Chapter 86 I Can't Wait, Do the Surgery Now!
The night was cold as water, and the biting wind blew in. Gloria took off her coat, wearing only a thin nightgown.
Goosebumps rose on her skin, and loose strands of hair swayed gently by her ears.
Gloria met James's almost humble gaze and sighed silently, "Why do you always like to push me? Do you think feelings can be forced? The more you do this, the further you push me away."
James grabbed her small hand, his voice hoarse and heartbreaking, "Gloria, I'm not forcing you. What do I have to do for you to forgive me?"
"James, don't you understand that no matter what you do, we can never go back? If you want to torture your body, that's your freedom."
Gloria pulled her hand away from his palm. James looked at her loosening fingers, his heart aching, "Gloria, don't."
What answered him was Gloria's heartless back. She stood by the door, her small face cold as ice, "James, if you had turned back that night, maybe we could have reconciled. But you left me alone in the bathroom, made me suffer inhuman torture, made me cry in the heavy snow."
"Last night, tying you in the bathtub was just to make you feel my pain, but the wound in my heart will never disappear. So let go. I'd rather spend the rest of my life alone than be with you again."
With that, Gloria closed the door, shutting out James's guilty and hurt eyes.
"Gloria, I'm sorry."
She heard his soft murmur as the door closed.
Gloria called John, "Take James back. Don't let him act crazy here."
John was helpless, "Mrs. Williams, you should know Mr. Williams won't listen to anyone but you."
"Then let him kneel at the door until he dies." Gloria hung up.
After washing up, she looked out from the guest bedroom window. James was kneeling straight as a tree.
Forget about getting up—he even threw aside the coat they tried to put on him.
He knelt in the bleak cold wind wearing only thin hospital clothes, with heavy snow falling behind him. His gaze was somewhat unfocused, looking like he couldn't hold on much longer.
Sure enough, the next second, that figure collapsed to the ground.
"Mr. Williams!"
John knocked on the door, "Mrs. Williams, Mr. Williams has collapsed. He was already seriously ill and hasn't recovered."
Gloria came out wearing a coat, "There's a hospital right next door. Take him there."
"Mrs. Williams, your room is right here. Is this really necessary? If this continues, Mr. Williams will really die."
"His life is his own. Others don't get to decide. Let's go, I'll come with you. Consider it me doing my duty."
John bent down to carry James on his back. Gloria draped the coat over him.
If it were before, she would have felt like the sky was falling.
Strangely, now her heart seemed calm.
For so many years, she had been too attached to this marriage. Her future plans were all about the two of them and their children.
But in his world, she occupied less and less space. They had long been on two different paths.
The child was just a trigger. Sooner or later, they would have separated for one reason or another anyway.
Gloria wouldn't put all her energy and heart into James anymore. After sending him to emergency care and getting him hooked up to an IV again, she turned to leave.
"Mrs. Williams, if Mr. Williams wakes up and doesn't see you, he'll come looking for you again. His body really can't take any more of this."
Gloria looked up at John, "But John, I can't take any more of his torment either."
"Mrs. Williams."
"Sorry, but trying to win sympathy doesn't work on me. It's late, my grandmother isn't well, and I need to be with her. Excuse me."
After Gloria left, James on the bed suddenly opened his eyes.
His head was splitting, his body burning with fever, and all he could see was Gloria's heartless departing figure.
He murmured hoarsely, "Gloria."
John said nothing, but he had a feeling that Gloria wasn't throwing a tantrum. She had made up her mind to completely cut ties with James.
She wouldn't look back.
"Mr. Williams, you should wait until you've recovered before making long-term plans. Otherwise, how can you compete with Caspian in your current state? At least we've seen Mrs. Williams. She's fine and won't have any problems for now."
James tried to struggle up, but his body was completely out of control, and he fell heavily.
Although John was right, he still felt very anxious.
What was Gloria planning?
Just as he was about to tell John to watch Gloria, he passed out again.
Gloria had guessed he would find her, but she didn't expect him to come so quickly.
To prevent any complications, and since James was extremely weak now and couldn't worry about her, Gloria didn't dare wait any longer. She called Caspian.
"Sorry, were you resting?"
Caspian, who had just gotten into bed holding that ribbon, threw off the covers and got up, "No, what's wrong?"
Gloria's voice was urgent, "I want the surgery immediately."
"What happened?"
"James found me, but he's very sick now and doesn't have the energy to deal with me. When he recovers, he'll definitely do something. I don't want to delay anymore. Caspian, can you help me contact the hospital?"
She had been getting treatment at a public hospital, and her appointment with Laura was for the day after tomorrow. But this late at night, unless she was giving birth, there was no way to get someone to work overtime for her.
But private hospitals were different. With just a word from Caspian, arranging a surgery would be simple.
Caspian was silent for a moment, then spoke in a steady voice, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I don't know if I'll regret it in the future, but I know that if I keep this child, at least the Gloria of today will regret it."
"Alright, I'll arrange it."
Gloria changed her clothes, her fingers touching her flat belly.
This child was strong—it had survived such terrible conditions last time, yet she, as its mother, was going to be so cruel to it.
Gloria wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, "I'm sorry. In your next life, find a good family. I can't give you a complete home."
Before leaving, she opened the door to check on Vivienne again. Vivienne was sleeping peacefully.
Just in case, she specifically notified the caregiver to pay more attention to Vivienne before leaving.
In the deep night, she quietly got into a black Maybach.
The thick snow had bent the tree branches, and unable to bear the weight, they made cracking sounds in the night.
James woke from a nightmare. He moved, and John, who had been dozing beside him, immediately woke up.
Seeing that more than half the IV bottle remained, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mr. Williams, are you thirsty or hungry?"
James pressed his chest. Looking at the bamboo outside the window, he felt uneasy.
"John, my heart is racing. Where's Gloria?"
"Mrs. Williams went back. She finally got Vivienne to the nursing home. In the middle of the night like this, no matter how much she wants to escape, she can't possibly take Vivienne with her. As long as Vivienne is here, Mrs. Williams won't go far. Mr. Williams, don't worry."
Despite these words, James couldn't sleep at all.
He wanted to get up and find Gloria, but was afraid she would dislike him even more.
At this hour, she should be asleep by now.
If he pushed any further, Gloria would only hate him more.
But why was his heart so uneasy?
He licked his lips and said hoarsely, "John, I'm not at ease. Have someone watch Gloria and tell me immediately if anything happens."