Chapter 143

By the time Mr. and Mrs. Sutton heard the news and rushed to the hospital, Sylvia Lancaster had already been taken into the operating room. The doctor said it was highly unlikely the baby could be saved.

In the family waiting area, Simon Lancaster and his parents were pacing anxiously, while Holly Rhodes stood to the side, watching with a cold expression, her arms crossed.

Seeing this, Mrs. Sutton grabbed Elaine Hughes and asked anxiously, "Elaine, what on earth happened? Sylvia was fine before she came home. How could something happen to the baby after she was only home for a little while?"

Mr. Sutton frowned and added, "Yes, the baby Sylvia is carrying is our family’s first grandson. What exactly happened?"

Simon Lancaster, feeling both anxious and grief-stricken, looked at Mr. and Mrs. Sutton and said in a pained voice, "It’s my fault. I accidentally pushed Sylvia. She lost her balance and fell..."

At this, Simon Lancaster choked up, overwhelmed by regret and sorrow. His eyes were red as he said, "Mr. Sutton, Mrs. Sutton, it’s all my fault. Hit me, yell at me. If anything happens to Sylvia, I’ll never be able to forgive myself."

Hearing this, Mr. Sutton’s face turned ashen. He stared at him without a word, finally letting out a heavy sigh after a long moment.

Mrs. Sutton, however, murmured in a daze, "She fell... How could this happen..."

Seeing the situation, Elaine Hughes subtly moved to shield her son. She gave Mr. and Mrs. Sutton an awkward smile and said, "Please, try not to get too upset. It was an accident. Simon didn’t do it on purpose. You know how he’s doted on his little sister since they were children."

Seeing the dark expressions on Mr. and Mrs. Sutton’s faces, Robert Lancaster also stepped forward. "That’s right. Sylvia is still in surgery. Let’s just wait for now. Hopefully, both mother and child will be safe."

The group stood in the waiting area, each lost in their own thoughts. Simon Lancaster’s mind was a complete blank. ’Sylvia is about five months pregnant; logically, the pregnancy should have been stable by now. Why would a single fall cause this?’

Confusion, panic, and regret warred within him. He glanced around anxiously, and his eyes inadvertently met Holly Rhodes’s. He quickly looked away in a fluster.

He had no idea how to explain things to Holly. He regretted blurting out those words of devotion to Sylvia in the heat of the moment. Knowing Holly’s temper, Simon was sure she would never let this go.

But with Sylvia and her unborn child in critical condition, Simon really didn’t have the energy to argue with Holly. All he could do was avoid the subject as much as possible.

Before long, the doctor came out. He spoke to the group in an apologetic tone, "The adult is out of danger, but we couldn’t save the baby. Please accept my condolences."

At this news, everyone except Holly Rhodes had looks of despair on their faces.

Simon Lancaster collapsed into a squat on the floor, his heart filled with pain and self-loathing. For a moment, he didn’t know how to face what had happened.

Robert Lancaster covered his face in grief, while Elaine Hughes nearly collapsed onto the floor.

Of the group, Mrs. Sutton had the strongest reaction. The color drained from her face as she stammered, "How could this be... The baby... The baby’s gone..."

Mrs. Sutton felt her entire world crumbling. She had just experienced the pain of losing a son a few months ago. Afterward, she had consulted a master and was hopefully awaiting her younger son’s reincarnation. She never imagined that this baby, too, would be lost.

She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms.

Elaine Hughes hugged Mrs. Sutton, also crying out in sorrow.

Mr. Sutton closed his eyes, saying nothing. For a moment, an air of despair enveloped them all.

A short while later, a nurse came over and said to them, "The patient has been moved to the observation ward. Could a few of you please come handle the payment?"

Hearing this, Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes wrung their hands awkwardly and looked pleadingly at Mr. and Mrs. Sutton—they had very little money left. This private hospital was too expensive, and they couldn’t afford the bill.

Mr. Sutton didn’t say anything. He simply pulled the limp Mrs. Sutton up from the floor and went to pay the bill, whispering words of comfort in her ear as they walked.

Once Mr. and Mrs. Sutton had left, Holly Rhodes walked calmly over to Simon Lancaster. She leaned in and asked coldly, right next to his ear, "Simon Lancaster, don’t you have anything to explain to me?"

Simon Lancaster looked up at Holly Rhodes, his expression wooden. He was still drowning in the pain of causing Sylvia Lancaster to lose her child. ’She was the little sister I cherished in the palm of my hand, the person I’ve doted on for over twenty years, the moon I could never reach... I’ll never be able to forgive myself!’

Consequently, his gaze toward Holly Rhodes was tinged with resentment. In a hoarse, low voice, he answered, "Holly, you bear some responsibility for what happened to Sylvia. If you hadn’t burst in like that, why would I have panicked and pushed her away? ... The baby is gone, and Sylvia just got out of the emergency room. Don’t start a fight with me right now!"

Hearing this, Holly Rhodes could no longer contain her fury. She laughed in sheer anger, then raised her hand and slapped Simon Lancaster hard across the face. "Simon Lancaster! How dare you say that to me! ... You just wait!"

Elaine Hughes and Robert Lancaster saw this and hurried over. Elaine looked with distress at the red mark on her son’s face and asked, "Holly, what’s wrong? Why did you hit Simon?"

Robert Lancaster quickly added, "Holly, Simon is just incredibly upset about Sylvia’s miscarriage right now. If he said something wrong in a moment of confusion, please don’t take it to heart!"

Elaine Hughes nodded in agreement. "Yes, Holly. Simon and Sylvia have always been close. He must be frantic now that something’s happened to her. People say things they don’t mean when they’re upset. Don’t pay him any mind."

Holly Rhodes snorted coldly. Ignoring Robert Lancaster and Elaine Hughes, she turned and strode out of the family waiting area.

Holly Rhodes went downstairs and found Mr. and Mrs. Sutton handling the payment. She approached them and said, "Hello... I have something important to tell you both."

Mr. and Mrs. Sutton recognized Holly Rhodes as the woman who had been standing in the waiting area earlier. They recalled Sylvia saying before she left today that her sister-in-law was coming to visit, which was why she was going back to the Lancaster family’s home for dinner.

’So this is the "sister-in-law" Sylvia mentioned?’

Mrs. Sutton asked doubtfully, "You’re Simon Lancaster’s girlfriend? What is it? ... Are you here to plead on his behalf?"

Mr. Sutton, however, sighed and shook his head. "If you’re here to plead for him, there’s no need. Simon is Sylvia’s older brother. He would never intentionally harm his own sister. This was an accident; we can’t put all the blame on him."

Both families knew how well Simon Lancaster treated Sylvia. No matter how you looked at it, this was an accident. Besides, Sylvia’s pregnancy had been unstable from the start—she was always complaining about not feeling well. The Suttons had seen all of this with their own eyes, so they didn’t want to blame Simon too harshly.

But Holly Rhodes just lifted her head, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and replied coolly, "I *was* Simon Lancaster’s girlfriend. Not anymore. I just broke up with him."

As Mr. and Mrs. Sutton stared at her in confusion, Holly continued, "Today, at the Lancaster home, I accidentally walked in on Simon Lancaster and Sylvia Lancaster having an affair. In his panic, Simon pushed Sylvia, and that’s why she miscarried."

Mr. and Mrs. Sutton were stunned. "What?!"

Sylvia and Simon? An affair?

How is that possible!

They’re brother and sister!

Seeing their shocked expressions, Holly Rhodes continued, "As you both know, Sylvia isn’t Simon Lancaster’s biological sister. She was switched at birth; the Lancaster family’s real daughter is someone else. There’s something inappropriate going on between those two. I saw it with my own eyes... You two had better be careful you’re not raising a grandchild for someone else!"

’I had always believed that Simon Lancaster genuinely liked me and treated me very well. That was why I didn’t break up with him even after he was demoted, and I even asked my own father to look out for him.’

’But the words he said today in Sylvia’s room were like a knife plunging deep into my heart.’

’It turned out that everything Sophie Thorne and Melody Summers had said was true. Simon Lancaster was just using me. He even said with his own mouth that once I was no longer useful, he would kick me to the curb...’