, asking him not to pick her up. But now it was getting quite late. Giselle held her phone, too afraid to answer. She had just been crying, and her voice must be choked up. Maverick would notice it as soon as he heard it. While wiping her tears, Giselle handed her phone to Harper. "Just say...just say I've gone to the restroom." Harper nodded, took the phone, and said as Giselle meant, "Liang has gone to the restroom." On the other side, Maverick did not think much and asked in a lighter voice, "Are you guys almost done? I'll pick her up." "This..." Harper glanced at Giselle, Giselle shook her head at her, and she quickly said, "No trouble, I'll take Liang home later." Giselle continued to gesture, and she said, "The phone is about to die, I'll hang up first." After saying this, Harper quickly hung up the phone, and then took a deep breath. She was truly not good at lying. After taking back her phone, Giselle took a tissue out of her bag, wiped her tears, then raised her head, staring at the sky for a while. Until...she managed to hold back all the teetering tears, then stopped. Then, she took a few deep breaths, looked at Harper, and asked, "Harper, do I look normal?" Harper looked at her for a while, then nodded. "That's good." Giselle said, "Now, you can drive me home." Once in the car, Giselle became extraordinarily quiet. Her eyes kept looking out the window until Harper drove to the entrance of Shallow Bay. Giselle was about to get off the car and once again asked Harper, "Can you tell that I've been crying?" "Giselle…" "Maverick doesn't want me to meet Patrick. If he knew I saw him today and cried, he would definitely get angry. He's really kind to me and I don't want him to be unhappy.” “…” Harper didn't expect that Giselle would care so much about Maverick's feelings now. She looked carefully at Giselle and said, "You can't tell, go home without worries." "Mhm.” Giselle nodded, opened the car door and got out. She then returned and looked at Harper through the car window, “Harper, there's still a chance that he doesn't have to die, right?” Harper replied, “Yes, maybe in a few days, there will be a kidney source that matches his.” “That's right, there must be.” There must be. Giselle kept repeating this to herself. As she walked through the villa, she adjusted her emotions one last time before entering, and practiced her smile several times. “Maverick, I'm home.” Giselle entered the living room cheerfully. Maverick was waiting in the living room. As he heard her voice and walked over, he didn't notice anything unusual; he only smelled the strong scent of hot pot on Giselle. "Did you have hot pot?" "Hmm." Giselle nodded, then sniffed at her clothes, showing disgust, "I need to take a shower and change my clothes quickly." She went upstairs. Maverick still helped her dress, but seeing Giselle yawn repeatedly while in the bathroom, he carried her back to the bed and tucked her in, without touching her at all. Giselle saw that Maverick had no plans to go to bed and asked him, "Aren't you going to sleep?" "You sleep first." Maverick said, "I have some things to do in the study." Once Giselle closed her eyes, Maverick went to the study. On his phone, a missed call from Steward. The timing of the call was too coincidental. Giselle had just arrived home, and Maverick had hung up. Thinking over it, Steward was probably calling about the news from this morning. Belinda's agency managed to bail her out in the afternoon. Maverick called Steward back and as soon as the call was connected, Steward's voice came through, "Belinda is pregnant." There was no joy in his voice. Pinching his phone, Maverick asked coldly and indifferently, "What do you plan to do?" There was almost no hesitation or delay on Steward's end. "I don't want it," he said. This was Steward's first reaction upon hearing the news. For Belinda, Steward originally had a trace of guilt. But when she purposefully answered his call, letting Harper hear that certain voice, resulting in his break up with Harper. Steward wished he could kill her. She ruined the decade-long relationship he had with Harper. But sought to control him with a child. Laughable —— "You surely can handle a woman." Any man could be cruel to a woman he didn't love. Maverick and Steward were never kind people. At times, they would resort to certain means to achieve their ends. It was normal. Even if Belinda didn't want to abort the child, Steward should have a way. "You're right," Steward said, "She sought my mom, thinking that she would protect her and the child in her womb." At this point, Steward even laughed a bit, laced with a bit of mockery, "She really doesn't understand my mom." If it's just dependent on a child, Years ago, Steward would probably include Harper in the trials. Steward's call to Maverick Silent had no other significance but to vent his melancholy over the unborn child that was his, which Belinda was to abort. Steward even thought, How good it would be if this child was Harper's? If Harper were pregnant, would she forgive him for the sake of the child?