CHAPTER 34: CHAPTER 34: DO YOU NEED A DIVORCE LAWYER?

Heather let out a sound of surprise.

Her first reaction was disbelief in what Iris Quill said.

With his physique, could he be a child going hungry at home?

If he were starving, then all the kids in the world would be from Africa.

Even Declan Hawthorne thought Iris Quill was lying.

Poppy Hale looked at Iris Quill.

The quilt covered his face.

It seemed he was embarrassed.

Poppy Hale glanced at her daughter and chose to believe what Florence Lynch said.

"Iris Quill, explain yourself."

Iris stammered.

Declan Hawthorne stepped forward and pulled back his quilt, "Speak properly."

The person he feared most was his uncle.

"Grandma only gives me one bowl of rice at lunch and doesn’t let me eat meat."

"I’m always very hungry in the afternoon."

The Iris Quill household was very close to the kindergarten.

The grandma worried that Iris Quill wouldn’t eat well at noon, so she didn’t allow him to eat lunch at school and picked him up every day to eat lunch at home.

Then she would send him back after the meal.

Heather also felt it was a hassle.

But she was usually at work and didn’t come back at noon, so she couldn’t manage it.

Poppy Hale asked patiently, "So what does your grandma give you for lunch?"

"Just vegetables and rice, nothing else. Auntie, don’t you believe me? Look at my watch!"

Iris Quill finally found an adult willing to listen to him.

Furthermore, Florence’s mom was as pretty as Florence.

He took out his gadget and showed a few photos to Heather.

Heather looked and saw they were indeed just vegetables and rice.

A two-year-old child, getting this for lunch?

The grandma took quite a bit of living expenses from her monthly.

Iris Quill: "Grandma says she needs to use the living expenses from mom for my brother. Mom, do I have a brother?"

She had only given birth to Iris Quill.

After giving birth, she rarely met her husband, let alone had conjugal relations.

Iris Quill continued on his own, "Grandma says my brother is already one and that the house will also be given to him."

Heather’s body shook violently.

Declan Hawthorne looked up at Heather.

"I remember the house you have now is your premarital property."

Ms. Valerie Barrett was worried about Heather and set up a property for her in Arvum, worth millions at current market and location.

Heather chose not to divorce to protect her child.

She chose to endure.

Declan Hawthorne’s voice was calm, "Your husband cheated, had a child, openly coveted your property, mistreated your child, and you still don’t plan to divorce?"

As he spoke, his gaze remained on Poppy Hale.

As if hinting at something.

Poppy Hale stiffened all over.

She looked down at her daughter.

Her daughter was looking up at her, giving her a sweet smile.

Heather was pale and looked terribly unwell, apologetically gazing at Poppy Hale, "I’m sorry, Florence’s mom, it’s our fault about Iris, I apologize. What kind of compensation would you like? We’re open to it."

Poppy Hale looked at Florence.

"Florence, what do you think?"

Though only two, Florence was a little more mature than most children.

Poppy Hale decided to first listen to her daughter’s thoughts.

If she was angry, scared, or upset, she’d transfer schools with her daughter and demand an explanation from Heather.

If she had other thoughts, Poppy Hale would consider and judge accordingly.

Florence looked at Heather, then took another look at Iris Quill.

She pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, and then softly said, "I forgive you."

Poppy Hale asked, "Why?"

The child’s soft voice echoed in the empty hospital room.

"Because it seems he’s also about to be without a dad."

All the adults fell silent.

Florence was so much smarter than Iris Quill; what she had already understood, Iris Quill was still looking at Declan Hawthorne.

"Uncle, what’s she talking about? What happened to my dad?"

Declan Hawthorne’s voice was somewhat deep, "Nothing, your dad’s fine."

"Oh, that’s what I thought."

Heather’s face looked even worse.

She forced a smile, "Florence’s mom, can we add each other as contacts? We can discuss how to handle this matter later? I have something to attend to now."

Poppy Hale was about to nod.

Declan Hawthorne spoke up.

"No need, you can find me for anything, it’s the same."

Heather also recalled that previously, it was Declan Hawthorne who helped with Iris Quill’s matters.

Now she indeed couldn’t manage too much and exchanged a few words with Declan Hawthorne, asking him to keep an eye on Iris Quill.

And she left with her phone.

Before leaving, she asked Declan Hawthorne for the contact numbers of some well-known law firms and requested some lawyers specializing in marital law, saying she’d be there soon.

Declan Hawthorne’s gaze fell on another adult in the ward, Poppy Hale.

The man’s voice was low, with a bit of hoarseness.

"Do you need a divorce lawyer?"

Poppy Hale looked down, "No need. Maybe in ten, twenty years, but not now."

Perhaps by then, she would have moved on from Declan Hawthorne and entered a marriage with someone else.

She might encounter a marital bottleneck and plan to end it, who knows.

But for now, she didn’t need it.

Declan Hawthorne’s gaze was indifferent, with no discernible fluctuation.

Decades?

Did she plan to grow old with that man and stay together for life?

"Not thinking about the child?"

Poppy Hale was silent.

She casually said, "I will."

If one day she entered marriage, besides already moving on, the bigger reason would be the daughter needing a father.

Poppy Hale gently smiled, tenderly wiping the slight sweat on her daughter’s forehead, patiently rubbing her back to prevent her from catching a cold.

Her gaze was as tender as water, looking at Florence in her arms, "When I no longer love her father, I will consider it."

Poppy Hale could feel that after she spoke, Declan Hawthorne’s gaze had deepened as he looked at her.

Saying it this way seemed a bit deliberate.

She liked Declan Hawthorne, and for a long time, she didn’t deny she had Florence because of him.

She didn’t regret it, but she also understood that she once sought out traces of Declan Hawthorne in her daughter.

Now it was different.

Her daughter was her life, her everything, even Declan Hawthorne couldn’t take her away from her life.

After all, her daughter loved her too.

And the child’s father probably never had her in his heart.

Declan Hawthorne looked at her for a moment and saw the indulgent tenderness and gentleness on Poppy Hale’s face.

It was the Poppy Hale he had never seen.

His breath was a bit unstable, and he stood up quickly.

"I’m going out for a cigarette. Can you watch Iris for a few minutes? Endurance will only lead to worse results for you and your child."

He quickly left the ward without lingering.

Poppy Hale quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

She was still not used to being alone with Declan Hawthorne, always feeling like she was bowing her head in front of him.

Previously, it was emotional inequality.

Now, it was status inequality.

But there was no other way; there was no better place than the Hawthorne Group at the moment, and Poppy Hale cherished this job.

Iris Quill whispered, "Pretty auntie, don’t you like my uncle?"