Chapter 612: Just Be Ruthless Once

Chapter 612: Just Be Ruthless Once

It was just past ten at night, and the hospital ward was almost deserted. Elmwood was surprised to see Evander here alone and wondered how he had managed to get here.

The past few days had been chaotic because of Melinda, and they hadn't had the energy to check on Preston's situation. If it weren't for seeing Evander, Elmwood might have forgotten he was also in the hospital.

Evander reached out his small hand to hug Elmwood's neck and asked cautiously, "Elmwood, where's Melinda? I haven't seen her in a long time, and I miss her."

Elmwood gently rubbed his little face. "Melinda's not feeling well and is sleeping. She hasn't woken up yet. But you haven't told me, how did you get here? Where are your parents?"

Evander hung his head, looking pitiful. "They're gone."

Elmwood frowned. "What do you mean, 'gone'?"

Evander thought for a moment and said, "They didn't come today. The nurse said they couldn't reach them, so they're just gone."

Elmwood rubbed his forehead, feeling even more frustrated. What on earth was Preston doing? No matter what he was up to, he couldn't just abandon Evander.

If they had known it would come to this, they wouldn't have gone through so much trouble to help him get Evander and Yvonne back.

Now, he didn't seem to appreciate it at all, leaving little Evander alone in the hospital. It was too much.

Luckily, Melinda was unconscious and unaware. Otherwise, she would have gone after them to give them a piece of her mind.

Elmwood reassured him, "Don't worry, Evander. I'll call and help you find them."

He called Preston, but his phone was off. The same happened when he tried to reach Yvonne.

He didn't know if they were avoiding him or if something had happened. With no one to look after Evander, he had no choice but to take him back to the room.

Elmwood pointed to the sleeping Melinda and whispered, "Melinda is asleep. Don't wake her up."

Evander nodded obediently. "Elmwood, I want to sleep with Melinda."

"Evander, sleep with me. Melinda isn't feeling well, and it would hurt her if you accidentally bumped into her." At this moment, Elmwood wouldn't let anyone near her, not even Evander.

Evander looked disappointed. "I understand."

Elmwood felt conflicted. Preston had worked so hard to build trust with Evander, only to tear it apart himself. Did power and profit really mean more to him than his loved ones?

When would he realize that he was hurting the most important people in his life?

Evander yawned, looking genuinely tired.

"Evander, how did you know we were here?"

Melinda's hospitalization hadn't been made public, so how did Evander find them?

Elmwood couldn't help but be suspicious, given everything that had happened.

Evander said, "Allannah told me."

Elmwood sighed in relief. He was being too sensitive, even suspecting Evander. Allannah knew about these things, so it made sense she would tell Evander.

"Alright, you can sleep on the cot with me tonight. I'll go make some calls to find your parents."

Elmwood placed him on the bed, but as he turned to leave, Evander grabbed his hand.

Elmwood looked back curiously. "What's wrong? Is there something else?"

Evander mumbled, "Elmwood, can you not look for my parents?"

Elmwood sat beside Evander, feeling a pang of sadness. "Why? Aren't you scared without them? You're still a kid and need adults to take care of you."

Evander frowned. "When they're around, they always fight and say I'm a burden. I don't like their fighting and don't want to be unwanted."

Elmwood hugged his small frame. "You're not a burden. Your mom is just upset because she's sick, and your dad is stressed from work. Once they calm down, they'll realize how wonderful you are."

It was infuriating. How could they say such heartless things to Evander? If they were going to treat him like this, why did they go through so much trouble to get him back?

Melinda would be heartbroken if she knew.

Evander looked at him with innocent eyes. "Elmwood, do you really mean it? They don't hate me?"

"They're just not well. Once they get better, they'll see how good you are and never leave you again."

Elmwood wasn't great at comforting people, but he had learned a few things from Melinda.

Evander seemed happy with this. "That's good. I was afraid Mom didn't want me anymore."

Elmwood felt a pang of sorrow. Yvonne must have said something like that for Evander to be so scared.

"Sleep tight. I'll be back soon."

He needed to figure out what was going on. He couldn't leave little Evander alone in the hospital. If something happened, they'd have to take care of it.

Since he couldn't reach Preston, he decided to call Stanley.

Elmwood made the call in the hallway, and Stanley picked up quickly.

"Is something wrong?"

Stanley answered Elmwood's calls immediately these days, worried something might be wrong with Melinda.

Elmwood sighed at his concern. "You're too tense."

"Just tell me what's going on!" Stanley's calm tone indicated that everything was fine, so he wasn't too worried.

Elmwood explained, "Do you know what's going on with Preston? Evander came looking for me alone in the middle of the night. His parents are nowhere to be found. They're so irresponsible."

Stanley replied coldly, "If they don't care, then you shouldn't either. Just take him back to his room. They'll have to deal with it eventually. If they know you're handling it, they'll only get worse."

Elmwood found this frustrating but logical. Still, it was hard to ignore.

"You don't understand. When a little kid asks for help, how can I refuse?"

"Why not? If I ignored it, you'd have to deal with it forever. It's better to be tough once and for all."

Stanley's words made sense. If Elmwood took care of it now, he'd be responsible for it in the future.

"If I send Evander back and something happens, Melinda will be heartbroken."

"Would you rather she be heartbroken once or for a lifetime? With parents like his, Evander's life won't be easy. It's better to cut ties now."

Stanley's blunt but truthful words hit home. If Elmwood could be tough now, there'd be no more trouble later.

It was Preston and Yvonne's fault for abandoning Evander. Why should he, an outsider, worry?

He understood the logic, but seeing Evander's sad face made it impossible to send him back.

Stanley, sensing his hesitation, said, "I know it's hard for you, but your kindness has caused many problems. For a peaceful future, be tough this once. Ask a nurse to take him back."