Andrea clutched the phone tightly, her expression crumbling as a whirlwind of emotions flooded her eyes. Not a single word escaped her lips for a full minute.
Lucas Anderson remained silent too, the passing time stretching into an uncomfortable ten minutes with Andrea standing motionless, her silence deafening.
"Andrea," Lucas finally broke the stillness, unable to bear the weight of the quiet any longer.
Tears welling up in her eyes, Andrea managed to whisper, "It's okay," before abruptly ending the call.
She sniffled, inhaling deeply to compose herself before bravely stepping into the entrance of the hospital.
When Andrea arrived at Mrs. Anderson's hospital ward, she found Benita there, with Pete standing silently to the side.
Upon noticing Andrea, Mrs. Anderson's face was etched with remorse. "Andrea, I am sorry," she said, her voice heavy with regret, "I failed to tell you the truth."
Her head bowed, tears threatened to overflow from Mrs. Anderson's eyes. The burden of her past actions, selling Lucas Anderson away, was her deepest regret.
"Mom, stop crying, you're not to blame," Benita soothed, her eyes flashing with irritation towards Andrea. She believed that if Andrea hadn't visited, her mother wouldn't have been reduced to tears.
Contrarily, Mrs. Anderson insisted, "Benny, we must apologize to Andrea; we've kept the truth from her."
Turning towards Andrea with a contrite expression, Mrs. Anderson continued, "I have not only failed as a mother but also as a mother-in-law, Andrea."
Andrea replied, "Mom, I hold no anger towards you. As a mother myself, I can comprehend many of the choices you've made. I'll go handle the discharge procedures now."
Unable to bear the emotional weight of the moment, Andrea swiftly exited the room to prevent herself from succumbing to tears.
Pete remained quiet throughout the exchange, but eventually broke his silence. "Where's my father?" he inquired, his voice filled with a mix of confusion and hope.
Mrs. Anderson was taken aback; amidst the emotional turmoil, she had momentarily forgotten Pete's presence. He had been quiet, occasionally leaving the ward, appearing to search for something, or someone.
"Pete, we're not sure where your dad is, but I promise your mom will find him and bring him back," Mrs. Anderson replied, mistakenly thinking Pete was referring to Valentine Anderson as his father.
Pete's lips tightened, and as he fought back tears, he turned and left the ward, his small frame heavy with sadness.
Benita looked at her mother, her own expression one of bewilderment. "Mom, isn't Pete's behavior odd today?"
After a moment's reflection, Mrs. Anderson nodded, sharing the same concern. "I believe he's distressed over his father's absence," she said, understanding the gravity of the situation on the young boy's heart.
As the ward door swung open, Andrea stepped in, her gaze sweeping the room. A frown creased her brow when she noticed Pete's absence.
"Mom, I've talked to the doctor. He said it's okay for you both to go home now; you're both healthy. I've taken care of the discharge paperwork," Andrea informed her.
Suddenly, Mrs. Anderson interjected, "Where's Lucas?"
Despite the rift between her and Lucas, which had led to her own coma, the maternal bond tugged at her heart. She wished to mend fences with her son, and she had expected him to arrive with Andrea. Yet, Pete and Andrea had been in the ward for a while, and there was no sign of Lucas.
At the mention of Lucas Anderson, Andrea's lips tightened, and a sharp pang shot through her heart. With a heavy sigh, she replied, "Mom, Lucas has left the country. He doesn't plan to come back."
Unbeknownst to Andrea, Pete had been eavesdropping from behind the door. His sobs soon filled the silence, followed by the sound of his retreating footsteps. Andrea's heart raced with panic, and she called out, "Pete!" before dashing out of the ward, leaving Mrs. Anderson and Benita bewildered by the strange tension around Andrea and Lucas.
Andrea finally caught up with Pete, grabbing his arm to stop him. The sight of his tear-streaked face and runny nose wrenched her heart even more.
"Mommy, do you love daddy?" Pete's voice was tinged with sorrow as he looked up at her, tears still streaming down his cheeks.
Andrea froze, taken aback by the question. How could she love Lucas Anderson, whom Pete called 'daddy'? Her heart belonged to his twin brother. Realizing her hesitation had lasted a whole thirty seconds, Pete drew his own heartbreaking conclusion about his parents' relationship.
"Mom, will daddy ever come back?" Pete's small frame shook with the weight of his emotions.
Faced with her son's anguish, Andrea knew she couldn't offer false hope. She had no idea if she would ever find Valentine Anderson or when Lucas might decide to return.
"I don't know, Pete. But I promise, I'll do everything I can to bring him back to us," she said, her voice laced with determination.
Unable to hold back his tears, Pete broke free and sprinted to the waiting car, his cries echoing in Andrea's ears. She watched him go, her heart heavy with the chaos that had become her life.
Deciding to postpone any further discussions with Mrs. Anderson for another day, Andrea made her way to the car and drove back to the mansion.
But as she prepared to speak, Pete darted out of the vehicle and bolted into the house, leaving her words unspoken. With a deep, rueful sigh, Andrea followed, the weight of her son's sadness and the complications of her own heart heavy on her mind.
With a deep breath still lingering in her chest, Andrea's contemplative silence was pierced by the insistent ringing of her phone. She answered swiftly, her assistant's voice funneling through the speaker with urgency, "Ma'am Andrea, the French company we've been courting for a partnership has sent their delegates for contract discussions. It's rumored that their president is among them."
A flicker of determination crossed Andrea's features. This deal was her brainchild, the key to cementing her place in the cutthroat tapestry of the fashion world.
"Arrange the meeting. I will greet them in person," Andrea instructed decisively, then ended the call.
With no further thought spared for Pete, she immersed herself in the ocean of paperwork demanding her attention, only surfacing when it was time to leave her mansion for the pivotal meeting.
The clock had struck 10 PM when Andrea returned, her smile brilliant, a testament to the success of the negotiations. Yet, as she entered the solitude of her bedroom, the joy ebbed away, her triumph hollow without someone to share it with. Lucas Anderson, her husband of a few weeks, had always been the one to bask in the glow of her victories with her.
Breaking the silence, Housekeeper Win entered, her voice laced with concern, "Ma'am Andrea, Pete left his dinner untouched."