Chapter 201: Mrs. Sutton Entrusts Anne to Him
...
In the hospital room, Mrs. Sutton spoke to Anne Sutton coldly. "You two can go. I’m fine here by myself."
Anne Sutton sat down and took her mother’s hand. "Mom."
Mrs. Sutton struggled a bit, but when she couldn’t pull her hand away, she asked irritably, "What are you doing?"
Anne Sutton asked gently, "Are you still angry that I’m with Ethan Linden?"
Mrs. Sutton’s eyes landed on Nathan. "How could I not be angry?" she said. "Seeing you as the other woman reminds me of Maya Evans’s arrogant face!"
Anne Sutton glanced at Nathan Fawcett before turning back to her mother. "I already told you, I’m not the other woman. I didn’t destroy their relationship. Even without me, Ethan Linden and Stella Shields wouldn’t have ended up together."
"Is that what he told you?" Mrs. Sutton glanced at Nathan Fawcett.
’You can’t believe a word men say!’
Seeing that her mother was treating Nathan Fawcett like an enemy and refusing to be reasoned with, Anne Sutton had no choice but to tell her the truth. "Mom, he isn’t Ethan Linden. He’s Nathan Fawcett. Do you understand what that means?"
Mrs. Sutton was stunned by Anne’s words. "What do you mean?"
Anne Sutton explained, "Ethan Linden is dead. The man standing before you is Nathan Fawcett. I’m the one married to Nathan Fawcett, so if anyone is the other woman, it’s Stella Shields, not me! Auntie Shields doesn’t know anything about this. The truth is, her daughter is the one who’s been trying to marry Nathan all this time..."
As Mrs. Sutton listened to Anne, she looked over at Nathan Fawcett. "You’re saying he’s Nathan Fawcett? How is that possible? As if I don’t know what Nathan Fawcett looks like."
’This man looks nothing like Nathan Fawcett!’
’They’re two completely different people!’
Nathan Fawcett had no choice but to help explain. "Anne and I visited you at home before, and you even cooked a meal for me. Anne isn’t lying. I used to have poor health, so I look different from how I did back then."
Mrs. Sutton stared at Nathan Fawcett suspiciously, studying him carefully...
’Now that I’m looking at him as Nathan Fawcett, his eyes and brows do look very similar...’
’But he and Ethan Linden are brothers. A resemblance doesn’t prove anything!’
Mrs. Sutton said to Anne, "There is a resemblance... but don’t think you can fool me with that excuse."
"Why would I try to fool you?" Anne said, exasperated. "Nathan Fawcett is living with his mother now and changed his name to inherit the Linden Family’s estate. This isn’t something we can tell outsiders. I wouldn’t have told you if you hadn’t kept doubting me. Now that I’m telling you the truth, you still don’t believe it? Do you really think I’m that untrustworthy?"
Mrs. Sutton glanced at Nathan Fawcett again. "He really is...?"
Anne nodded. "Yes. And think about it—if he were really Ethan Linden, not Nathan Fawcett, would he be interested in me? Would he have any reason to be with me?"
"..." Mrs. Sutton conceded, "You have a point."
Seeing her mother was convinced, Anne said, "Now that you know the truth, you won’t try to stop us from being together, will you?"
’They have a marriage certificate, after all!’
’It’s only natural for us to be together!’
Hearing Anne’s words, Mrs. Sutton replied, "Even if I wanted to stop you, could I?"
Now that she knew Anne wasn’t a homewrecker, Mrs. Sutton’s attitude softened considerably.
Anne nodded. "Okay. And please, don’t tell anyone else. It would cause problems for him if word got out. Don’t even tell Sharon! You know how ditzy she is; she’d probably turn around and blab to someone else."
’Especially David Hayes. I don’t trust him!’
’My sister is family, but my brother-in-law isn’t.’
Once Mrs. Sutton understood that the man with Anne was Nathan Fawcett, not Ethan Linden, her opinion of him improved immensely.
She said to Nathan Fawcett, "Please, have a seat."
Nathan Fawcett moved to a nearby chair and sat down.
Mrs. Sutton sized him up occasionally, then remarked to Anne, "He seems much better-tempered than he used to be."
Anne glanced back at Nathan Fawcett. "He’s okay, I guess," she said to her mother. "Not that much better than before."
Nathan Fawcett: "..."
Mrs. Sutton asked, "Charles Prescott doesn’t know about any of this, does he?"
"He doesn’t," Anne said. "I haven’t told anyone but you. So, Mom, you can rest easy now, can’t you? I’m happy with Nathan Fawcett. You won’t have to push me to be with other people anymore, right?"
Her mother had only ever wanted to find a partner for her so she could live a normal life, worried that she wouldn’t be okay on her own.
Mrs. Sutton replied, "As long as you’re happy, that’s what matters."
Anne Sutton held her mother’s cool hands. "Don’t you worry about anything at home. Just focus on resting and getting your strength back. Do you understand?"
Mrs. Sutton nodded. "I will."
Anne continued, "Don’t worry about Dad, either. Don’t take anything he says to heart. And as for what happened yesterday... with Nathan here, no one can bully me anymore. He’ll protect me."
Anne felt a pang of guilt as she said this. She glanced back at Nathan Fawcett; the words were meant for her mother’s benefit.
’As for whether he’d actually protect me... I’m not so sure!’
After chatting with her mother for a while, Anne went to the restroom.
Once Anne had left the room, Mrs. Sutton looked at Nathan Fawcett. "Come and sit here," she said. "I have something I want to say to you."
Nathan Fawcett stood, walked over to the hospital bed, and sat down. Looking at her, he said, "Mom."
Nathan Fawcett had never called her that before.
This was the first time.
Hearing him call her that, Mrs. Sutton’s eyes welled up. She said to Nathan, "Nathan... people used to say you had a bad temper, so my impression of you was never very good. But since you’re with Anne now, I hope you will treat her well. Don’t let her suffer anymore."
Hearing Mrs. Sutton’s words, Nathan Fawcett nodded. "Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her."
Mrs. Sutton said, "Your words put my mind at ease. I’m entrusting my daughter to you. Please, treat her well from now on."
Nathan Fawcett felt a complex mix of emotions upon hearing this.
Mrs. Sutton’s words had taken him by surprise.
It almost sounded as if she were giving her last words.
Nathan spoke up. "Please, don’t say that. Anne is a wonderful woman. She needs to be by your side, taking care of you for years to come."
"..." Mrs. Sutton said, "I know my own body. I don’t think I have much time left. After I’m gone, I hope you will always be there for her. She has suffered so much at the hands of the Fawcett Family these past few years."
"..." Hearing this, Nathan’s expression darkened. "I’ve already spoken with the hospital. They’re going to give you the best possible treatment."
Mrs. Sutton shook her head. "Don’t waste your energy, and don’t make things hard for the doctors. I’m a dying woman."
The news that Sean Sutton had an illegitimate child had been a particularly devastating blow.
Her confrontation with Maya Evans had only made her condition worse.
Mrs. Sutton looked at Nathan. "Sharon is married now; she has someone to look after her. The one I can’t stop worrying about is Anne. I don’t want to see Charles Prescott bullying her ever again. I just want her to live a good life. You’ve been away all these years, but from now on... no matter what happens, I hope you will always be by her side."