Chapter 1613

Lincoln held his nose, struggling against tears—it hurt more than he expected. "Linc…" Ivy reached out her small hand, wanting to gently rub his nose. Lincoln winced, inhaling sharply. Not wanting to cause her concern, he managed a smile. "I'm okay, Ivy. You don't have to worry." "Let's go." With that, Lincoln picked up the fallen fruit and took her hand, guiding her to the stairwell. But just before he stepped down, he paused, uncertainty creeping in. He had come to apologize, but with everything unresolved, how could he possibly face Helen now? Nonetheless, returning meant dealing with Jennifer's fierce hostility, putting him in a difficult situation. After a long pause, Lincoln finally made up his mind. He turned and pulled Ivy into the nearby emergency exit. They sat on the stairs, facing the exit. Lincoln decided to wait until Jennifer left before attempting to go back inside. Turning his head, he noticed Ivy staring at the bag of fruit, her mouth watering. A mischievous glint sparkled in Lincoln's eyes as a plan took shape. "Ivy, what if we eat the fruit ourselves and just tell Mommy that Bailey forgave us? What do you think?" "Sounds good!" Ivy exclaimed, nodding eagerly. Lincoln couldn't help but chuckle. "You always go along with everything! If I said a fart smelled good, you'd probably agree!" "Uh-huh!" Ivy replied, her smile beaming brightly. Shaking his head, Lincoln pulled out a couple of apples, peaches, and bananas. "Which one do you want?" "Bananas! I love bananas the most!" Ivy exclaimed. Lincoln handed her all the bananas while he quietly peeled the peach nearby. The bananas were just the size of fingers, and Ivy devoured them two at a time. After she finished, she casually tossed the peels onto the floor. "Ivy, you can't litter here," Lincoln reminded her. "Okay, Linc, I'll pick it up when I'm done. Is that alright?" Ivy replied, still chewing. "Sure," Lincoln said with a cheerful nod. Ivy let out a giggle and continued to eat the remaining bananas, her cheeks puffing out like a little hamster. Just watching her eat helped ease Lincoln's tension significantly. … In the nearby hospital room, Bailey lay in bed, arguing with Jennifer. "I don't want to eat bananas! I've already told you—I hate them!" "I don't want to force you, but if you don't eat them, you're more likely to cramp up. Your dad is already upset about what happened at the party, so please don't be stubborn," Jennifer pleaded, gently nudging a banana toward her mouth. Bailey kept her lips tightly sealed, refusing to cooperate. "Bailey!" Jennifer snapped, her patience wearing thin. "Can you please listen for once? Do you have any idea how much I've had to put up with because of you over the years? I don't want to force you, but if you had been born a boy, maybe our lives wouldn't be so tough—" "So just because I'm a girl, I don't deserve to be loved?" Bailey shouted, her rage spilling over. She flung off the blanket, jumped out of bed, and stormed out of the room. She hurried toward the nearest emergency exit, eager to find a place to hide and release her emotions. But when she opened the door, she was met with the sight of Lincoln and Ivy happily eating fruit.