Chapter 76 You Too

Chapter 76 You Too
CHAPTER 76: You Too

Theodore.

Then suddenly, she spoke.

“I dreamt of my dad…”

The words caught me off guard so unexpectedly that I immediately looked at her.

At the same time, unease crept quietly into my chest.

I forced myself to smile anyway and squeezed her hand gently.

“Yeah?” I asked softly.

She nodded faintly against the pillow, her eyes drifting toward the ceiling.

“Mhm…” she whispered. “He likes you.”

I blinked.

For a moment, I genuinely did not know how to respond to that.

“What?” I asked before I could stop myself.

A weak smile appeared on her lips.

“He said you’re stupid,” she murmured softly. “But he likes you anyway.”

Despite everything, despite the fear that had nearly torn me apart for the last few hours, a quiet laugh escaped me.

“That sounds fair,” I muttered. "What else did he tell you?"

Her smile widened slightly, though tears slowly gathered in her eyes again.

“He told me to come back,” she whispered quietly. “He said you needed me.”

The humor disappeared from my expression immediately.

I stayed silent as I watched her.

Dianna turned her head slightly toward me, her eyes softer.

“He said you were about to make a mistake,” she continued quietly. “A really terrible one.”

My body stilled completely.

Because somehow…

She was right.

My jaw tightened slightly as I looked away from her.

If she had woken up even ten minutes later, I would have already left the hospital.

And if I left…

I already knew what I was willing to do.

The thought alone made my chest feel heavy.

Dianna must have noticed the shift in my expression because her fingers curled tighter around my hand again.

“Theo?”

I looked back at her immediately.

Her brows were drawn together now as concern slowly replaced the exhaustion in her face.

“What were you going to do?” she asked softly.

The question settled heavily between us.

I did not answer immediately.

Because I genuinely did not know how to.

What was I supposed to say to her?

That while she was lying unconscious in that hospital bed, I was already preparing myself to cross a line I could never come back from?

That I had every intention of finding her mother and making her pay for every single thing she had done to Dianna?

The thought alone made my jaw tighten.

I looked away from her for a moment, my fingers still wrapped around hers while my mind spiraled into the ugly truth I had been trying to bury ever since the nurse stopped me in the hallway.

If Dianna had not woken up when she did, I would have left this hospital without hesitation.

And once I left, I already knew what kind of person I was willing to become for her.

The terrifying part was that I did not even feel guilty about it.

Not really.

I remembered when Mrs. Beaumont told me the way Dianna cried whenever her mother was mentioned. I remembered the years of loneliness she carried quietly inside herself, pretending it did not hurt while it slowly destroyed her confidence piece by piece.

And even after knowing the truth, even after everything, after realizing she was left behind like she meant nothing, Dianna still blamed herself for not being enough to make her own mother stay.

That woman had ruined her long before I ever met her.

And now, even after all these years, she was still hurting her.

The doctor’s words replayed inside my head again.

Her mother or father would be the best match.

I almost laughed bitterly remembering it.

Because life truly had a cruel sense of humor.

The one person Dianna never wanted to need again suddenly became the person standing between life and death.

I could still remember what I felt while walking out of the hospital earlier.

I was so resolved at finding that woman myself, drag her back here if I had to, and if she refused to help after everything she had done....

My thoughts stopped abruptly.

Because Dianna was still looking at me.

Concern slowly filled her exhausted eyes, and that alone made a painful twist inside my chest.

I could not tell her the truth.

I swallowed slowly before forcing my expression to soften.

“You shouldn’t be thinking about things like that right now,” I said quietly.

Her brows pulled together immediately.

“That’s not an answer.”

I let out a slow breath and lowered my gaze briefly to our hands.

Of course she noticed.

Dianna had always been terrifyingly good at noticing things about me, especially the things I tried hardest to hide.

“You almost died,” I said instead. “Do you really want to spend the moment after waking up interrogating me?”

Her expression softened slightly at my tone, but she still did not let it go.

“Theodore…” she sighed tiredly. “I want to be with you for as long as I live, so please…” Her fingers tightened weakly around my hand. “Whatever decision you’ve made and whatever hate or bitterness is in your heart… please make peace with it.”

I went still.

“I want us to live properly,” she continued quietly. “I want us to raise our child in a good home. Rich or poor, it doesn’t matter…”

Her eyes slowly lifted to mine.

“As long as we’re together.”

I lowered my gaze for a moment, unable to look at her properly while the weight of her words settled over me.

A good home.

The words echoed bitterly inside me.

I was raised in a home filled with wealth, influence, and power, yet none of it ever felt good. Everything inside that house was built on appearances. My father cared more about his image than the people around him, and my mother slowly destroyed herself loving a man who abandoned her long before he actually left.

I used to think I would never become like him.

But somewhere along the way, hatred became easier to carry than grief.

And when Dianna disappeared from my life, that hatred only grew sharper. I thought I had already lost myself somewhere along the way. I thought there was no future left for me beyond anger, revenge, and the endless emptiness she left behind.

But now…

There was a future looking back at me through her eyes.

“I love you so much, do you know that?” I asked softly.

For a second, she stayed quiet, and I thought maybe exhaustion had finally pulled her away again.

But then her fingers slowly tightened around mine.

She guided my hand carefully until my palm rested against her belly. A small smile appeared on her lips as tears gathered quietly in her eyes.

“We love you too, daddy,” she whispered softly. “So please… leave everything else behind and stay with us.”