Chapter 170

Daniel barely glanced at her, his face expressionless. He stood up, grabbed his suitcase, and headed for the door.
His phone rang suddenly. Louis’s name flashed on the screen.
As soon as he answered, Louis’s anxious voice came through: “Payne’s lost consciousness.”
The phone slipped from Daniel’s hand, clattering onto the table and tumbling to the floor.
Aurora scrambled to pick it up, her voice shaking uncontrollably: “I’ll be there right away.”
She rushed outside and caught sight of Daniel’s car just starting to pull out.
Without thinking, she darted straight in front of the vehicle.
The driver slammed on the brakes, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Ma’am!”
Daniel stepped out, his face thunderous as he slammed the car door shut. “Aurora, are you insane? Do you have a death wish?”
Thank God the car had barely started moving; if it had been going any faster, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Aurora clung to Daniel’s sleeve, as if she’d found the last lifeline. “Payne’s unconscious-please, have your driver take me to the hospital!”
Tears streaked down her face as she pleaded, not even aware of how dangerous her actions had just been.
A second later, Daniel pulled away from her grip. He glanced down at her scraped knees, then got back in the car, coldly telling the driver, “Go.”
Aurora grabbed the door handle, tears streaming down her cheeks. She begged him, “Daniel, please, you can’t just leave me here.”
Daniel was about to say something when his phone lit up. Eleanor’s name appeared on the screen.
“Eleanor.”
“I’m on my way now. I’ll pick you up soon.”

He ended the call.
Daniel looked at Aurora with icy indifference. “Move.”
There wasn’t a shred of warmth in his voice.
Aurora instinctively let go, but then suddenly reached for him again. “Daniel, just drop me at the main road. I can get a cab from there.”
It was nearly impossible to get a taxi here, especially this early in the morning.
Without another word, Daniel rolled up the window and told the driver to go.
The driver eased off the brake, inching forward. Even so, the car’s movement nearly caused Aurora to stumble and fall.
She finally let go, fear and despair making her freeze in place as she watched the car disappear down the drive.
He remembered to pick up Eleanor, but wouldn’t even give her a ride to the hospital.
The ache in her chest threatened to swallow her whole.
But she had no time to wallow in grief. She had to get to Payne.
Gripping her phone, Aurora called for a ride while hurrying down the road.
It took her more than ten minutes to reach the main street, where she finally flagged down a cab.
When she arrived at the hospital, Payne was still in the emergency room. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ (.)net
Louis sat hunched on a bench, and when he saw Aurora, his handsome face twisted into a smile that looked more like a grimace.
He’d always tried to prepare himself for this, but this time Payne’s condition was worse than ever before.
All his supposed preparation meant nothing.
He couldn’t even imagine a life without Payne.
Aurora’s legs gave out, and she sank into a chair, bracing herself against the wall.
Her hands trembling, she fumbled for her phone and found Daniel’s number.
At that moment, she was willing to throw away every scrap of pride she had left.
All she wanted was for Daniel to save Payne.
But when she called, his phone was off.
Again and again-still off.
At the airport.
Will hurried into the lounge, tablet in hand. He bent down and whispered in Daniel’s ear, “The paternity results are in.”
“It’s confirmed-she’s not the mother.”
Daniel set down his folder and took the tablet, skimming the document from beginning to end.
It was identical to the one Louis had shown him.
Louis hadn’t lied-Aurora really wasn’t Payne’s biological mother.
A rush of relief surged through Daniel.
But almost immediately, another thought hit him like a bucket of ice water.
Payne and Aurora weren’t related by blood, yet she’d gone through so much for this child.
She’d even come begging him for help.
Was it because the man she loved was Louis?