Chapter 553
Watching Taylor sprint after Grace, Brandon zeroed in on Phoebe and blurted, “Phoebe, what the heck are you up to?” “Dad, I get it, this is a lot to swallow, but the paternity test is legit. If you can’t trust me, trust the report,” Phoebe replied. She felt a wave of disappointment, not for herself, but for Grace.
Brandon was livid. “I’m asking why you stirred up all this mess. What’s your game here? Isn’t this family already a circus?” “What do you think I’m trying to do?” Phoebe shot back.
Brandon was stunned by her comeback, his anger boiling over. “How would I know what you’re scheming? We’ve treated you well, and if you dare to cause trouble, you will not be welcome in this family.” With that, Brandon stormed off.
Phoebe stood there, frozen. Did Brandon totally misunderstand her? If she really wanted to stir the pot, would the Reynolds family still be this calm?
Taylor finally caught up with Grace, noticing her red eyes and tears. Her heart ached. “Grace, your dad just found out the truth. We gotta give him some time to process it, right?”
Grace wiped her tears. “I know my sudden appearance makes you all feel like I’m crashing your harmonious family. Don’t worry; I won’t mess up your lives. Once I’m better, I’ll leave.”
Taylor felt a sharp pang in her heart. “Grace, don’t say stuff that hurts me.”
Grace turned away, but the tears kept coming.
Lying in the hospital bed these days, Grace had done a lot of thinking. She used to have Mason and Alva. Watching them hustle, selling fish to make ends meet, all she could do was study hard. Grace had planned that once she got into college, she’d make a ton of money, close the fish shop, and take Mason and Alva on a world tour.
But Madison’s arrival had flipped her world upside down.
Now that she knew Mason and Alva weren’t her parents and she didn’t belong with the Sullivan family, she was suddenly a ghost, unable to return to the Sullivans and unwelcome with the Reynoldses. “Grace,” Taylor gently held Grace’s hand, “you are a Reynolds. Once you get better, come home with me, okay?”
Grace looked at Taylor, desperation in her eyes. She wanted to pull her hand away but ultimately gave in to her inner weakness.
Grace cried like a child. “I have no home. I’m homeless now. The Sullivans aren’t my family, and the Reynoldses don’t want anything to do with me. I have no home.”
Taylor’s heart broke. She hugged Grace. “Don’t cry, Grace. Our Grace has a home.”
Phoebe walked over and saw this scene. She stood quietly for a bit but didn’t want to intrude. Just as she was about to leave, she turned and saw Edward standing not far behind her.
Edward stood there, and it was unclear how long he had been watching.
They stared at each other in surprise, feeling like it had been ages since they last met.
The sun slowly dipped below the horizon, painting the sky a deep orange. The cold wind started to bite.
Phoebe and Edward walked side by side by the lake. Edward glanced at her. “You cold?”
“No,” Phoebe shook her head. “Why are you at the hospital? Visiting someone or not feeling well? You look skinnier.”
Edward’s eyes were full of tenderness. “You look skinnier too.”
Phoebe and Edward exchanged smiles and kept walking in the sunset. “How have you been lately?” Phoebe asked.
“Good. The company’s been a madhouse with year-end stuff, but I finally got a couple of days to chill. How about you? Heard the Reynolds family’s been through the wringer lately. You must’ve been rough,” Edward said, one hand in his pocket, still looking as dapper as ever.
Phoebe knew Edward had probably caught wind of the drama at the Reynolds house. She forced a smile. “It’s been alright.”
Edward knew Phoebe too well. When she said “alright,” it usually meant she was barely holding it together. Seeing her thinner cheeks, he knew she’d been struggling. “Phoebe,” Edward stopped walking.
Phoebe halted too, looking confused. “What’s up?”
Edward sighed. “No matter how crazy things get, remember to take care of yourself. Don’t get any skinnier, or the wind might blow you away.”
Phoebe chuckled at his words. “You too.”
When they reached the inpatient department, Edward and Phoebe said their goodbyes. As soon as they parted, Phoebe spotted Theodore leaning against the wall. Theodore’s gaze went past her, locking onto Edward’s retreating figure. His eyes were intense, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
Phoebe slowly walked up to Theodore. “When did you get here?”
Theodore shifted his gaze to her face. “I got here when you were walking by the lake.”
Phoebe raised an eyebrow. Given Theodore’s usual reaction to Edward, she was surprised he hadn’t stormed over to drag her away.
Theodore reached out and grabbed Phoebe’s hand, pulling her close. She stumbled into his arms.
Theodore rested his chin on her shoulder, his warm breath tickling her skin. “Phoebe, what were you two talking about that made you so happy?”
Phoebe had just thought Theodore had changed, but he quickly showed his true colors. She smirked. “We talked about a lot of things. Are you jealous?”
Theodore squinted. Remembering the night he confessed his feelings and Phoebe fell asleep in his arms, he got angry and bit her earlobe.
He whispered, “I’m not jealous, but I do want you.”
Phoebe winced in pain and leaned back. Theodore’s teeth were tight, and she felt the skin and flesh of her earlobe being ground by his teeth. She didn’t dare to move.
Phoebe said coquettishly, “I surrender, let me go.”
Theodore ground his teeth on her earlobe one last time. Hearing her gasp in pain, he finally let her go.
Theodore declared, “Don’t meet Edward alone again.”
Theodore’s domineering and forceful attitude hadn’t changed a bit.
Phoebe said, “We just ran into each other today and didn’t talk for long.”
“How long do you want to talk?” Theodore glared at Phoebe. Edward was always a thorn in his side. The thought that Phoebe had once loved Edward, and maybe still did, drove him mad with jealousy. Seeing that Theodore was intent on continuing the conversation, Phoebe wisely changed the subject. “Mom told Dad about Grace, but Dad seems to have a hard time accepting it.”
Phoebe had originally thought Taylor would be the one who couldn’t accept it, but it turned out Brandon was the one who couldn’t accept that Madison wasn’t his daughter.
“Unexpected, but understandable,” Theodore said. “You should’ve noticed how much Dad indulges Madison.”
Even when Madison dropped out of school, Brandon, no matter how angry, never said a harsh word to her. It was obvious how much he spoiled Madison.
Phoebe pursed her lips. “I know you all spoil Madison, but Grace and you are blood.”