Chapter 380: Worried About Edie

Madame Yates walked in front of Edie and stopped at the end of the hallway and waited for her. Edie strolled, feeling her heart starting to beat faster and faster with each step she took. She was fiddling with her hands, trying to keep herself calm. ’Madame must be so angry with me. Seeing her son in this condition and knowing it’s all my fault." Edie couldn’t stop her mind from thinking about all these bad thoughts.

Madame looks at Edie, but the expression on her face was something quite different. "You must’ve been terrified. Are you okay?" she asks, almost sounding concerned.

Edie froze and nodded vigorously. She had no idea what to say. ’Did she just ask me if I was okay?’ she thought. There was a look of disappointment and confusion on her face.

"Your involvement with Childe isn’t a bad thing. It’ll only make you stronger," Madame said in a stern voice.

"Madame....." Edie hesitated. "You asked me to come out here, but not once have you said Stuart’s name or voiced your concern for him. Do you not care about your son?" she asked, trying to keep her voice level. "Is this how all the mothers in the Yates family behave? I don’t know how Stuart and Childe survived when they were children." Edie stared at her in disbelief.

Madame’s face remained almost expressionless. "They survived the heinous crimes that were acted upon them. As children, they strive every day to make it. Stuart is no longer a child; he’s a man who is expected to protect his wife. If he can’t protect her from harm, then he’s incompetent." She smiled faintly and added, "As far as Stuart being in a coma. There’s nothing I can do for him. That’s what the doctors are for."

Edie felt cold and numb; those words Madame said were still ringing in her ear. "Then what was the point of you coming here?" She stood there, hugging her arms to keep from trembling, nearly biting her lower lip from trying not to cry.

Then Madame sighed deeply and said earnestly, "Edie..." Suddenly, she grabbed Edie by the shoulder, looked deep into her eyes, and said with a sense of apprehension, "I came to see you. I was worried about you. I thought you might blame yourself for what happened to Stuart, and I wanted you to know it wasn’t your fault."

Edie angled her head and had a puzzled expression on her face. "Me? What about Stuart? Aren’t you upset?" Edie inhaled deeply, trying to keep herself calm. "Your son is lying in there unconscious, and you’re worried about me."

"How do you think I feel?" Madame replied with a faint smile.

"I’m sorry, but I don’t think you feel anything, and I know Stuart feels the same way." Edie hesitated for a while whilst trying to pluck up the courage to speak to her, but she knew what she had to do. "What is wrong with the Yates family? Why are you and Stuart so cold?" She took a deep breath. ’Stay calm,’ she told herself and continued. "Then there’s Rose. She controlled Aaron and forced him to do things against his will. She raised him to hate Stuart! Is this how you raise your children to become heirs?"

"If his brother had succeeded, it would have presumably cut out of any inheritance for the two of you," Madame seemed disappointed in Edie’s direct stare.

"Do you really think I care about money? I care about Stuart and what happens to him," Edie said with heartfelt sincerity.

Madame’s expression changed slightly, showing worry and regret on her face. "You don’t need to worry about the Yates family. You’re one of us, and all I want you to do is be yourself."

"But...." Madame cut her off, her face hard, her expression is unreadable.

"I’m leaving now, but if there’s anything you need, please call me." Madame passed Edie her business card and turned to leave.

"Wait! Don’t you want to stay until Stuart wakes up?" Edie said, her heart racing.

"I can’t," Madame said, shaking her head quickly. Edie reached for her, but Madame was too quick, and she did not look back. Edie looked out the window and watched her open the door. There was something about the way Madame stood, and she almost looked lonely.

Edie went back to the bedroom, and Mr. Bates and Ivan were in the room sitting with Stuart. "We’ll leave you alone with him," Ivan said, and they both nodded their heads and left. She sat by the bed and took Stuart, hand in hers. "I know how it feels now," she whispers—remembering when she was unconscious. "You were watching me lying in bed looking so helpless," she quivered and threw back her head as though to restrain the tears, which seemed to struggle to her eyes.

"I never thought, I would see you are looking like this," she said in a low voice. She leaned towards him with big eyes. "Aaron didn’t treat me badly, he was actually really good to me," Edie spoke slowly with long silences between every sentence. "You’re brothers, and in a lot of ways, you’re alike. I hope that one day you can become friends." She wiped away tears that had escaped from the corner of her eye. "The longer you wait to work things out, the worse the outcome will be." She took a deep breath and let it out.

Edie caught on quickly how to take care of Stuart. Every day she would give him the IV fluids, and at seven o’clock every morning, it was time for his sponge bath. She’d change his bandages every day, watching for any sign of infection, and his wounds seemed to be healing quickly enough.

On the fifth day, it was early in the morning, and the sun had not yet risen. The yellow light from the nightlight was bathing the walls with a soft glow and casting a bright circle on the bed. Slowly, Stuart opened his eyes, turning his head to look over his surroundings. There was a long, narrow bed with sheets and covers. He looked at the paintings on the wall, and it triggered his memory. The pain he felt now was quite different and much more tolerable. He tried to sit up, but someone was holding his arm. It took him a few moments for his eyes to focus and for his mind to realize it was Edie lying beside him.