Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Ethan stood outside the door with his hands buried deep in his pockets. His shoulders were tense, and his gaze unfocused. He had been wrong, so wrong about everything. The weight of years' worth of mistakes pressed down on him. What had he done all this time?
He had to make it up to Lily. Somehow
His phone buzzed in his back pocket, jolting him out of his thoughts. He took it out, his eyes narrowing at the message:
“We found them.”
“Book me a flight,” he sent in reply.
Pocketing the phone, he took one last look at Lily’s closed door. His hand hovered in mid-air, he wanted to knock. To tell her face-to-face. But she didn’t want to see him now.
His phone buzzed again. With a quiet sigh, he lowered his hand, turned, and walked out of the house.
Lily wheeled out of her room and into the hallway. The house was quiet, her parents had gone to play golf with friends, Aspen was at work, and even Chloe had to take a quick trip to paris for an exhibition.
“Ethan?” she called out, glancing into the living room. No answer. He wasn’t there.
A maid walked into the room holding a dusting brush. “Young miss.”
Lily turned. “Where’s my husband?”
“He drove out, ma.”
Lily didn’t say anything else, but her mood dropped. So he left. Just like that. Had he given up on them?
She wheeled herself back to her room in silence.
The sky was cloudy with a hint of rain. After a three-hour flight, Ethan stepped out of the airport with the assistant by his side. A man in a suit stood waiting by the curb, holding open the car door.
“Sir,” he greeted as they approached.
Ethan got into the backseat without a word and the assistant slid in beside him.
“Where are they?” Ethan asked, rubbing his forehead.
“The hospital,” the assistant answered, handing him a folder. “The woman’s son has been in and out of the hospital for months. He has a late-stage kidney disease and is in urgent need of a transplant, or he won’t last long. It’s quite expensive. Whatever amount they had received all those years ago must have run out by now.”
Ethan’s eyes scanned the files quickly, each detailing how the boy had been moved from the VIP ward to cheaper ones, until he could only stay in a general shared ward, the increasing unpaid hospital bills, and repeated applications for financial assistance.
“We were able to locate them because they tried to contact your stepmother through the main house line,” the assistant added. “She was away on vacation, but one of our people noted down the number. We tracked it from there.”
Ethan closed the file. “She’s back now. Tell the person in the house to block the number. If she speaks to Evelyn, their lives will be in danger.”
“Noted, sir.”
Ethan picked up his phone and typed out a message to Lily.
“I haven’t been honest during the course of our relationship, and that has led to a lot of misunderstanding between us. I’ll do better from now on. Also, I had to travel to New Town. We found a lead related to my dad’s accident, and I have to be there in person.”
He sent the message and looked out the window, as the city blurred by.
At the hospital, the ward was full of activity, families spoke near bedsides, doctors did their rounds and explained symtoms, while nurses set up IV tubes. But in a quiet corner, there was only the soft beeping of a heart monitor. A frail boy, no older than ten, lay unconscious on the bed, his skin almost the same shade as the hospital sheets.
His mother stood at the bedside, gently wiping his hands with a damp cloth. Her movements were slow but thorough. There was a haggardness about her that showed multiple sleepless nights and worrying days.
“Madam,” a doctor said, clipboard in hand. “We’ve found a potential donor match. But if you can’t pay for the operation before the end of the week, we’ll have to move down the list. I’m sorry.”
The woman looked up, her eyes teary and her voice shaky. “Please give me some more time. I’m expecting some money. I just need a little more time, please. I want to save my son. He’s all I have.”
The doctor gave her a reluctant look. “I wish I could, but I can’t go against the hospital policy. We’ll keep looking out for sponsors who can help.”
“Thank you. Thank you. I’ll keep trying, just give me some more time.”
When they got to the hospital, they came upon the scene of the woman begging the doctor for more time.
“Mrs. Miller,” Ethan said softly.
The doctor's gaze turned to the strangers who entered the room. “I’ll leave you to your guests, don’t worry too much,” he assured before walking out of the room.
Mrs. Miller hurriedly wiped her tears and stood up straight.
“Did she send you here?” she asked, her voice wary.
“No,” Ethan replied simply. “I’m Ethan Blackwell.”
Her eyes widened, and she shrank back in fear. “Are you here for revenge?”
Ethan shook his head and walked to the chair beside the bed. “No. I’m here to help.”
Mrs. Miller immediately stepped between him and the bed, her arms spread slightly as if shielding her son. “He’s innocent. He doesn’t know anything. He’s just a child.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t harm him,” Ethan said. He gestured to his assistant, who stepped forward with a bank card. “There’s enough here to cover the hospital bills, the surgery, his post-op care, and for you both to live comfortably after. As long as you give me what I want.”
Mrs. Miller’s gaze drifted between the card and Ethan’s face. Could she trust them? Her son was lying on the bed. If she didn’t get the money, he would die. The people she has been trying to contact might also kill them without even giving her any money. Now there was a card right in front of her. What choice should she make?
She took a deep breath. “I’ll tell you everything,” she said, “but on one condition.”
“No problem.”
“Wait,” she added anxiously. “Two conditions.”
Ethan nodded.
“First, promise me you’ll pay my son’s bills first. No matter what I say next.”
“I promise,” Ethan said without hesitation.
“Also, you have to protect my son. Promise me you won’t let them tough him.”
“I would keep both of you safe.”
The woman gave a nod and slowly sank into the chair beside the bed, a heavy weight seemed to have been lifted off her shoulders.