CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: I’M SORRY

Ruby Sullivan stood outside the ICU, her heart twisting painfully as she looked at Honey inside.

The doctor said the wound was thin and long, as if sliced open with a razor blade. The scalp has a rich supply of capillaries, hence the excessive bleeding, but the wound isn’t deep. If it weren’t for her illness, it wouldn’t be a big deal.

The attacker’s intentions were clear, not wanting Honey’s life, but rather to serve as a wake-up call for Ruby Sullivan as a mother.

Ruby turned to look at Ethan Sterling beside her, her eyes red and swollen, but sharp and fierce, "Mr. Sterling, do you think I’ve made any enemies here in the country?"

Ethan Sterling furrowed his brows, momentarily unsure of how to respond.

He couldn’t believe Rhonda Sullivan could be so malicious, nor could he believe she’d be so foolish to do something so unnecessary for him.

She sneered, "Mr. Sterling, do you think someone as kind and gentle as Miss Sullivan could never do something so underhanded?" Seeing him remain silent revealed the answer in his heart, she nodded and said, "Mr. Sterling, you should leave, thank you for coming."

"I will investigate..."

"No need." Ruby Sullivan cut him off curtly, "Surely, Miss Sullivan would inform me herself, otherwise wouldn’t it be a total waste for her to go to so much trouble to hire someone for this? Isn’t it?" She raised an eyebrow, her smile colder and more poisonous like a red poppy, "Mr. Sterling, you’d better go back to Miss Sullivan’s side, because if she really is that kind of lunatic, playing some ’if I can’t have it, I’ll destroy it’ game, Mr. Sterling might get caught up in it too."

Ethan Sterling’s face turned extremely unpleasant at these words, "How can you be so sure of Rhonda Sullivan’s character after knowing her for just a few days?" He was angry not out of sympathy for Rhonda but because he couldn’t accept the disdain and sarcasm in her eyes.

"I’m curious too, smart as you are, Mr. Sterling, how could you choose such a venomous woman to be Seth Sterling’s mother, aren’t you afraid it would break his birth mother’s heart?" She glared at him, full of mockery, disdain, and... hatred!

Back then, for whose sake was Ethan Sterling so desperate to push her aside?

Ethan Sterling met her gaze heavily, then sighed softly, "You’re upset, I don’t want to argue with you, if it turns out to be Rhonda Sullivan, I will ensure justice is served for you."

"Justice? What justice?" Ruby Sullivan chuckled, "Have Rhonda Sullivan give birth to a daughter to compensate me, or wait until she has a daughter to destroy her daughter?" She took a deep breath, unwilling to lose her composure further, and turned away from him.

"Mr. Sterling, in this world, many things have no justice."

Ethan Sterling watched her straight back, suddenly feeling a slight ache in his heart.

No matter if she was Ruby Sullivan or not, he wanted to know the kind of pain she had endured over the years to express such a sentiment with calm.

Instinctively, Ethan Sterling gently embraced her from behind, "I’m sorry." He didn’t want to upset her.

Ruby Sullivan doubted her ears, how could the lofty Ethan Sterling apologize? Even when he came to the Sullivan Family for financial aid back then, he hadn’t set aside his pride, so what changed now?

Surprised and shocked, the spikes on her body retracted somewhat, "Is Mr. Sterling seeing me as your ex-wife again?"

"Whether you are her or not, I still want to say I’m sorry." Ethan Sterling exhaled deeply, as if saying this lightened him considerably.

"Sir?" Mama Bennett, who had been there for a while, hesitated before calling out from a few steps away.

Ethan Sterling was startled, quickly releasing her and standing properly.

Ruby Sullivan turned her head also looking embarrassed.

Mama Bennett walked over briskly, "I cooked some porridge and brought it over, you should eat it while it’s hot." She smiled, opening the food container.

"Thank you." Ruby Sullivan smiled faintly as she accepted it, though she had no appetite at all.

Mama Bennett sighed, patting her shoulder in comfort, "Eat some, even if just for the child’s sake, you must take care of yourself."

"Hmm." Ruby Sullivan thought of her own hardships back then, her heart ached, and she quickly lowered her head, putting a spoon of porridge into her mouth to swallow her tears.

She insisted on staying at the hospital fearing something might happen to Honey, and Ethan Sterling accompanied her, sitting on a chair throughout the night. Until the hallway erupted with bustling footsteps, the two woke up one after another.

Ruby Sullivan got up, discovering Ethan Sterling’s coat draped over her, but seeing the nurses and doctors enter the ICU, she grabbed the coat in hand and quickly went to inquire about the situation.

A nurse, smiling, reassured her, saying they saw a signal that Honey was awake from the duty room, hence they came for a routine check-up.

After explaining, the nurse hurried inside to help.

Ruby Sullivan knew this wasn’t a time for family to go in, so without wasting words, she followed to the door, peering inside through the narrow glass window.

Doctors and nurses crowded tightly around the hospital bed, obstructing her view.

Ethan Sterling came over, gently patting her shoulder.

Ruby Sullivan unexpectedly felt reassured, handing the coat back to him, "Thank you."

A few minutes later, the doctor emerged from the ICU looking peaceful, "She can be discharged, but there are some things I’d like to discuss in my office after the paperwork is completed."

Ruby Sullivan’s heart sank at the words, the relief she’d just felt now heavy in her chest.

"This is Melody Wallace’s blood test report." The doctor slid a sheet of paper over to Ruby Sullivan, "Although the situation stabilized this time, there is a significant risk of spontaneous bleeding moving forward."

Ruby Sullivan looked at the familiar medical terms, her hands trembling slightly, "My daughter was diagnosed with a coagulation disorder at birth, but I’ve had blood tests and am not a genetic carrier, so... maybe this is just her fate."

"There’s no need to be so pessimistic, as long as a suitable bone marrow match is found, there is a considerable chance of a cure."

"Thank you, Doctor. We’ve previously done bone marrow matching in international registries, but haven’t found a match yet, still awaiting results."

"Since you already understand Melody Wallace’s condition, I won’t elaborate further."

Honey couldn’t understand their conversation, but she could read her mother’s expression. Leaving the doctor’s office, she worriedly asked, "Mom, will I die?"

"Of course not, Mom will definitely cure you." Ruby Sullivan held her close, her gaze firm.

Ethan Sterling, however, paused with a heavy expression, and waited until mother and daughter had gone far ahead before quickly catching up.

This incident seemed not to have affected Honey too much. Seeing her mother’s sour face, she tried all the way to cheer her up, singing many nursery rhymes she’d learned in kindergarten.

Several times, Ethan Sterling couldn’t help but glance at her in the rearview mirror, thinking to himself, this girl’s big heart is just like someone’s.

After getting home, unable to resist Honey’s pleading, Ethan Sterling carried her inside, intending to go straight to sleep, when he saw Mama Bennett grumbling, handing something to Ruby Sullivan.

"What’s going on?" he asked, walking over slowly.

Ruby Sullivan handed him the note in her hand, "Mama Bennett said she saw this taped on the door when she returned from buying groceries."

It was a printed note that read: Leave The Sterling Group within a week.

Ethan Sterling clenched the note in his hand, speaking in a low voice, "You don’t have to worry about this."