Chapter 32 Flashbacks
Among the memories flooding Emma’s mind, one stood out more painfully than all the others.
the moment Olivia Smith lost all faith in the idea of familial love.
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\[Flashback\]
“Bye, Olivia.”
A woman in her late twenties spoke weakly.
She lay on a hospital bed in a blue-and-white patient gown, her short cropped hair framing a face so pale she resembled a ghost from a horror film. Her lips were drained of color, her eyes barely able to open. Her breathing was shallow. She looked heartbreakingly fragile.
This woman was Harry’s wife, Alicia’s mother who had been battling lung cancer since three years after giving birth. Her condition worsened daily, declining so rapidly that the doctors had told the family to prepare for the worst.
Harry sat loyally at her bedside while Alicia had been taken out by Olivia’s parents earlier.
Laura and Smith had scolded the couple that morning for making Alicia stay so long in the hospital. Harry refused to leave his wife’s side, and Alicia followed her father everywhere, so both had essentially been living under the hospital roof.
Every day after work and school, Harry and Alicia came straight to this ward. Their clothes were washed and delivered to them here. Thankfully, the hospital has a tie with the Smith cooperation, so arrangements were easy.
Laura and Smith insisted on taking Alicia out for a proper afternoon, one suitable for a child her age who shouldn’t grow up surrounded by illness, sorrow, and sterile white walls. They didn’t want her school memories to be centered around a dying mother.
They wanted to take Olivia along.
But seven-year-old Olivia refused. She couldn’t bear to leave her aunt alone.
She begged them to go without her and spent the entire day helping nurses tend to the fragile woman.
Late that evening, Olivia’s parents called to say Alicia had fallen asleep and would stay at their home. They instructed Olivia’s guard to bring her back safely.
This was meant to be Alicia’s break from the suffocating hospital atmosphere.
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Young Olivia stood beside the bed, eyes shining with worry. Her face had grown pale from crying throughout the day.
“I’ll visit you again, aunty,” she said sweetly, her voice soft and pure, eyes wide and innocent.
“I’ll be waiting, dear,” Alicia’s mom replied, forcing the gentlest smile she could manage. Olivia’s bodyguard bowed politely, and Olivia turned to leave.
“Bye, uncle,” she said softly to Harry before walking out of the ward.
The moment her footsteps faded, the tenderness drained from the sick woman’s expression.
Her lips pursed, and her wary eyes regained a sharp edge.
Harry sighed quietly.
His wife hated seeing Olivia.
If she weren’t so sick, she would have refused Olivia’s visits entirely.
She believed her daughter, Alicia, would forever be looked down on by that little girl, the girl who had both parents, the girl who would inherit everything Harry and his wife once dreamed of having.
They knew Laura and Smith’s story far too well.
Laura and Smith had been together since high school. When Laura accidentally became pregnant, everything fell apart. Smith wasn’t ready. Laura feared her family would disown her. Crushed under panic, insecurity, and shame, they decided on an abortion.
At the time, Smith was still young but already building an online business that was gaining traction. He believed he wasn’t ready to be tied down. He wanted to chase dreams, travel, become wealthy, then have children later.
But they were rejected by two hospitals. Desperate and terrified of Laura’s parents finding out, they sought a discreet option.
A young nurse agreed to help.
But the procedure nearly killed Laura.
Smith froze at the sight of so much blood. He watched the nurse panic, unable to fix what had gone wrong. His heart nearly stopped when Laura lost consciousness.
He immediately called for an ambulance. Privacy no longer mattered. All he cared about was saving the woman he loved, the woman he wanted a future with.
Laura was rushed into emergency surgery at a major hospital. She lost a terrifying amount of blood.
Smith wasn’t even allowed by her side.
Laura’s parents had him arrested the moment they were informed. They vowed to kill him if their daughter didn’t survive.
Smith broke down in the holding cell. He slammed his fists against the iron bars until they bled. He begged the officers to let him stay near the hospital.
He didn’t care if he was arrested later.
He just wanted, no, needed to be with her.
The girl he loved.
The future mother of his children.
His entire world.
If she died, he would never forgive himself.
Never.
Laura's condition had been extremely critical, but she pulled through, though not without consequences. There were complications, and the doctor gently explained that she might never be able to give birth again.
Laura’s heart squeezed painfully at those words. She and Smith had spent so many quiet moments imagining their future, two or three cute babies, soft cheeks, tiny hands, and a warm home filled with their laughter. If she couldn’t give birth… would she lose Smith to someone else?
But the ache of that fear was nothing compared to the heavy emptiness she felt when she opened her eyes and didn’t see him. Instead, she found her mother’s rage-filled expression hovering over her, and her father standing stiffly like he wanted to burn down the entire hospital.
Where is Smith?
Did he hear about my condition and decide to leave?
Did he… give up on me?
The thought devastated her.