Joseph felt a bit stuffy, along with an indescribable annoyance and upset.
But he had no other choice now.
After all, last night, he had slept with Olivia.
Joseph felt guilty towards Olivia, and no matter what, he would take responsibility.
Besides, Olivia was the one he had always wanted, right? Ever since that earthquake when Olivia rescued him, he had promised himself to treat her well for the rest of his life.
Joseph looked at the divorce papers in front of him. He suppressed his emotions and slowly picked up the pen.
Just then, his phone vibrated, interrupting the moment.
Joseph was stunned, stopping his hand from signing.
Harper noticed this, her eyelashes fluttering slightly, and saw Joseph put down the pen to answer the call.
She frowned unconsciously; couldn't he finish signing before answering?
Unexpectedly, as soon as the call connected, Mia's crying voice came through.
"Joseph, your dad suddenly got seriously ill and is now in the hospital! You need to come quickly!"
Upon hearing this, Joseph's expression changed, and he abruptly stood up.
Mia's words were also clearly heard by Harper, who widened her eyes in shock, her heart immediately tightening.
"What's going on?"
Joseph glanced at her, his face not looking good. "I don't know. Let's go to the hospital first."
"Okay, but..."
Harper realized they were still in court and in the process of getting a divorce.
But Joseph didn't give Harper any time; he turned around and walked away. Seeing this, Harper couldn't care about anything else. She apologized to the staff and quickly followed Joseph.
At the Central Hospital, outside the emergency room.
Mia saw the hurriedly arriving Joseph and Harper and forced herself to stand up.
"Joseph, Harper."
"Mrs. Miller!"
Harper rushed to hold Mia, helping her to a nearby chair and wiping the tears from her face. Joseph frowned, looking at Mia's pale face, his voice low. "Mrs. Miller, what’s wrong?"
"I don't know." Mia's tears wouldn't stop flowing. She tightly held Harper's hand, as if finding some support.
"Suddenly, daddy just fell down. As soon as we arrived at the hospital, he was taken into the emergency room. The doctor hasn't come out yet."
"How long has it been?"
"Over an hour." Mia looked at the lit-up sign above the emergency room, her gaze wavered. "If something happens to him, what am I going to do?"
"It won't happen, Mrs. Miller." Harper moved closer, letting Mia lean on her shoulder. She comforted, "Dad will be fine!"
As she said this, she glanced at Joseph unintentionally.
Joseph might have looked calm, but the worry in his eyes was real. He was definitely concerned about his dad.
Even if they weren't close, he was still his father.
So, the three of them waited outside the emergency room. Even though Joseph worked here, right now, as a family member, he could only wait. Time dragged on. Half an hour later...
The light above the emergency room went out!
Joseph shot up, his eyes filled with a mix of determination and worry.
Seeing the doctor come out, Harper helped Mia stand, and they followed.
"Doctor, how is my father?" Joseph asked, looking at the doctor. He wasn't very familiar with him but had probably seen him around the hospital.
The doctor's expression was grim. He looked at Joseph, then at Harper and Mia, and finally shook his head.
Seeing the doctor's reaction, Mia almost collapsed. If Harper hadn't been holding her, she might have fallen.
"The patient has late-stage liver cancer. Although the treatment was timely and he's not in immediate danger, the family should be prepared. The outlook isn't good."
"Late-stage liver cancer?"
Joseph's voice was dark, making everyone feel the weight of his words.
The doctor nodded silently. After a moment, he added, "The cancer has spread to his bone marrow. We'll come up with a treatment plan soon, but the family should prepare themselves."
With that, the doctor left.
The words were vague, but it was clear Henry's condition was dire, and he probably didn't have much time left.
Mia felt completely drained, unable to support herself any longer.
"How could it be? How could it be liver cancer?"
Mia cried, looking up at Harper and Joseph.
"He was planning to retire and take care of his grandchildren once you had kids!"
"How could this happen?"
"He hasn't even seen you have children yet."
Mia's words made Harper's heart ache, and she couldn't help but feel her eyes well up.
Harper had never thought such a terrible disease would hit someone she loved.
For so long, she had truly regarded Henry as her own father.
Since Harper and Joseph got married, Henry had always been supportive of her.
Was she about to lose another father?
Harper glanced at Joseph, who remained standing, unmoving.
Joseph's expression didn't change, but inside, it felt like a huge stone was crushing his heart, making it hard to breathe.