Chapter 270

The nurse glanced over, saw Daniel standing in the doorway, and quickly lowered her head before slipping out.
Daniel stepped inside, his eyes shadowed with hurt and accusation. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?”
Her face was so pale it was almost translucent. At his words, a bitter, mocking smile curled on her lips. “And what exactly was I supposed to tell you?”
“The baby-”
“I told you yesterday, Daniel. I’m pregnant.” Nora’s voice was flat, as if reminding him of something he ought to know.
But he didn’t remember.
If he had, he wouldn’t have dragged her to the hospital in a fit of rage over Eleanor’s suicide attempt. He wouldn’t have bombarded her with questions and accusations.
Daniel said nothing.
Nora turned her face away, refusing to look at him, her tone icy. “If you want this child to be born healthy, stay away from me. And keep Eleanor away from me, too.”
Daniel’s expression darkened, his voice edged with sarcasm. “Nora, don’t pretend you care so much about this baby. You’re still running off to the Perfumery
Congress, still busy worrying about Una. One thing after another. Are you really a fit mother?”
Nora gave a cold laugh. “Then maybe I shouldn’t bother at all.”
“Don’t you dare.” His voice was low, threat veiled beneath the words.
All Nora felt was exhaustion. Daniel always wanted everything, always wanted more. “Get out.”
Right now, the last person she wanted to see was Daniel.
And Daniel, for once, didn’t try to placate her. He turned and walked out.
At the door, he nearly collided with Hans, who was just about to come in.
One look at Daniel’s face, and Hans could guess they’d been arguing again. “If I hadn’t run into her by the elevator, both she and the baby could have been in real danger,” Hans said quietly, trying to reason with Daniel. He hesitated, then added, “If you really don’t love her, maybe it’s time to let go.”
Better to end it than drag each other through this misery.
A flicker of coldness passed through Daniel’s eyes as he recalled the way Hans had gently brushed Nora’s hair from her face. Not even with Eleanor had he ever been that gentle.
“You should worry about you and Eleanor,” Daniel said, his voice sharp and cool. Hans leaned against the doorframe, looking as if he hadn’t heard Eleanor’s name at all. “Daniel, Nora’s carrying your child. You ought to be taking care of her, not chasing after another woman.”
He almost spelled it out: Daniel, you don’t know what’s important.
Daniel narrowed his eyes, staring Hans down. “Do you like Nora?”
Hans was silent for a moment, his voice hoarse when he finally spoke. “You’re overthinking it. I just think you’re being unfair.”
“I actually feel sorry for Nora,” Hans continued. “She’s pregnant, and yet she has
to watch her own husband fawn over someone else.”
Daniel caught the edge of sarcasm in Hans’s words.
His face remained expressionless. “If you and Eleanor managed to get married without all this drama, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.”
Hans shrugged, a careless, almost amused gesture. “In the Cooper family, my marriage isn’t really up to me.”
He strode into the room to check on Nora.
Seeing Hans, Nora felt a little awkward, but after all, he’d saved her and the baby. She managed a grateful, “Thank you for what you did.”
Hans glanced back at Daniel, who had followed him in and was now hovering at the threshold, then stopped a respectful distance from Nora’s bed. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m all right,” she replied quietly.
Down the hall, in another hospital room, Eleanor clutched her blanket tightly, her bandaged wrist stained with fresh blood.
“So they’re all in Nora’s room?” Mrs. Quinn’s voice was sharp with disdain. “That woman—always pretending to be so fragile.”
As if being pregnant made her special.
Thinking about “that woman” only fueled Mrs. Quinn’s anger further; she remembered the one back home and felt her resentment burn hotter.
Eleanor’s complexion was ghostly pale, her lips trembling before tears spilled over. She’d tried to take her own life, and yet they were all in Nora’s room.
Mrs. Quinn patted Eleanor’s hand reassuringly. “No matter what, your engagement to Hans must go through.”
Eleanor adored Hans. The Cooper family was wealthy, and Hans was young, successful-a perfect match. Marrying him would guarantee a life of comfort and privilege. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ.net