"You think I want to stay by your side!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Deanna stormed out of the hospital room in a rage.
Unexpectedly, she ran into Samantha and the two little ones in the hallway. She was momentarily stunned, almost losing her composure.
Quickly regaining her senses, she maintained her angry expression and rushed over to snatch the two children from Samantha's hands. "Gregory and Chloe, we're leaving. I've raised you for the past five years without Lance. Even if we break up, why should he get to keep you?"
Without giving Samantha or the children time to react, Deanna hurried away.
Samantha stood there, still in shock.
At that moment, Xavier came rushing out of the hospital room.
Seeing Samantha, he anxiously approached her, forgetting formalities. "Madam, have you seen Missus?"
Almost immediately, Lance's angry voice came from behind him.
"Xavier, get back here! If you dare chase after that woman, you're fired!"
Xavier froze, turning back to face the room. "Mr. Mercer, you shouldn't have driven Missus away. She's carrying your child!"
"I didn't drive her away; she left on her own!" Lance retorted with a cold snort.
Samantha finally snapped out of her daze upon hearing their conversation.
She quickly walked into the hospital room, her face changing color at the sight of the mess inside.
Spilled soup and broken cups littered the floor.
Lance sat at the head of the bed, his face filled with barely concealed anger.
"What happened?" Samantha demanded as she approached Lance. "Did you and Deanna have a fight? Why?"
Lance remained silent, too angry to respond.
Samantha turned sharply to Xavier, who had followed her in. "You tell me, what happened?"
"Me?" Xavier stammered, looking nervously at Lance.
Samantha pressed impatiently, "I told you to speak! Why are you looking at him? Just say it!"
Xavier shivered under her stern gaze and finally relented. "Mr. Mercer thinks Missus is in danger and wants her to stay in a sanatorium to avoid any harm to Master Gregory and Miss Chloe. But Missus disagreed and accused Mr. Mercer of rejecting her. They argued, and Mr. Mercer said if she didn't agree to go, they would break up. Missus got angry and agreed to break up. Then Mr. Mercer said if they broke up, Master Gregory and Miss Chloe would stay with the Mercer family, and Missus would have to stay until she gave birth."
Samantha was dumbfounded by what she heard.
What was going on?
Lance rejecting Deanna? Breaking up with her? Impossible! He had refused to leave Deanna even when it meant giving up the Mercer family.
Rubbing her temples, Samantha turned to Lance. "What are you two up to?"
She couldn't believe they were really breaking up; it seemed more like they were plotting something.
Lance's expression remained unchanged as he blinked and spoke angrily. "I just think Deanna is too dangerous right now. Who knows when she'll lose control again? What if she hurts the baby? So I wanted her to stay in a sanatorium for a while, but she accused me of imprisoning her."
Samantha was momentarily taken aback by Lance's signal but quickly recovered upon hearing his words. She wasn't sure how to respond.
She gestured to Lance, asking if she should play the role of a supportive ally or a mediator trying to reconcile them.
Lance signaled for the latter.
Understanding her role, Samantha began to persuade him. "I think Deanna has a point. You knew about her condition from the start. After everything that's happened, you never rejected her. Now you're asking her to move away and not be with the children; of course she'll misunderstand. Call Deanna and apologize!"
"I won't call. I don't think I did anything wrong. She has mental issues," Lance insisted on maintaining his stance.
After a few more heated exchanges, Lance had Xavier forcefully escort Samantha out of the room.
In the hallway, they noticed several people peeking around curiously.
Samantha pretended not to see them and instructed Xavier, "Stay in the room and try to talk some sense into Lance. We can't handle Deanna's situation like this. Even if they break up, it needs careful consideration."