Chapter 4

Mrs. Lee hurried inside.

Sean lay weakly on the bed. Seeing Mrs. Lee, his heart ached. When the hospital had insisted on an emergency contact, he hadn't thought much of it. He assumed that by being careful, he wouldn't have any emergencies. Under pressure from the hospital, he had reluctantly given Mrs. Lee's number.

He hadn't wanted Mrs. Lee to know, worried it would be too much for her health. But now, there was no way to hide it.

"Sean..." Mrs. Lee choked out.

Sean raised his arm with effort and softly called, "Mrs. Lee..."

Their hands clasped tightly. Mrs. Lee fought back tears as she held Sean's hand to her cheek.

"How could you be so foolish? Getting sick without anyone by your side - how can I not worry about you?"

Sean's throat tightened, but he still forced a smile to reassure her. "It's okay, I'm much better now!"

Though Mrs. Lee couldn't see, her heart wasn't blind. She guessed that Sean hadn't told Lucy about his illness. She also guessed that Lucy and Sean's problems must be because of that man.

But she couldn't ask or say anything. With Lucy's temper, confronting her now would only result in her blaming everything on Sean. Besides, Mrs. Lee wanted to respect Sean's decision. If he chose not to tell Lucy, he must have his reasons.

Mrs. Lee wiped away her tears and turned to instruct Fiona to prepare some light food for Sean. Though she couldn't see, she could sense how weak Sean was right now.

Fiona was the caretaker Sean had found for Mrs. Lee. She quickly ran out of the hospital. When Fiona first came to work for Mrs. Lee, it was Sean who taught her about the local foods and Mrs. Lee's preferences.

Whenever Fiona accidentally broke something, Sean never scolded her. Instead, he would reassure her, "Don't be afraid. Mrs. Lee won't be angry. I'll get her new ones."

He treated Fiona like his own little sister. When Fiona was upset about something, she would always go to Sean to talk. They could discuss anything.

But now Sean was sick, and Fiona felt like her world was crumbling. She was terrified of losing Sean - of losing the person who had protected her, taught her, and guided her for the past three years.

She walked along crying, too caught up in her sad thoughts to notice Lucy approaching.

The two collided and fell to the ground.

Lucy immediately lashed out, "Are you blind?! Can't you watch where you're going?!"

It took Fiona a moment to come to her senses. When she saw Lucy in Chad's arms, her expression changed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked in surprise.

Lucy's eyes widened. "Is Mrs. Lee not feeling well?!"

Fiona was about to answer when Chad let out a pained cry, clutching his forehead.

Lucy forgot everything else and rushed to support Chad.

By the time she looked back, Fiona had vanished into the crowd.

In the hospital room, Sean seemed to sense something was wrong. He gritted his teeth and reached for his phone. Before he could touch it, Lucy's call came through.

Sean glanced at Mrs. Lee, then turned the volume down low before answering.

"Sean Quinn, what the hell are you doing? Do you know I just saw Mrs. Lee's caretaker at the hospital? If anything's happened to Mrs. Lee, you're in big trouble!"

Lucy's angry words exploded in Sean's ear. He swallowed painfully before replying, "I understand. She's fine, just picking up some medication."

Sean felt awful and had no energy to argue with Lucy. He also didn't want her to know he was sick. He didn't want her pitiful sympathy, and he knew that even if she found out, she wouldn't feel sorry for him. She would just blame him for being careless. So this time, he chose to stay silent.

Lucy paused, sensing something odd about Sean today. Usually when she lost her temper, Sean would immediately apologize. But this time, he didn't say anything to placate her. He was clearly brushing her off.

Before she could say more, Sean hung up. This was the final straw for Lucy.

She quickly started the car, ignoring Chad's reaction beside her, and floored the gas pedal.

Throwing open the mansion doors, she screamed Sean's name in a shrill voice. But the house was eerily quiet. Even the magpies that usually chattered in the trees were silent.

Lucy grew angrier. She stormed upstairs and kicked open the study door.

But the room was empty except for a pool of blood on the floor. There was no sign of Sean.

Lucy's brow furrowed as she approached the blood. After confirming it was human blood, Lucy's heart began to race.

She took out her phone and called Sean.

The call rang for a few seconds before being rejected. A text message quickly followed: "Emergency at work. Will get my luggage soon."

Lucy's heart sank like a stone. She felt oppressed and irritated.

Sean had never refused her calls before. No matter how busy he was, he would always answer just before the last ring.

But this time...

She glanced at the suitcase by the door, suddenly feeling dissatisfied. What work emergency? And that pool of blood - this was clearly intentional, an excuse to avoid moving out.

With that thought, she headed for the door. She wanted to confront Sean face-to-face about this childish trick. Did he have no shame?

But she had only taken a few steps when Chad stopped her.

"Lucy, my injury really hurts. Can you help me treat it again? You know how much I hate pain..."

Lucy's outstretched foot retracted. She looked at the suitcase outside, then back at the weak Chad.

That's right, he had always hated pain. Even for small bumps and scrapes, he would dramatically grab her arm and beg her to kiss it better.

Let alone now.

Lucy helped Chad up and got some cotton swabs to gently dab at his forehead.

At that moment, everything else was forgotten, replaced by Chad's cries of pain.