Free Web NovelChapter 175: Chapter 175: Is My Wife’s Heart Aching for Me?
When Sophie Shaw and Anne woke up, they saw the missed calls and the trending topics online. They called Nina Halloway’s number back, but it was Ethan Austin who answered.
The two of them scrambled out of bed, got ready, and grabbed some breakfast on the way. When they rushed to the hospital room, they found Ethan Austin sitting in a chair by the bed, keeping watch. On the bed itself, Nina Halloway was fast asleep on her stomach, her hand still clutching Ethan’s tightly.
The woman’s makeup was completely smudged, and she looked absolutely miserable.
She had stayed up with Ethan almost all night. Just before dawn, she couldn’t stay awake any longer and fell asleep slumped over the side of the bed.
As soon as Ethan woke up, she hugged him and cried for a bit. Then, exhausted, she fell into a peaceful sleep in his arms.
Ethan didn’t feel it was appropriate for them to lie in the same bed, so he simply gave the hospital bed to her.
Sophie Shaw and Anne exchanged a surprised glance.
"Which one of you is the patient, exactly?" Anne asked.
Ethan scratched his head in embarrassment. "I am."
"Then why is..."
"My boss doesn’t look like she slept all night. Let her rest."
Anne instinctively lowered her voice. "What happened last night?"
"Nothing much. Just a little accident."
"What accident?"
"I had an upset stomach, so I took some digestive medicine. Turns out, the pills were expired, so I had to come to the hospital to get my stomach pumped."
Anne’s eyes went wide as saucers. She looked her younger brother over from head to toe. "Are you okay?"
"I’m built like a tank. What could possibly happen to me?"
Ethan glanced at the sleeping Nina Halloway and paused for a moment before telling Anne, "Sis, you two should go home. I’ll get discharged once my boss wakes up. Remember to call the other bodyguards to come over. And when you get home, check the medicine cabinet and throw out any expired medicine so this doesn’t happen again."
"You’re really okay?"
"I’m fine. You guys can go."
"The breakfast..."
"I’ll eat in a bit."
Anne hesitated, but ultimately she picked up two of the breakfast bags and led Sophie Shaw out of the room.
Sophie Shaw drove Anne to The Metropolis.
"Want to come up for a bit?"
Sophie Shaw thought for a moment and shook her head.
Alaric Blackwood had said he would ask Lawson to come back, but he hadn’t specified when. She decided to go home and wait. Besides, she’d had too much to drink last night and her head was throbbing.
"Take a breakfast with you. Remember to eat when you get home."
"Okay."
After watching Anne get out of the car with her breakfast and walk into the apartment building, Sophie Shaw drove back to Maplewood Estate.
Back home, she took her breakfast to the dining room and ate her fill before heading upstairs for a hot shower. She had intended to go back to sleep, but she just tossed and turned in bed, unable to drift off.
So she got up, wandered downstairs, and went into the tea room to make some tea.
The tea only made her more awake, completely chasing away any desire to sleep. As she wandered aimlessly through the vast mansion by herself, she was struck by how empty it felt without Alaric Blackwood.
It had only been a day, but it felt like they hadn’t seen each other in ages.
She picked up her phone and dialed Alaric Blackwood’s number. No answer.
After mulling it over, she couldn’t resist. She grabbed her car keys and drove toward the old Blackwood family estate.
’Even if he’s busy with work, he should still answer his phone. Is he planning to be busy for a whole week?’
’Yesterday and today are supposed to be his days off...’
She felt as if Alaric Blackwood was deliberately avoiding her.
’I’m going to catch him in the act and see what he’s really up to.’
As she pulled up to the gates of the old estate, the butler recognized her car and opened them immediately.
She drove into the courtyard and had just gotten out of the car when she saw the butler waiting respectfully for her on the front steps.
"Is Alaric Blackwood here?"
The butler nodded. "The Young Master is here, but he hasn’t gotten up yet."
Sophie was baffled.
She glanced at her watch. It was almost ten o’clock. ’He’s still sleeping?’
’Didn’t he come here for work?’
’Why is he sleeping in...?’
"Are his parents here?"
She didn’t see Quentin Blackwood or Mandy Halloway.
The butler replied, "The Master and Madam are in the study discussing something. It’s not a good time to disturb them."
"Alright, then I’ll go upstairs."
The butler inclined his head, making sure to ask, "What would you like to drink, Young Madam?"
"Green tea, please."
"Of course."
She walked past the butler and headed straight up the stairs toward Alaric Blackwood’s room.
Out of courtesy, she knocked lightly on the door. When no one answered, she simply pushed the door open and walked in.
The first thing she saw was Alaric Blackwood lying face down on the bed. He was bare-chested, a blanket covering him from the waist down. His back was wrapped in a thin layer of gauze, and she could clearly see fresh blood seeping through it.
Sophie froze. Her mind was a chaotic mess, but her legs moved on their own, carrying her toward Alaric Blackwood.
He was lying with his face turned to the side on the pillow. His forehead was beaded with sweat, and his brow was deeply furrowed.
She reached out and gently touched his face. He was burning up.
Her eyes fell on Alaric Blackwood’s back, and panic seized her. She was just about to turn and call for help when the butler knocked and entered with a cup of hot tea.
Seeing her anxious expression, the butler said calmly, "Don’t worry, Young Madam. We’ve already contacted Dr. Cole. He’s on his way now."
"What happened to Alaric Blackwood?"
"The Young Master faced family discipline yesterday."
"What?"
"A Director Kane paid a visit yesterday regarding his niece, Bianca Kane. He came demanding an explanation from the Master and Madam, and his words were filled with veiled threats. The Young Master didn’t want the situation to escalate or put the Master and Madam in a difficult position, so he volunteered to accept the punishment."
Sophie’s heart clenched. She belatedly understood: Alaric Blackwood hadn’t come home not because he had work to deal with, but because he was staying at the family estate after being disciplined.
"The Young Master went out last night. I’m not sure where he went or what he did, but his wounds reopened slightly. It was too late to call Dr. Cole, so he just took some anti-inflammatories and painkillers and went to sleep. We didn’t expect him to develop a high fever today."
The butler finished his unhurried explanation and placed the green tea on the nightstand.
Only then did Sophie Shaw notice two boxes of the anti-inflammatory and pain medication prescribed by Dr. Cole sitting on the nightstand.
"The Master and Madam don’t know you’ve arrived, Young Madam. I will go inform them."
The butler put down the tea and discreetly withdrew.
Sophie sat on the edge of the bed. Seeing Alaric Blackwood not only with a high fever but also with his back covered in blood-soaked gauze, his face deathly pale, she was overcome with heartache, and tears began to stream down her face.
’The Kane family’s retaliation was this swift?’
’Wasn’t it enough for them to come after me? Now they’ve brought in that uncle from Silhaven to make trouble for the Blackwood family, too!’
She gritted her teeth, filled with anger and resentment.
"What a bunch of awful bastards," she muttered.
In a daze, Alaric Blackwood heard a familiar voice and thought he was dreaming.
His long eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes. He found Sophie Shaw sitting by the bed, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
He was stunned for a moment. He raised a hand, and the pad of his finger wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "What are you crying for?"
"Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt? You even lied to me..."
"Honey, I was wrong."
Alaric surrendered without a fight.
’When your wife is angry, admitting you’re wrong is always the right move.’
He pushed himself up with one arm, wrapped both of his around Sophie Shaw, and pulled her into his embrace.
"I didn’t mean to lie to you, I just didn’t want you to worry."
Sophie wasn’t truly angry with him; her heartache overshadowed everything else.
"Okay, I forgive you."
Alaric was groggy, burying his face in the crook of Sophie Shaw’s neck. His burning temperature and ragged breathing filled her with worry.
She wanted to hug him back but was afraid of touching the wounds on his back, so her hands hovered helplessly in mid-air.
"Just hold on a little longer. Dr. Cole is already on his way."
It was just a fever, and Alaric hadn’t paid his injuries much mind. But now that Sophie Shaw was here, he leaned against her as if he were boneless. "Crying so much... does your heart ache for me, honey?"
