CHAPTER 99: CHAPTER 99: NOT GOING TO EXPLAIN?

In the corridor, there was still a crowd watching.

The security guards who rushed in dispersed them.

The security and the nurse exchanged a few words, understood the situation, and didn’t make things difficult for Poppy Hale.

Looking at Declan Hawthorne, the security guard frowned and said, "Are you the man of this family? Then don’t let relatives make trouble, it affects the patients’ rest."

Declan Hawthorne didn’t refute, he wrapped an arm around Poppy Hale’s shoulder and nodded.

"Yes, I understand."

The security guard left, and the onlookers also returned to their wards.

Poppy Hale glanced at Declan Hawthorne’s hand.

"Your hand is scratched, do you want to put some ointment on it?"

Declan Hawthorne’s fingers were slightly scraped.

It must have been when he hit Eugene Lynch earlier and brushed against a metal buckle on his clothing.

Declan Hawthorne looked down at Poppy Hale before him.

Her fingers were holding his hand, carefully checking if he was injured anywhere.

Her voice was trembling, thinking he didn’t notice.

"I’m not a porcelain doll, what’s the ointment for."

Earlier, Eugene Lynch’s words sounded harsh even to him.

But Poppy Hale stopped him, not letting him hit Eugene Lynch.

He saw that her anger was just a brave front.

"Why weren’t you angry earlier?"

The hospital corridor used sound-activated lights.

Their voices softened, and the light above extinguished, leaving Poppy Hale’s face with more shadows than the glaring incandescent light.

Her eyelashes shaded her face.

Just now, all her attention was drawn to Declan Hawthorne.

He was angry, but she wasn’t.

Her attention wasn’t even on Eugene Lynch.

Poppy Hale felt all her embarrassment was like a banana peel, stripped and thrown to the ground, just for Declan Hawthorne to see her naked, fragile state.

"Afraid you’d hit someone here and get taken away."

There were quite a few cameras in the corridor.

Declan Hawthorne looked at her profile.

She was so fair, even close up you could see the little red mole at the corner of her eye, with her long lashes drooping, shielding her expression.

Declan Hawthorne let out a soft laugh.

Letting her examine his hand over and over, not knowing what she was looking for.

The scratched area was just a small spot.

He was a tall and sturdy man, while Eugene Lynch was a pampered, overweight older man.

How could he suffer any loss?

"Then why didn’t you scold him?"

Poppy Hale pursed her lips.

"I was also afraid of getting taken away."

Declan Hawthorne lifted his hand, pinching Poppy Hale’s chin, tilting it up to meet her eyes.

Her once clear eyes were now foggy, as if covered by a layer, making Declan Hawthorne feel he couldn’t see clearly.

He spoke slowly, his voice deep.

His fingers brushed against Poppy Hale’s smooth chin.

"With me backing you up, what are you afraid of? If you got taken in, I could bail you out."

Even if there were cameras here, if Poppy Hale truly lost her temper, he could handle it.

Initially, what concerned them might have been the cameras.

Later, it was because of Eugene Lynch’s indiscreet words.

Poppy Hale knew Declan Hawthorne understood what Eugene Lynch meant.

In her palm, a bit of cold sweat.

Declan Hawthorne released his hand, casually returning it to his pocket, maintaining a faint, emotionless smile.

"Aren’t you going to explain?"

Poppy Hale turned her head away.

"What’s there to explain? He said I was a jinx, responsible for my grandmother’s death, my dad’s, and now my mom’s illness, all because of me. Didn’t President Hawthorne hear that?"

Declan Hawthorne’s expression grew cold, his Adam’s apple moving.

His voice was hoarse, as if forcibly restraining his emotions.

"You know that’s not what I’m asking."

He was referring to her fake marriage and the child whose father was unknown.

At the end of the corridor.

Some patient refused to cooperate with a check-up, causing their family to run all over the place looking.

After finding them, they pulled them back to the ward.

"I’m your father, would I harm you? Let’s get treated properly and then go home."

The patient was led away by a middle-aged man, shoulders still trembling as they returned to the ward.

Poppy Hale’s gaze lingered on them.

In the past, when she was sick, Mr. Hale was like that too.

Poppy Hale watched intently, before reaching up to wipe the moisture from the corner of her eyes.

She turned back, returning to the ward to see Truth Hale.

"Mom, I have something to do, I’ll come back to see you later."

Truth Hale had heard the commotion outside earlier.

But she wasn’t well, and the doctor wouldn’t let her get out of bed, leaving her anxious.

Listening outside, it seemed someone was standing up for her daughter, allowing Truth Hale to finally relax.

"Alright, you go ahead, I’m fine here. From now on, we won’t meet with them anymore."

Before, she had forced it, only thinking that in the future, her daughter would have someone reliable after she was gone.

Eugene Lynch and his wife were ultimately unreliable.

Truth Hale’s throat was somewhat dry.

She opened her mouth and called out to Poppy Hale.

"Poppy, it’s Mom’s fault."

It was her neglect, not knowing that Eugene Lynch always spoke so harshly.

Poppy Hale smiled, tucking her hair behind her ear.

She walked in, bending down to hug Truth Hale.

"It’s okay, I forgive you."

She patted Truth Hale’s back, thinner now due to illness.

Poppy Hale stood up, gave a few instructions to the caregiver, and left the room, closing the door.

In the neighboring room, Mrs. Alden watched, unable to take her eyes off Poppy Hale’s retreating figure.

Mumbling, "Oh dear, such a nice girl, too bad Nolan couldn’t hold on to her..."

"Miss Hale, I think this young man seems pretty good."

Truth Hale’s eyelids twitched, suppressing a bit of relief, and she shook her head.

"I listen to Poppy. As long as she’s happy, that’s the most important thing."

Being a good person or not doesn’t surpass Poppy Hale’s preferences.

-

In the parking lot, Poppy Hale got into Declan Hawthorne’s car.

"Could you take me to the cemetery on the south side of the city?"

Declan Hawthorne’s gaze flickered.

Entering the destination into the navigation, the car sped off toward the cemetery.

Poppy Hale leaned her head against the seat, silent for a moment.

Calls from Sean Lynch came in, but she declined them all, not answering a single one.

Persistently, he kept calling, and Poppy Hale, annoyed, simply muted her phone.

She placed the phone back into her bag.

It had been a week since she last saw Declan Hawthorne.

Recently, they hadn’t run into each other at the company, Poppy Hale knew he was busy.

She hadn’t expected their next encounter to be at the hospital, and under such circumstances.

Declan Hawthorne’s hand gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"If I don’t ask, were you never going to tell me?"

"Tell you what? I think things between us already ended three years ago."

Declan Hawthorne’s molars ground together audibly.

"Ended? Then what about the child?"

Eugene Lynch had said Poppy Hale never married but had a child.

After breaking up with him, she had a child.

That child even looked so much like his mother.

Even a fool could figure out the cause and key points.

Poppy Hale turned her head, not looking at him.

Stubbornly said, "The child has nothing to do with you, it’s just my child, consider yourself just a gene donor."

Gene donor.

Only she could say something so heartless.

Declan Hawthorne suppressed the nameless anger in his heart.

Because of her indifferent, even evasive attitude.

Had his child, and that made her find it hard to talk about?

"Why didn’t you tell me you were pregnant back then?"