Chapter 3
1316 Words
Mercy Hospital was a private hospital, known for its exorbitant fees.
However, its medical equipment was state-of-the-art, and many of its doctors were leading experts in their fields.
As for why Aiden, who had nothing left, was sent to such a hospital, naturally, someone from Liam's side had made the arrangements.
In one of the hospital rooms, Aiden lay on the stark white bedsheets with his eyes closed.
Liam held Aiden's hand tightly. "Aiden, it's all my fault. I never should have let you leave back then. Who could've known so much would happen?" Liam said, gently wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes.
Aiden's fingers twitched slightly, and he weakly blinked a couple of times. Slowly turning his head, he was stunned to see his parents.
Ever since Aiden had left home three years ago to make his own way, he hadn't seen them again.
"Dad, Mom, why are you here?" Aiden tried to sit up, but his body was too frail. His hands, bracing against the bedsheets, trembled violently.
Liam quickly wiped his tears away. "What are you getting up for? Just stay still and lie down."
That was how a strict father was—hiding his soft side behind a tough exterior, always appearing strong in front of his children.
Aiden's mother, Sarah, turned her back. For some reason, her body was trembling slightly as though she was using her sleeve to wipe her eyes.
"Come on. What's there to cry about?" Liam said angrily.
Sarah retorted, "You cried as well! I told you back then not to let Aiden go off on his own, but you wouldn't listen! And now his illness is so serious!"
"How was I supposed to stop him?" Liam replied.
Aiden smiled faintly. "Mom, don't worry about me. I'm fine."
"Stop playing it cool. I heard you've been coughing up blood," Sarah said, a little upset. "Aiden, what were you thinking? You left us to make your own way, not to give up your life. Why didn't you take better care of yourself?"
Aiden's expression showed only regret. He stayed silent for a long time.
At the same time, he was wrestling with himself internally.
'Should I tell them about my divorce?' he wondered. 'If I told them, would they be angry?'
After a long internal struggle, Aiden said, "Dad, Mom, I have something to tell you. Please don't get upset when you hear it."
Liam said, "What's there to get upset about? You're talking about the divorce, right?"
Aiden asked, "Dad, you... you already knew?"
Liam replied, "I've known for a while."
Aiden asked, "Are you not mad at me?"
Liam let out a long sigh. "If I were to get mad, I'd be most angry about you running away from home back then. Was it really worth it for a woman?"
Thinking of Emily made Aiden grit his teeth, but he kept his anger in check.
Then, someone appeared at the door. It was Mandy.
Mandy asked with concern, "Mr. Tate, Mrs. Tate, how's Aiden doing?"
Earlier, Mandy hadn't even taken the elevator and had run up the stairs, so she was still catching her breath.
In truth, Liam and Sarah had hired someone to keep tabs on Aiden, and Mandy had also arranged for someone to follow him.
They all knew about each other's actions but kept it unspoken.
"Mandy?" Aiden was very surprised. "How... How did you know I was sick?"
Mandy walked to Aiden's bedside. Under the sunlight, her face seemed to glow with warmth. "Take a guess."
"You are as naughty as when we were in school," Aiden said, resting his hands on his stomach. "I don't know what I did to deserve this today. Look. Everyone's here."
Mandy said, "No, there's still one person missing."
"Who?" Aiden looked confused.
"Your wife, Emily," Mandy replied.
Aiden's expression grew increasingly grim, and the door slowly opened.
As soon as Emily walked in, she pointed at Aiden and scolded him. "Let me tell you, Aiden, don't think you can use this to get me to pay for your surgery. You won't get a single penny from me!"
"Emily, who told you to come here?" Aiden demanded.
Emily glanced around. "Oh, so they are your parents, huh? We've been married for so many years, and I've never met them. Anyone who didn't know better might think they were dead!"
Aiden was furious. "Say that again!"
Emily said, "I'm not here to argue with you today, Aiden. Do you have any idea how busy I've been lately? I still have to discuss the cooperation with Harris Group, and now Apex Antiques might be working with us. Do you know how much money I'm losing just by being here with you?"
Liam couldn't hold back his anger anymore. "Emily, Aiden's seriously ill, and why are you still thinking about making money?"
Emily looked Liam up and down with disdain.
"Sir, do you think I'm like you, having nothing better to do, never taking care of Aiden after he was born?" Emily said coldly. She added with a sneer, "Oh, I see! Even if you did take care of him, I doubt you'd have the financial capability."
"Watch your words!" Liam's face turned red with anger.
Emily cut him off. "What? Am I wrong? If you had money, why would we have struggled so much after getting married? Whatever! We're already divorced now, and I don't want to bring this up anymore."
Mandy stepped forward, her expression calm but firm. "You're Emily Wilson, the founder of Wilson Group, right?"
Emily turned her gaze to Mandy and replied coldly, "So what?"
Mandy asked, "Emily, even though you're divorced from Aiden, they're still his parents. Shouldn't you at least show them some respect?"
Emily looked Mandy up and down with a mocking smile. "And who do you think you are? This is between us. It's none of your business."
Mandy's tone didn't waver. "Yes, Aiden and I are just friends, but I couldn't stand by and watch you mock him and his family anymore."
Emily sneered, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh... I see. I admit I stopped loving Aiden a long time ago. But we haven't officially finalized the divorce yet, and here you are, jumping out like a shameless homewrecker?"
Mandy's expression darkened. "Watch your mouth!"
"And what if I don't? What are you going to do, hit me? Go ahead, hit me if you dare!" Emily taunted arrogantly, crossing her arms.
Mandy's voice was steady but sharp. "I hope you won't regret your actions today."
Emily leaned in closer, her eyes narrowing. "What did you say? Do you think I'll regret it? Hah! That's hilarious! What, now even shameless homewreckers aren't afraid of being caught anymore? What a crazy world! There are all sorts of b*tches around you! Listen, I don't know who you are, but let me tell you something. I am the CEO of Wilson Group, and I don't regret anything. There are very few people in all of Veridonia who could make me feel regret."
Emily clicked her tongue and shook her head mockingly. "Aiden, who would've thought you'd be so lucky? You're practically half-dead, and yet you still have women standing up for you."
"Get... Get out!" Aiden shouted hoarsely, summoning all his strength. "I don't want to see you right now."
Emily let out a cold laugh. "Hmph! I don't want to stay here. I don't wanna look at your filthy family anyway."
Sarah, who had been holding back her anger for a long time, glanced at Aiden lying on the hospital bed.
Her heart ached as she watched his pale, frail figure.
Sarah's shoulders heaved with anger. Suddenly, her eyes swept the room, and she grabbed a small chair from the floor. Without hesitation, she swung it at Emily. "Emily! You ungrateful s**t! I'm gonna kill you today!"
- Writer
