CHAPTER 35: CHAPTER 35: HE’S AT THE HOSPITAL WITH HIS SECRETARY

Tanya Sinclair had quite a serious fall. She sat on the sofa for a while to recuperate.

Her arm was bruised, and more seriously, her left foot was twisted.

She tried to stand up and walk a few steps, but her ankle throbbed with pain, indicating she might need some acupuncture and therapy to reduce the swelling.

Aunt Lewis, pretending to show concern, asked, "Ma’am, should we call the family doctor to take a look?"

Being a doctor herself, Tanya was about to decline when the doorbell rang unexpectedly.

Aunt Lewis went to open the door, and upon seeing who it was, her eyes widened in surprise.

"Dr. Sullivan? What brings you here?"

It was indeed Ian Sullivan, the family doctor, carrying a medical kit and wearing black-framed glasses.

Aunt Lewis was puzzled, as she hadn’t contacted him.

Dr. Sullivan adjusted his glasses calmly and said, "I received a message from Caden saying the lady of the house had an injury and asked me to come over and have a look."

Tanya heard everything clearly.

She lowered her head and smiled, suddenly feeling the fall didn’t hurt as much.

Dr. Sullivan entered with the medical box and saw the woman sitting on the sofa.

At that moment, Tanya was dressed in loungewear with her hair down. Because she was slightly lowering her head, her long hair obscured her face.

Dr. Sullivan couldn’t see her face clearly. Tanya and Cindy Lynn had similar statures and both had dark hair, so he subconsciously assumed she was Cindy Lynn.

"Ms. Lynn, where did you fall?" he asked while putting down the medical box familiarly, "By the way, is Mr. Hawthorne not home? Why did Caden send me the message?"

"..." Tanya’s hand, resting on the sofa, slowly clenched, her nails digging into her flesh, causing a sharp pain. She spoke up, her tone calm, "Dr. Sullivan, is it?"

Having just set down the medical box, Ian turned to the sound of the unfamiliar female voice coming from behind him. It was then he realized the woman sitting on the sofa was not Cindy Lynn as he had assumed.

Instead, she was an exceptionally pale yet beautiful woman, with a very distinct aura—gentle yet aloof, only her eyes looked vacant, like a blind person.

Tanya extended her hand towards the voice and calmly introduced herself, "Hello, I’m Tanya Sinclair. Vincent Hawthorne’s wife."

Ian Sullivan: "..."

He wished he could find a hole to crawl into out of embarrassment.

He was aware Vincent Hawthorne was married and had a wife, as when he first visited, Vincent and Tanya’s wedding photo was still hanging in the living room.

At the time, Ian Sullivan had been struck by the bride’s beauty in the photo.

Apart from her looks, what truly left a deep impression on Ian was the way she gazed at Vincent Hawthorne.

Previously, Ian had read about expressions of love and affection in books, thinking it was exaggerated, but seeing Tanya in the wedding photo, he genuinely understood what it meant to have love overflow from someone’s eyes...

The woman in the wedding dress was so dazzling, capable of captivating the eyes of the world, yet her gaze was fixed solely on the man beside her, Vincent Hawthorne.

Ian Sullivan silently memorized the bride’s name—Tanya Sinclair.

He also knew she had become comatose due to complications during childbirth, and he felt quite sympathetic for her.

Just by looking at the wedding photo, he could sense Tanya’s anticipation for married life, what a pity.

The second time he paid a visit was because Joy had a fever. Ian Sullivan entered the living room to find the wedding photo had been taken down, and it was Cindy Lynn, in loungewear, who attended to him.

After that, almost every time Caden or Joy fell ill or if Vincent had any discomfort, whenever he came for a house visit, he always saw Cindy Lynn around.

Vincent Hawthorne introduced her, saying she was Secretary Lynn.

But what kind of proper secretary wears silk pajamas and walks out from the boss’s home?

However, Vincent Hawthorne was technically his boss, so naturally, Ian Sullivan would not comment on his employer’s private life. Over time, he just accepted that Cindy Lynn was the unofficial lady of the house.

He just didn’t expect that five years later, Tanya Sinclair would wake up!

Stuck in his shock for several seconds before coming to his senses, Ian reached out and gently clasped Tanya’s hand, noticing then how thin she was.

The part of her arm extending from the sleeve of her pajamas was almost skin and bones.

"Mrs. Hawthorne, my apologies." Ian clumsily apologized, "I didn’t mean that..."

Tanya had no intention of making him uncomfortable.

It was Vincent Hawthorne who was unfaithful, why make things difficult for an innocent worker?

"It’s alright, I understand. While I was in a coma, Secretary Lynn helped Vincent take care of the two children, so she frequented this house often. It’s natural for you to misunderstand." Her expression remained calm and serene.

Ian could find no words: "..."

This Mrs. Hawthorne really was the essence of a hopeless romantic naivety.

Cindy Lynn did far more than just take care of two children...

But of course, Ian didn’t dare to say it.

First, to protect his job; secondly, although he saw Cindy Lynn entering and leaving Vincent Hawthorne’s bedroom in pajamas, he didn’t actually see the two in bed together.

Better to keep things simple.

Ian shifted the topic back to his professional domain.

"Mrs. Hawthorne, where are you injured?"

"My arm is scraped, and I think my left ankle is twisted," Tanya reminded, "Oh, and Dr. Sullivan, I can’t see right now, would you mind applying the medication for me?"

"Of course."

Twenty minutes later, Ian Sullivan closed the medical box. The area on Tanya’s leg where the sprain occurred was already medicated and lightly bandaged.

"Mrs. Hawthorne, try to walk as little as possible these next couple of days, you’ll recover soon." He thought for a moment and added, "Also, your malnutrition is quite severe, you need proper nutritional management, and remember to avoid worrying too much."

"Thank you, Dr. Sullivan." Tanya responded with a gentle smile.

Ian looked at her frail face and sighed silently.

He stood up to take his leave, "I’ll be heading off now."

"Take care."

Ian Sullivan left the villa and returned to his car. He didn’t start it immediately, but dwelled in contemplation for a while, eventually deciding to call Vincent Hawthorne, to at least inform him, as her husband, about Mrs. Hawthorne’s condition.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

But it wasn’t Vincent Hawthorne’s voice that came through.

"Hello, Dr. Sullivan."

Hearing Cindy Lynn’s voice, Ian paused for a moment.

On the other end, Cindy sounded a bit surprised, "Why are you calling at this time? Do you need to speak with President Hawthorne? He went to help me get some medicine."

Ian Sullivan: "..."

His own wife was injured at home, yet he was at the hospital personally accompanying his secretary, even considerately helping her get medicine.