In the hospital room.
Kingsward Hospital boasted airtight security. Ever since Peyton Joyce’s accident, numerous media outlets had been staking out the premises, desperate to capture the first-hand scandal of the wealthy family. Yet, none could find a chance to get close.
Simon Hawthorne sat by the bed, his expression unreadable as he adjusted her IV tube.
Peyton looked incredibly frail. Lying in the hospital bed, she seemed drained of life. Her tiny face was completely devoid of color, and her eyes were filled with a profound, helpless sorrow.
"Simon, you’ve brought me back from the brink again," she murmured.
Simon’s gaze landed on her face. "Your body belongs to you. Why don’t you cherish it?"
"Don’t you know why, Simon?" Peyton offered a bitter smile, looking at him with a deep affection that anyone could see. "I’m in so much pain. If it hadn’t been for what happened back then, I would be your wife right now. I would be having your children and taking care of our little family, instead of being what I am now—a voyeur watching the happiness I’ve always longed for land in the hands of another woman."
At the mention of the past, a faint ripple crossed Simon’s dark eyes. "It’s all in the past. It doesn’t matter anymore. You are still you; that incident won’t affect you the slightest bit."
"If you say it doesn’t matter, then why didn’t you marry me?" Tears slipped from Peyton’s eyes. She reached out and grabbed the back of Simon’s hand, clutching it tightly as if grasping at her final lifeline. "We were made for each other. Simon, I know you don’t love Zoe. Right?"
Simon didn’t answer. He simply cast a thoughtful glance at the hand she was holding.
Peyton’s eyes reddened. Overcome by intense emotional fluctuations, she ignored the IV needle still stuck in the back of her hand and sat up, reaching out to embrace him. "Simon, I can’t bear seeing your eyes on another woman. I really won’t survive this."
In the split second her arms looped around his neck, Simon seemed caught off guard. As he reached out to move the IV tubing out of the way, he used a fraction too much force and accidentally shoved Peyton’s hands away. The sudden movement sent her staggering backward.
"Peyton!" an alarmed voice rang out from the doorway.
Ryan Hawthorne rushed in with startling speed, catching Peyton in his arms to steady her.
Simon frowned slightly. "Are you alright? Your body is too weak. I didn’t mean to."
Seeing his concern for her, Peyton finally shook her head. "I’m fine."
Only then did Simon turn to look at Ryan. His tone was level, devoid of any discernible emotion. "You two have been close since childhood. Ryan cares about you a lot."
Peyton paused, unsure if Simon’s words carried any hidden meaning. She immediately clarified, "Ryan treats me like his own sister, Simon. Don’t overthink it." With that, she patted Ryan’s hand. "Let go of me, Ryan."
A complex emotion flickered in Ryan’s eyes. He reluctantly released his hold on Peyton, then turned to Simon, his tone tightly controlled. "Simon, you know how Peyton’s health is right now. The doctor said her depression has worsened to the point of causing physical symptoms. Please, don’t break her heart again."
Peyton had suffered from depression for many years. Coupled with the incident from back then, her health had deteriorated severely, forcing her to go abroad to recuperate. And the root of it all... was also Simon.
"Ryan, don’t speak to Simon like that. It’s my fault. I made you all worry, but sometimes I just can’t control my emotions and actions. I’m sorry..." Peyton shook her head bitterly, her face turning even paler.
Ryan’s chest tightened. He desperately wanted to pull Peyton back into his arms to comfort her, but he forced himself to hold back. His tone harbored a hint of resentment toward Zoe. "I saw the news. Zoe came to the hospital today too. Why hasn’t she come up?"
Simon lifted his gaze to look at him. His dark eyes were as placid as an ancient well, yet they inexplicably sent a chill down Ryan’s spine. Ryan’s nerves went numb for a second, making him wonder if he had imagined it.
The next moment, Simon simply said, "Yes, I’ll call her."
Peyton stared at him deeply, her fingers curling into tight fists without her realizing it.
Meanwhile, Zoe sat in the quiet hospital corridor. She stared up at the overhead lights in a daze, her body stiff and numb, as the doctor’s words echoed endlessly in her mind.
"If... if I want to abort this child, will I recover quickly?" she had asked.
"You want an abortion? Young lady, you need to think this through. Looking at your medical history, your constitution makes it very difficult for you to conceive. It’s already a stroke of luck that you’re pregnant now. If you go through with an abortion, the trauma from the procedure will only make your condition worse. In the future...
"It is highly likely that you will never be able to have children again."
She would never be able to have children of her own again. This was a completely unexpected outcome.
The moment she found out she was pregnant, she had felt a mix of agony and conflict. Yet, she had made her decision decisively. If she gave birth to this child, she wouldn’t be able to provide it with the best life. Moreover, once she and Simon divorced, he would inevitably marry Peyton.
How could she let her child grow up without a father’s love, or worse, be raised in such a toxic family environment? That would be too cruel. It would be better if the baby never came into this world at all.
Being indecisive wouldn’t do her any good, either. Even though Simon had said he wanted her to have a baby, that was merely his personal wish. He couldn’t give her a future. If she allowed herself to drown in the sweet illusion of his words, the only person getting hurt would be herself.
And yet, she had clearly made up her mind to abort the child. But now, if she went through with it, she might never be able to have a baby of her own for the rest of her life.
Zoe squeezed her eyes shut, hugging her arms tightly around herself. It felt as though she had been tossed into a pool of molten lava, the agony tearing her apart from the inside out. She began to feel a swell of resentment. Why did Simon never care about her wishes? Why did he have to make her pregnant?
BUZZ!
Her phone vibrated in her hand. Zoe let it ring for a while before finally answering.
The man’s deep, resonant voice drifted through the receiver, carrying his usual aloofness. "Where are you? Come up to the twelfth floor."
Zoe’s voice was exhausted, her entire body devoid of strength. "What for?"
She wondered if he expected her to go up just to watch him and Peyton act all lovey-dovey. She certainly wasn’t a masochist.
Catching the emotion in her tone, Simon paused for a moment. His voice slowed down. "Then where are you? I’ll come find you."
Zoe had zero desire to see him right now. Her mind was an absolute mess, and she desperately needed time to think and make a choice. She was just about to reply when Peyton’s voice drifted over the line. "Zoe, I want to see you. Is that okay?"
The woman’s voice was still weak. She had just attempted suicide over Simon, yet here she was, back to a normal state as if nothing had ever happened. Deep down, Zoe couldn’t help but admire her; the squeaky wheel truly did get the grease.
She slowly opened her eyes. "Sure."
She figured she could probably guess what Peyton wanted to say.
When she arrived on the twelfth floor, she bumped right into Simon as he walked out of the hospital room. He was holding his phone, in the middle of a call—likely an important business matter. The moment he saw her, however, he paused and said in a low voice, "I have to take this overseas call. I’ll come inside to find you in a bit."
Zoe gave him a dazed look. She wondered if the child would look a lot like him if it was born.
Watching Simon walk down to the end of the hall, she pulled her gaze away and pushed the door open.
The moment she saw Zoe, Peyton turned to Ryan with a gentle look. "Ryan, you go out too. I want to talk to Zoe alone."
Ryan’s gaze fell on Zoe, suppressing a few complicated emotions before obediently pushing the door open and leaving.
Zoe walked up to the side of the hospital bed. Suddenly, she felt as though neither she nor Peyton had ever truly won. Zoe loved him but couldn’t have him, while Peyton, despite sharing a mutual love with him, lacked a legitimate title.