Suddenly, the doors to the operating room swung open.
The doctor walked out. “Mr. Simmons, your wife was brought in just in time. The surgery was a success.
Eddy heard the good news, but the relief only tightened the knot in his chest.
Then he heard the rest.
“But…your wife’s heart is extremely fragile. If she needs another operation, she won’t survive it. If there’s another episode, only a transplant will save her.
“You need to prepare yourself.”
Eddy lowered his gaze, his eyes shadowed with worry. “Don’t tell my wife about her condition.”
The doctor nodded.
When Blanche was wheeled out by the nurses, Eddy hurried to her side and took her hand, his voice trembling with tenderness. “Sweetheart…”
He was afraid to wake her, but the joy in his eyes was unmistakable–he’d nearly
lost her.
Three days later, Blanche was discharged from the hospital.
They moved back into their old home–the very house she’d once ordered to be torn down. Now it had been completely remodeled. Everything looked different, yet somehow nothing had changed.
Their wedding photo hung in the center of the living room, surrounded by snapshots of the three of them as a family.
“Honey, our friends want to celebrate your recovery and help us warm the new house. They’ll be coming over tonight. How do you feel about that?”
“Sounds good.”
Ever since Blanche had woken up in the hospital, Eddy hadn’t left her side for a
moment.
He stopped going to the office, working from home instead.
He wouldn’t let Healy go to preschool, insisting their daughter stay home with the all day.
21H
Apart from Eddy and Healy, it was just a handful of house staff flitting through the rooms, their constant presence making Blanche restless.
If she couldn’t go out, she might as well bring people in. “Last time, your misunderstood Professor Reese. This is a good chance to apologize to him.”
She needed to finish constructing the security system soon–there was no time left.
to waste.
Eddy’s eyes darkened. “Should I invite his son, Terrell, too?”
Blanche replied with a quiet “Mhm.” The more people, the better. “And ask Dr. Turner to come as well.”
During the surgery, the doctors hadn’t known she was pregnant. Her heart had stopped, and the anesthesia had been heavy–she needed Sophie to check if the baby was all right.
As evening fell, the house filled with guests and lively chatter.
Blanche wore a smoky blue dress, a diamond bracelet glittering around her wrist–cold, bright, unmistakable. It was the Simmons family heirloom, the symbol of the lady of the house.
She smiled gently, holding Eddy’s arm as they greeted guests in the foyer.
When Jeannette walked in with Kelvin, the first thing she saw was that bracelet on Blanche’s wrist. She’d seen it before, on Loraine’s arm–the Simmons family’s most prized heirloom, worth millions.
Loraine had actually given it to Blanche.
Jeannette muttered to herself, thinking of how Loraine and Fernando used to sneak off together, doing who–knows–what in the butler’s pantry. How could Blanche possibly deserve the Simmons family treasure?
“Aunt Blanche, you look so pretty today!” Terrell’s childish voice piped up as he bounced in front of Blanche, eagerly grabbing her hand.
Jeannette snapped out of her thoughts as Kelvin greeted Eddy with a nod and led
her inside.
As she brushed past Eddy, the Cartier bracelet on her wrist grazed the back of his hand–a fleeting touch, cold against warm skin, sending a shiver through her.
Since Blanche’s accident, Jeannette hadn’t been able to reach Eddy.
He would answer Kelvin’s calls, but as soon as Kelvin handed the phone to her, Eddy
21:42
would hang up without a word.
His refusal to acknowledge her made Jeannette anxious–she couldn’t stand the thought of being cast aside by Eddy.
Eddy watched as Blanche took Terrell toward the kitchen. “Aunt Blanche made lots of treats today. Come on, I’ll show you.”
Meanwhile, Fernando and Felipa were quietly led to the back garden by the security
staff.
Upstairs, Eddy pulled Jeannette into the study, closing the door behind them.
Kelvin, knowing his place, sat down in the lounge outside.
Jeannette held up her bracelet, desperate to make her case. “Eddy, I found this Cartier bracelet in the lounge on the night of the engagement party. It has your and Blanche’s initials engraved on it.”
“I saw Blanche and Fernando running out of the lounge together that night. This bracelet proves it!”
“The security footage from that night must have been tampered with!”
Eddy’s icy gaze fixed on Jeannette as he seized her wrist and unclasped the Cartier bracelet, slipping it into the inner pocket of his suit jacket. “You have no right to wear her bracelet.”
Her wrist ached from his grip, but that pain was nothing compared to the hurt in her
heart.
Eddy pressed her down against the long desk, his hand tightening and loosening at
happens to people who her throat, his eyes dark and dangerous. “You know.
try to slander my wife.”
