Chapter 105

Chapter 105

Nicholas stood rigidly beside the hospital bed, the remote control in his hand creaking under the pressure of his grip.

"Lindsey is not Holden's biological mother," Diana repeated each word deliberately. "Then who is Holden's mother?"

"That man's words can't be trusted." Nicholas set down the remote, his expression returning to cold indifference.

"He's from The Scavengers—professionally trained. The fact that he threw out that line right after waking up suggests he's trying to stir up chaos."

Diana scoffed. "You're still terrible at lying."

Nicholas's gaze darkened. "Diana!"

Diana's body was weak, but her mind remained sharp.

"If you'd just found out, your first reaction should've been to send someone to check Holden's birth records—not cut the sound and clear the room. You're not afraid he's lying. You're afraid of what he'll say next."

Nicholas looked away.

Diana didn't press further. She simply leaned back against the pillow and closed her eyes. "You don't want to tell me? Fine. But every time you hide something from me, I'll hate you a little more."

At those words, Nicholas's face went pale.

The intercom beside the bed suddenly buzzed.

Nicholas pressed the answer button. A guard's voice came through the speaker. "Mr. Kennedy, Lindsey wants to see you. She says she knows what you want to ask and she's willing to tell you everything—but she has conditions."

Nicholas disconnected the call and turned toward the door.

Diana opened her eyes. "You're going to see Lindsey?"

Nicholas paused mid-step. "Rest."

"What is she going to tell you?"

Nicholas silently pulled open the door and spoke to the guard outside. "Watch her."

This VIP room originally came with a consultation room. The temporary holding room next door was separated from the main patient room by a set of double doors.

Nicholas entered the consultation room. A guard immediately closed the double doors behind him, shutting Diana inside the main room.

Lindsey was being restrained by two guards across from him.

Ash still smudged her face, her eyes were swollen from crying, and the metal cuffs had rubbed her wrists raw.

When she saw Nicholas, she grasped at him like a lifeline. "Nicholas, I know someone's trying to kill me. They're not ordinary hitmen—they're connected to what happened back then!"

Nicholas remained where he stood. "Go on."

Lindsey bit her lip.

"I can tell you who came to see me. I can tell you why they want me dead. But you have to guarantee my safety."

"And Holden. You have to acknowledge that I'm Holden's mother! No matter what happens from now on, you can't take him away from me."

Nicholas's gaze went completely cold. "You're in no position to negotiate."

"I... I'm Holden's mother!" Lindsey panicked. "What would he do without me? He's only a year old. He just had a heart transplant—he has to take anti-rejection medication every day. He can't be without his mother!"

She broke free from the guards and lunged at Nicholas, grabbing his arm with both hands.

"Nicholas, have you forgotten? I've been with him this whole year! The first time he called for 'Mama,' he was calling me!"

Nicholas yanked his arm free.

Lindsey hit the floor. The cuffs slammed hard against the tile.

He looked down at her from above, his voice ice-cold. "From the day I let you care for him, I warned you. Don't hurt him. Don't use him. And don't ever actually think of yourself as his mother."

Lindsey's expression froze completely.

Nicholas's hand slowly clenched at his side. The images he'd deliberately buried for over a year surfaced again.

That day, the operating room lights had stayed on all night.

When Diana was wheeled out, she'd already lost consciousness. Her face was deathly pale, her fingers hanging limp at the edge of the bed.

The doctor told him the baby hadn't survived.

That wasn't entirely a lie.

When the child was removed, there was no cry. His heartbeat was so faint it was almost undetectable. After examining him, the attending physician had simply covered him with a white sheet.

Nicholas told himself this was what Gemma owed The Kennedy Family. Diana was Gemma's daughter. The child she bore had no right to exist.

Until a nurse wheeled past with medical waste, and the white sheet suddenly moved.

Just slightly. But Nicholas saw it.

He lifted the sheet and touched the infant's ice-cold fingers. That tiny hand—so small—curled unconsciously, catching the edge of his glove.

Nicholas stood there for a long time without moving. Finally, all he said was, "Save him."

The doctors told him the child was severely premature, with critically underdeveloped lungs and heart, along with complex congenital heart disease.

Even if they put him in an incubator, his chances of survival were less than twenty percent.

Nicholas repeated himself. "I want him alive."

He brought in the best neonatal team, sealed all surgical records, and had someone alter the birth documentation.

Three months later, the child finally passed the most critical stage.

Right around that time, Lindsey arrived at The Kennedy Family with orders from Ryder, claiming she was willing to help him continue punishing Diana.

And so, the child who was supposed to be 'dead' took on a new identity—Lindsey's son, Holden.

Outside the incubator, Nicholas had stood alone for an entire night.

He didn't understand why he'd saved the child. Didn't understand why he refused to tell Diana.

Maybe it was for revenge.

He wanted Diana to believe the baby was dead—to make her feel the pain of losing someone irreplaceable.

Or maybe, even back then, he couldn't bear to let go. He just wouldn't admit it.

In the present, Lindsey had already climbed to her feet.

She was completely unraveling now, her voice shrill. "You're the one who made me his mother! My name is on the birth certificate. Everyone at the hospital knows he's my child!"

"That certificate is fake." Nicholas cut her off coldly. "His original birth record still exists."

Lindsey's lips trembled violently.

The jealousy in her eyes was barely contained. "You kept the original record? Nicholas, you were guarding against me from the very beginning?"

"I warned you not to get ideas."

"What about Diana?" Lindsey suddenly laughed, tears streaming down her face. "She ran. She'd rather die than come back to you! If you want to keep her so badly, why don't you tell her Holden is still alive?"

Nicholas's gaze snapped to her. "Shut up."

"Why can't I say it?" Lindsey was being held back by the guards, but she still struggled forward. "If you just let her know the child is in your hands, would she dare run again?"

Nicholas stepped in front of her, lowering his voice to a near whisper.

"Right now, she'd only think I'm using the child to control her again. When I tell her, it won't be now."

The double doors were tightly shut. Their voices were sealed inside the consultation room. Diana couldn't hear a thing.

But Nicholas had been gone too long. Her suspicions were only growing heavier.

Diana threw off the blanket, trying to get out of bed. They were all hiding something from her—and this secret was connected to the child she'd lost.

The guard stationed by the door immediately stepped forward. "Ms. Russell, you can't leave."

"I want to see Holden."

"No." The guard blocked her path. "Mr. Kennedy gave orders. Your body can't handle it right now."

Diana stared at the tightly closed double doors. "That's my business."

Inside the consultation room, Lindsey suddenly let out a sharp laugh.

She had nothing left.

Her status. Her reputation. The Russell Family's protection. And the child she thought would give her leverage over Nicholas.

If she was going down, Diana was coming with her.

"Take her away." Nicholas's voice was cold.

The guards opened the double doors, preparing to escort Lindsey back to the holding room.

Bright light from the consultation room spilled into the main patient room.

Diana was being blocked by a guard at the bedside. She immediately looked up and saw Lindsey being restrained by two men—and Nicholas stepping out from behind her.

She gripped the edge of the bed and stood. "I want to see Holden."

Nicholas turned sharply. "What are you doing?"

"I want to see Holden."

"No." Nicholas refused without hesitation.

Diana stared at him. "The more you try to keep me from seeing him, the more I need to."

"Diana, your body can't handle this right now."

"That's my business."

Nicholas crossed to the bedside, blocking her path.

As the two stood locked in a standoff, Lindsey suddenly began to struggle.

"Diana!" The moment she opened her mouth, the guards started dragging her out.

But Lindsey twisted her head back, and before they could stop her, she shouted the most critical line straight at Diana:

"You really think the child you lost back then is dead?"