"Sir, Young Mistress White is temporarily safe, but the baby... We did our best, but it was too late when she was brought to the hospital. The fetus was already dead inside her." the doctor sighed, sweat soaking his palms: "She's in a bit of a state, you should calm her when you visit."
Upon hearing the words "dead inside her." Daniel's face darkened.
He muttered an inaudible "useless" under his breath, but managed to keep his face impassive, giving the doctor a nod before dismissing him.
Relieved as if granted a royal pardon, the doctor hastened away.
In the hospital room, Selena had woken up.
She stared intently at the scar that ran across the face of the man sitting by her bed before breaking into heaving sobs: "Our child... our baby... is gone, isn't it... Winky... where's our baby?"
In actuality, she understood the intricacies of the situation better than anyone else.
Even before anyone else arrived, she already knew the poor child wouldn't survive the day.
Winky's evasive gaze only served to confirm her suspicions.
"Winky, you're a man, aren't you? You wouldn't let the one who killed your child go unpunished, would you?" Her voice couldn't hide the fatigue, yet it remained razor-sharp.
"Our child's killer is Flora!"
The beautiful white mansion by the riverbank stood silent, its doors shut tight.
A seven-year-old boy sat outside, head lowered, not uttering a word.
Mimi, stroking his hair, sighed heavily: "Don't be sad... It might be a good thing that Paul is being treated in the US. There, medical science is advanced, the equipment is cutting-edge, his chances of recovery will be higher."
Today, the boy came here, hoping to visit his twin sister, only to be greeted with the news of her transfer to the US for treatment.
Partly because he couldn't see his sister, partly out of worry, the boy's spirits were noticeably dampened.
"Mimi, if my sister needs another bone marrow transplant, can I donate mine?" he asked.
"You and Paul are twins. When one twin is afflicted with a disease, the probability of the other contracting it is quite high, so usually, it's not possible." Mimi shook her head, attempting to recall the cryptic explanation of Doctor Andrey: "Furthermore, you're still a child, physically you might not meet the requirements."
Seeing the boy's attempt at feigning composure while unable to hide his sadness and worry, Mimi comforted him: "It will be okay. Both of you are strong, I am certain there will be no issues."
The boy just nodded, not uttering another word, simply sitting in silence.
At that moment, Flora heard persistent knocking on the door.
She furrowed her brow, slipped into her slippers, and opened the door.
"Are you Flora?" Two uniformed men stared intently at the woman who answered the door, their gaze far from friendly.
A cold shiver ran down Flora's spine.
The police had tracked her down here, most likely because of Selena.
It seemed she had no choice but to return to that detention cell today.
One of the officers held up a printed photograph to compare it with the woman in front of him, then signaled his companion: "That's her, arrest her!" Turning to Flora, his voice hardened: "Flora, you are under arrest on suspicion of involvement in Matthew's disappearance, escaping custody, and homicide. Raise your hands and place them behind your head. Resisting will only add obstruction of justice to your charges."
"Homicide?" Flora's eyebrows furrowed tightly: "Officer, are you mistaken? I didn't kill anyone..."
Inside the house, Emma also heard the commotion outside and rushed out.
She positioned herself in front of Flora, glaring: "Our mistress did not kill anyone, nor is she involved with Matthew's disappearance. He vanished out of the blue, instead of investigating his wife, why are you harassing an innocent woman?"
"Whether she's innocent or not, the law will decide." The policeman grabbed Flora's wrist, clamping on the handcuffs: "Flora, you tied up Miss Selena and assaulted her, causing her to miscarry, both physically and emotionally causing severe harm. The Whites have charged you with intentional bodily harm and homicide. There's medical proof from the hospital, and the prosecutor's office has decided to press charges."
Upon hearing this, Flora was genuinely astonished.
Yes, she had tied Selena up, but she hadn't assaulted her, at most she had threatened her with a knife.
Selena was six or seven months pregnant, she shouldn't have miscarried so easily.
She hurriedly explained: "I only tied her up to escape, I didn't assault her..."
"Save your words for the statement." a hoarse voice echoed, as a cold-faced man slowly entered, his countenance made all the more menacing by a long scar: "You once spared my life, yet you took the life of the unborn child of my house's young lady.
Consider... consider us even." This was based on the two's relationship. As for how the White family would retaliate against Flora, Winky could not intervene, and had no intention of doing so, because...
"From now on, you are my enemy!"
The police car sped like a ghost down the desolate streets, devoid of human presence.
Flora sat in the car, a police officer on one side, Winky on the other, quietly calculating her chances of escape.
Without even considering, she knew the chances were almost nonexistent.
This time, it involved Selena's unborn child, the relationship between the Whites and the Charles, Selena certainly would not let her off easily.
Unless Matthew returned.
Just as her thoughts were scattering like leaves, the car came to an abrupt stop.
The driving officer muttered a curse: "Damn it! Who the hell parks in the middle of the road!"
It was another police car.
From the blockading vehicle, a uniformed figure stepped down, rapped on the window of the car heading towards the station.
Once the window was rolled down, the figure flashed a badge: "I have received an urgent order from above, request you immediately release the person in the vehicle.
From now on, we will be handling this case."
"Impossible... This incident occurred in our jurisdiction, it hasn't exceeded our capabilities.
How could the superiors assign it to you?" the driving officer frowned: "There hasn't been any mistake in the investigation process."
"Who said there were no mistakes?" The figure outside retorted coldly.
The biggest mistake was that Matthew had not disappeared at all.
As the familiar tall figure approached step by step, Flora could only widen her eyes.
She was hoping, anxious, yet she dared not believe what she was seeing was the truth.
Her heart seemed to stop, time too seemed to freeze in that moment.
Her eyes welled with tears, almost forgetting she was sandwiched between two grown men, contemplating bolting out to confirm whether it was indeed the man she had been yearning for day and night.
Matthew stood less than a meter away from the car, staring through the rear windshield as if attempting to see through it.
He was cloaked in a long coat, the hem fluttering in the night breeze, his slightly long hair also disheveled, revealing a somewhat pallid face.
His voice bore a hint of impatience: "I haven't disappeared, can you let her go now?"
The officer who came with him nodded incessantly: "Of course... of course she can be released..."
Matthew not disappearing made the whole case a farce.
Whether he wanted to or not, Winky knew, it ended here.
Because Matthew had returned, there was no more reason to prosecute Flora.
The police car door swung open, Winky stepped out with a cold expression, standing to the side in silence.
Flora didn't have the luxury to notice the reactions of the irrelevant parties, she extended her hand, allowing the officer to unlock her handcuffs, then she looked up, staring straight at Matthew.
Less than two weeks apart, yet it felt like several lifetimes.
The person before her, who left without a word, then returned equally abruptly, standing before her, his demeanor as relaxed as if the gaping time in between never existed.
It seemed from beginning to end, it was only her struggling, suffering.
"Flora... don't cry..." Matthew sighed, his cold finger wiping away the transparent tear just fallen from Flora's lashes.
Suddenly, she lunged forward, her arms tightly encircling his towering frame, then her body tensed, without warning, she bit harshly into his neck.
The taste of blood mingled with the salty remnants of tears lingered on the tip of his tongue, carrying both the joy and sorrow of what is called "parting and reunion"...
"CEO Charles." The address, rigid and foreign, came from Winky's voice: "Miss... ah, no... Mrs... she was attacked by Flora and miscarried.
If you have returned, both emotionally and logically, you should visit her in the hospital." Surely Selena longed to meet Matthew, longed with an intensity that consumed her.
Matthew did not appear surprised, his gaze flicked casually towards the speaker, and then he replied with an unruffled smile to Flora: "You should take a rest first."
In his absence, it seemed that Selena and the White family behind her increasingly disregarded him.
As soon as he finished speaking, before Flora could nod in agreement, he hastily followed after Winky.
Without a doubt, he was on his way to the hospital.
After all, Selena was his wife, in name at least.
"Miss Flora, it's difficult to get a taxi at this hour, why don't you take a ride, I'll accompany you a bit." The police officer who had arrived with Matthew smiled at her, seeming rather friendly: "Don't hesitate to take a police car home, it's dark already, nobody will notice."
It wasn't a matter of being noticed or not.
The police car had arrived at her house with sirens blaring, those who could see had already seen, how could she feel embarrassed about being escorted home by a police car?
The problem was, she just wanted to be alone right now.
With the sudden onset of an incident and its abrupt resolution, she felt as if everything that had happened was unreal.
She shook her head: "No need, thank you, I can manage by myself."
Under the hesitant gaze of the police officer, she turned around and began walking home.
Without a word of explanation, without a word of comfort, he disappeared, appeared for a brief moment, then left again immediately.
Matthew was once the person closest to her, but today, she suddenly felt he was terribly distant.
So distant that when he turned his back and left, she couldn't even reach out to stop him, she could only suffer silently, her heart covered in pain.
And then, she walked back alone, quietly digesting her own sorrow.
"Matthew... you're back?" Selena propped herself up on the bed, her eyes sparkling.
Matthew nodded: "If I hadn't returned, how would I know of the good things you've done."
Selena furrowed her brows, she suddenly thought... Could it be that before coming here, Matthew had met Flora? Confident that Flora must have whispered in his ear, leading to his misunderstanding, she bowed her head and wept.
"Matthew... I didn't mean to do anything to Flora... it's her who has been trying to hurt me repeatedly... Initially, I just wanted to ask about your whereabouts.
I'm your wife, you disappeared suddenly, I was worried, I didn't expect her..." The daughter of the White family was a great actress, crying on cue as she poured out her woes.
She sobbed: "I didn't expect Flora to be so cruel, she... she killed our baby..."