Chapter 402

Chapter 402

Natalia shook her so hard that Cleo's body lurched forward and back.

"Cleo, get a grip! This is insane. Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant sooner? And you can't keep this baby."

"Just give me the documents. Give them to me and I'll leave right now."

Cleo clutched them tighter, her eyes bloodshot, her whole body trembling with agitation.

I stood up and grabbed her arm. "Cleo, calm down. Let's think this through. Let go of Mom first."

"Back off! This is none of your business!"

Cleo wrenched away violently. I stumbled sideways and would have hit the floor if Faye hadn't been quick enough to catch me from behind.

But my head still slammed into the corner of the table.

I cried out in pain. Faye's hands were shaking badly. "Blair, are you okay? Are you okay?"

I touched my forehead. My fingertips came away sticky. When I looked at them, the bright red blood made my heart skip.

"Blair, are you all right?"

Cleo released Natalia and bent down to check on me.

"You're bleeding…"

At the word 'bleeding,' Cleo's face went white. She looked at me, saw the blood streaming from my forehead, then relaxed slightly.

"I told you to stay away from me. You just wouldn't listen."

"Cleo!"

Natalia stamped her foot in frustration, then turned to me. "Blair, how do you feel? Does it hurt? We need to get you to the hospital."

I wiped at the blood, but it kept flowing.

My other hand pressed protectively over my stomach. If Faye hadn't caught me in time, it wouldn't be just my head bleeding right now.

My heart was racing. I was blinking rapidly. I felt suspended in midair, unable to settle.

"Blair, we need to get you to a hospital. Something's not right."

Faye kept rubbing my back.

"I'm fine. Just give me a minute."

"Blair, the bleeding won't stop. We have to go to the hospital. You need a doctor to look at it and bandage it up."

"We should call Levi."

"Don't."

I raised my hand to stop her, but she'd already dialed his number.

Cleo said frantically, "If you'd just given me the documents earlier, none of this would've happened."

"Documents, documents, documents—is that all you care about? Look at Blair! Look what you did to her!"

It was the first time I'd ever seen gentle Natalia this furious. She was shouting at Cleo, who probably hadn't been scolded like this once in her entire life.

Even when Cleo divorced Michael, Natalia had only said a word or two—mostly just comforting her.

"What's going on?"

Aiden's voice cut through the room. We all turned toward him. Rhea was with him.

"Blair, your head…"

Aiden and Rhea rushed over. Rhea pulled out a handkerchief, pressing it gently to my wound. "What are you all standing around for? Why hasn't anyone tried to stop the bleeding?"

"Grandma, I—"

Cleo lowered her head when she saw Aiden and Rhea.

"Blair, let me clean this up for you. You still need to go to the hospital. You're pregnant—I don't know if the antiseptic ointment we have at home is safe for you."

"Grandma, I'm fine. I was just dizzy for a second. I feel much better now. As long as the bleeding stops, I don't need to go to the hospital."

Rhea shook her head helplessly. "You're too stubborn for your own good. If this gets infected or you get tetanus, that'll be a real problem. Let's at least hear what a doctor has to say."

"How does someone get hurt with all of you here?"

Aiden's question hung in the air. No one dared to speak.

"Grandpa, I didn't mean to—"

Cleo tried to explain, but I cut her off.

"I lost my balance. It's nothing serious."

The remarriage situation was already a mess. If they found out she'd hurt me, everyone would blame her. Then she'd feel wronged and run crying to Michael—which would only push her right into his arms.

"Let's get you to the hospital first."

Rhea and Faye helped me to my feet.

"Indigo, pour tea for your grandparents."

Indigo had been standing off to the side holding the first-aid kit, frozen in shock.

She snapped out of it, set the kit down, and came over to pour tea.

"Never mind the tea. You go to the hospital. We're coming too."

Aiden's hands were trembling. He was rattled.

"Just let Faye go with me. You two sit down and have some tea. I'll be back soon."

Rhea took my hand and squeezed it. "You go to the hospital. Don't worry about things here."

"All right. Grandpa, Grandma, Mom—I'm heading out."

The timing really couldn't have been worse. I never expected Aiden and Rhea to walk in on all this today.

The moment I got in the car, Levi called.

"Hello?"

"How bad is it? Where are you?"

"I'm fine. How did you find out?"

"Grandpa just called. He said you were hurt and told me to meet you at the hospital."

They'd told him that fast. Hearing the concern in his voice made my nose sting. I almost started crying.

I fought to keep my emotions in check. "It's just a surface wound. Cut my head a little. I'm fine."

"I'm on my way to the hospital now."

"Drive carefully. I'm okay. Please be safe."

My feelings were all tangled up. Now the elders were involved. Cleo's plan to remarry wouldn't stay secret much longer. I couldn't imagine how angry Aiden and Rhea would be.

"Mrs. Morgan, I'll speed up a bit."

"No, don't break any traffic laws. I'm fine. The bleeding's stopped."

Faye's eyes were rimmed with red. She rubbed them and turned away.

I forced a smile and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. I'm really okay. I'm lucky I didn't get hurt anywhere else."

"Blair, you're injured and you're still worried about everyone else's feelings. You don't have to be this strong all the time. Can't you let someone else protect you for once?"

But I didn't want everyone worrying about me. I felt like I could handle this pain.

If Levi got distracted at work because he was worried about me, if Aiden's mood suffered from concern, if Natalia blamed herself—those things would hurt me far more.

"I promise, I'm really okay."

Faye turned back to me, tears streaming down her face.

"Blair, it's 'because' you all keep absorbing the pain that Cleo acts so entitled. If she had any sense of consequence, she wouldn't lose control like this."

I pinched her cheek lightly. "You know, you've been eating well lately. You've got a little more meat on your face."

"Blair…"

I changed the subject. I didn't want her worrying about me. In this family, I wanted to shoulder some of the burden—not be the reason everyone got distracted.

"Mrs. Morgan, I think that's Mr. Morgan's car up ahead…"

I looked ahead. It was Levi's car. He was standing by the roadside, pacing back and forth.

My heart ached. He was worried about me. Why did I always bring him anxiety? If only I could take better care of myself…