Chapter 307: Leave, I Don’t Want to See You
In the VIP maternity ward.
Warm, white light cast a soft glow around the hospital bed, and the air was filled with the faint, mixed scent of disinfectant and fresh flowers.
Isla Griffith was propped up against a raised hospital pillow. An IV needle was inserted into the back of her hand, and clear fluid dripped slowly down the tube.
Her complexion was a little better than yesterday, but her eyes still held a deep, unshakable exhaustion and sorrow.
Wren Sutton sat in the bedside chair, leaning forward slightly as she patiently talked with her.
A highly experienced nurse aide worked beside them. She nimbly wiped the windowsill and tidied the bed and nightstand. Her movements were gentle yet meticulous, leaving the hospital room spotless.
Isla Griffith watched the aide bustling about and spoke softly to Wren Sutton, "Please thank Adrian Lancaster for me. This caregiver he arranged is so steady and reliable, and she’s very conscientious. I have to be the one to pay her fee. Make sure he doesn’t cover it."
"The fee is the last thing you should be thinking about," Wren Sutton said soothingly. "Right now, you shouldn’t worry about a thing. Just focus on your recovery. That’s what’s most important."
"I know it’s not a lot of money, and I’m sure it was nothing for Adrian Lancaster, but I don’t want to just take advantage of you two."
"You’ve both already done more than enough for me. I’m grateful for all of it, but I can’t just keep taking it for granted," Isla Griffith said, her tone serious.
Wren Sutton knew her best friend had her principles, so she didn’t push the matter.
"Okay, I respect your decision."
The two friends shared a smile.
Isla Griffith reached out, and Wren Sutton immediately took her hand.
The warmth of their joined hands was the most tender comfort in the quiet hospital room.
"The caregiver will take good care of me, so you should go home and get some rest. You don’t have to stay here and watch over me."
"You’re exhausted. I hate to see you so tired, and Adrian will blame me."
"Owen and Nina haven’t seen their mom all day. The kids must miss you. Listen to me, go home and be with them."
Wren Sutton wanted to insist on staying, but she couldn’t hold out against the persistence in Isla Griffith’s gaze and her repeated urging. In the end, she relented with a nod.
"Okay, fine. I’ll go home and rest for a day. But if anything happens, call me right away. I’ll come rushing back."
"Mm," Isla Griffith agreed, her eyes filled with gratitude.
The words had barely left her lips when the door to the room was gently pushed open from the outside, and a tall, slender figure slowly walked in.
It was Sean Sterling.
In his left hand, he held a large bouquet of dewy white lisianthus and champagne roses, their fragrance crisp and fresh.
In his right hand, he carried an exquisitely crafted thermal food container. Inside were nourishing dishes and a restorative soup that had been simmered for hours, all specially ordered and packed from a five-star hotel downtown.
He had just had a complete falling-out with the Sterling family. His eyes were bloodshot, with faint dark circles underneath. The clear imprint of a slap on his left cheek had yet to fully fade. He was visibly haggard and exhausted.
Yet he forced himself to stay composed, managing a smile as he walked, step by step, toward the bed.
Sean Sterling was just about to speak when Isla Griffith beat him to it, her face turning cold, her voice devoid of any warmth. "What are you doing here? Get out. I don’t want to see you."
Sean Sterling froze. He silently placed the flowers and the thermal container on the nightstand. All of his usual sharp edges and cold arrogance vanished, leaving only a quiet entreaty.
"Isla, I came to stay with you, to take care of you."
Isla Griffith turned her head to look out the window, her tone absolute. "I don’t need you to. Leave. Now."
Sean Sterling wasn’t the least bit angry. Instead, he turned his gaze to Wren Sutton.
"Wren, thank you for staying by Isla’s side since yesterday, for taking care of her without leaving for a moment. I will be indebted to you for this for the rest of my life."
His tone was sincere.
"You should go home and rest. I’ll take over from here. There’s no need to trouble you any longer."
"You have your own family to look after; we can’t keep you stuck in this hospital room."
"Taking care of Isla is my duty and my responsibility."
Upon hearing this, Wren Sutton instinctively glanced at Isla Griffith on the bed, her gaze questioning.
In that same instant, Isla Griffith reached out and gripped Wren Sutton’s wrist. The pressure wasn’t strong, but her meaning was unmistakable.
"Sean Sterling, you have no right to tell my best friend to leave. You’re the one who should go."
"Besides, I have a caregiver to look after me. It’s not your place, and I don’t need your phony kindness."
’He’s getting married to another woman next month, and now he’s here pretending to be so devoted? It’s utterly hypocritical!’
No matter what Isla Griffith said, Sean Sterling acted as if he didn’t hear her, stubbornly refusing to leave.
He pulled over a chair and sat down by the bed.
"Whether you need me or not, I’m staying."
"We already broke up." Isla Griffith’s chest rose and fell with anger as she pointed to the door. "You are not welcome here. If you keep lingering and refuse to leave, I’ll call the police."
The sight of her eyes, red with anger, pained Sean Sterling, yet he also felt a helpless sense of being wronged.
"You broke up with me. I never agreed to it."
"As long as I haven’t agreed, we’re not broken up. Even the police have no right to make me leave."
"I don’t need your consent to break up. It’s my decision to make," Isla Griffith retorted sharply, her heart aching as if pierced by a thousand needles.
Sean Sterling’s heart ached too, but he couldn’t bring himself to blame her, nor could he stand to say a single harsh word to her.
’He knew it was all his fault. His carelessness in leaving his phone in the hospital room had given Yvonne Donovan the opportunity to hurt Isla.’
’If he hadn’t left his phone behind that day, none of this would have happened. They wouldn’t have lost their baby.’
’From start to finish, Isla was the most innocent one in all of this, yet she was the one who had been hurt the most deeply.’
Sean Sterling took a deep breath. "I came today to tell you the whole truth," he pleaded, his voice laced with humility.
"Please, just give me a few minutes. Let me finish what I have to say, okay?"
Isla Griffith closed her eyes, her expression cold, her heart hollow.
"I don’t care what the truth is anymore."
’Her heart was already dead.’
’So what if I find out the so-called truth?’
’Can it bring my baby back from the dead? Put him back in my womb?’
’No!’
’So why should I waste my time on something so meaningless!’
"Sean Sterling, I’ll say it one more time. Get out. I don’t want to see you, and I have absolutely no interest in hearing your ’truth’."
The atmosphere in the room grew heavy and oppressive, weighing down on everyone present.
The caregiver was a perceptive woman with a strong sense of professional boundaries. She understood there were complicated emotional issues between Isla Griffith and Sean Sterling, and that with an outsider present, they couldn’t speak freely.
So, the caregiver quickly found a plausible excuse and temporarily left the room.
Wren Sutton watched the standoff between the two, her heart filled with complicated emotions.
She could see that Sean was about to explain what had led to Isla’s miscarriage, fulfilling the promise he had made the other day.
Wren Sutton thought for a moment and squeezed Isla Griffith’s hand.
The meaning was clear: she was urging her to at least listen to what Sean Sterling had to say.