Chapter 11: Victor Is Dying
"When are you going to tell me where the child is?" Joshua's voice was cold, his sharp eyes sweeping over her like a blade.
Ava felt anger rising inside her. "Why should I tell you?"
"Because that's my child."
"I'm the one who gave birth!"
"Could you have done it without me?"
Ava looked at Joshua in disbelief. He just provided the sperm—she was the one who carried and raised them, and he had the nerve to say that?
"You were the one who didn't want them back then." Ava got angry, her voice rising considerably.
"..."
Joshua froze for a moment, unable to argue back.
"You jerk! Now you want them, so I have to hand them over? You really think the whole world revolves around you. Too late—I risked my life to bring them into this world, and I won't let you take them away."
Joshua's feelings were complicated, his voice cold. "Did I say I wanted to take them away?"
"Then what do you mean?"
"As their father, don't I even have the right to see my own children?"
"Oh, so you know you're their father!" Ava scoffed. She wasn't the old Ava anymore—she wouldn't easily believe anything this Joshua said.
Just then, Joshua's phone rang. It was Ursa, Joshua's mother.
"Hello, Mom." Joshua's voice was as cold as ever.
"Joshua, are you with Mia? Come back quickly, Grandpa's having another episode. Grandpa's not going to make it."
Ava's heart lurched. Victor wasn't going to make it?
Joshua's heart tightened too. He dropped his lazy posture, gripped the steering wheel with both hands, made a sharp left turn, and headed straight for the Thomas Villa. "I'll be right there."
"What's wrong with Grandpa? Joshua, what's wrong with Grandpa?" Ava's eyes were full of worry.
No matter how the Thomas family had treated her before, Victor had always been good to her. In the Thomas family, Victor was the only one who gave her warmth.
Now, suddenly hearing that Victor wasn't going to make it, Ava couldn't accept it.
"Heart disease." Joshua's voice was heavy.
The car sped to the Thomas Villa. Samuel arrived with Mia shortly after.
Mia hurried to Joshua's side. "Joshua, don't worry. Let me check on Grandpa's condition first."
Mia had been Victor's attending physician all this time. She had studied abroad and specialized in cardiac surgery—she was an expert in this field.
Joshua's voice was low. "Okay."
Ava ran all the way into the Thomas Villa, finding her way to Victor's room from memory.
Just as she reached the room, she heard soft crying from inside.
Her heart tightened, and she quickened her pace.
As soon as she entered the room, Ava almost stopped breathing.
There were quite a few people inside—some Thomas family relatives, Joshua's parents Xavier and Ursa, and several of Joshua's uncles.
Hearing the noise at the door, everyone turned around.
Ava knew all these people, and they all knew Ava. Their expressions showed extreme shock at seeing Ava, who had disappeared for five years, suddenly reappear.
"Ava, why did you come back?" Ursa practically shouted at Ava.
Back then, the Thomas family, remembering the kindness Ava's parents had shown them, agreed to their request and let Joshua marry Ava. Although she didn't match their social status, they thought Ava was a decent, well-behaved girl. But after three years of marriage, she ran off without a word.
This made everyone in the Thomas family hate her deeply. And Victor had treated Ava like his own granddaughter, doting on her.
But in the end, this was how Ava repaid the Thomas family. Victor's illness was partly caused by the anger she brought him.
"What are you doing here?"
"...I don't have time to explain. Can I just see Grandpa?"
Seeing Victor lying on the bed, eyes closed, face gaunt, eye sockets sunken, barely breathing with the help of a respirator, Ava's heart ached sharply.
"Who asked you to come? You're not welcome here." Ursa turned her face away, scolding coldly.
"Mom, Grandpa really hoped Ava would come back. Now that she's here, let her see Grandpa first."
Ava cast a grateful look at Hayden, who had spoken up.
"Shut up. Joshua already divorced her. She has nothing to do with the Thomas family anymore." Ursa was furious.
"I'm the one who brought her." Joshua, who had just walked in, said flatly.
"Joshua?"
Seeing Joshua return with Mia, Ursa's expression softened a bit. Forgetting everything else, she brushed past Ava and grabbed Mia's hand like she was grabbing a lifeline. "Mia, go check on Grandpa quickly. He's having another episode."
"Mrs. Thomas, don't worry. Let me check on Grandpa's condition first." Mia hurried toward Victor. Seeing Ava nearby, she gave a provocative smile.
Ava didn't miss her provocation, but right now her whole mind was on Victor—she had no energy to care about anything else.
Ava wanted to get closer to Victor to observe his condition, but the butler stopped her from approaching. Ava could only stand to the side, anxious.
This was extremely painful for Ava, both as herself and as a medical professional.
No one here trusted her. Ava looked around anxiously and turned to Hayden.
Hayden raised his eyebrows at Ava and tilted his head toward Joshua, indicating that she should ask Joshua for something like this.
Finally, Ava's pleading gaze fell on Joshua.
Joshua's eyes were deep, the pressure around him very low, shrouded in grief.
"Joshua, can you let me go see Grandpa?" Ava's eyes were full of pleading.
Joshua looked down, his gaze cold, only sweeping over her lightly. "I brought you here, not to cause trouble. Make any more noise and I'll have someone take you back."
After Mia finished examining Victor, her face was full of worry. Everyone crowded around her.
Ursa asked anxiously, "Mia, you have a way to save Grandpa, right?"
Mia lowered her head and shook it reluctantly, looking at Ursa with a sad expression.
"Mrs. Ursa Thomas, I'm sorry, Mr. Victor Thomas, he..."