Zoe was trembling all over. She didn’t want to believe what Mason just told her and that life could be so cruel, but, deep down, she knew he had no reason to lie to her.Staring at him, her voice turned soft, “Mason…”It was clear what she was trying to say. She was trying to get him to help Ella.Flicking the cigarette, he smiled faintly. “This is no small feat. I’m not about to get on the bad side of both the Schmidts and the Lynches for her sake and get nothing in return. More to the point, I’m not exactly a charitable man. Don't you agree?”His voice was soft and his eyes were deep. She knew what he meant. All she had to do was let go of her pride and give in to his wishes. Return to his side and he’d keep Ella safe, letting her give birth to the baby.Her fingers twitched slightly, but she remained quiet for a long time.Staring at her, he could tell she wasn’t willing to do it. Instead of pushing her, he leaned over and snuffed out his cigarette.“Send Ella overseas, the
Zoe stayed the night at Ella’s place. She washed up and put on her friend’s pajamas. Then, she laid down next to her and chatted about a lot of stuff.Ella’s voice was soft and tender, “The fact was, I don’t care about Leslie anymore! He can go ahead and marry Nellie for all I care. I have to tend to my baby now! “I’ve thought of everything, Zoe. I’ll move out of Brookesville in two more weeks and live in a smaller city. I’ll buy a house and set up a flower shop. That’s where I’ll raise my baby.”“You’re going to be staying so far away, though. I’ll miss you!”“Will you drop by and visit me?”That put a lump in Zoe's throat, but she said, “Sure! I’m going to visit you several times throughout the whole year! I’ll even let you have a ten percent share of my dessert spot and help raise your baby into a strong kid! Your baby could be a boy or a girl. Either way, I’m sure they'll be extraordinarily beautiful!”Then, she leaned over and hugged Ella. “I’m going to miss you so badly!”
All Ella ever wanted was a family of her own.When she was finally able to speak, her voice was broken, “Why does it have to be so hard, Zoe? Why’s the universe tormenting me? Why can’t any of my wishes come true? “I really loved my baby. I even decided on a name. It’s Ellis! I’d make sure he gets all the happiness he deserves for the rest of his life!”Then, her voice became hoarse and she could only wheeze.More blood flowed out from her body and it made a mess everywhere.Zoe hugged her and said with a trembling voice, “Nonsense! I’m taking you to the hospital! Pull yourself together, Ella. I’m going to get you fixed in the hospital! Everything’s going to be fine. You hear me? Ambulance… I-I’ve got to call the ambulance.”…Ella could hear cars pulling over and Zoe’s guttural screams. All of a sudden, the advertisement boards around her rolled up another screen. Each one of them was displaying Leslie and Nellie’s wedding pictures.It turned out that today was the second day
Zoe stared at Leslie, who looked very worried.How hilarious.It was absurd that Ella should fall in love with someone like Leslie. It was outrageous that she would think the Schmidt family would let her friend go when she was pregnant with his baby.Zoe stumbled forward and said in a daze, “She was pregnant with your baby, Leslie! She didn’t want to let you know about it. All she wanted was to live in a faraway city and give birth to the baby. She just wanted to have a family of her own.”Tears were all over her cheeks when she raised her eyes, “It was never her intention to throw a wrench in your marriage. She didn’t even complain when you compensated her with fifty million dollars for making her lose her hearing! “She didn’t accept these cruel fates because she was numbed to them. It’s because she never had much to begin with! She has no family or lover. All she has is her baby! Do you know how happy she’s been ever since she was pregnant? She told me about her baby every sing
Mia said, “That’s fine, too! But at least freshen up and grab something to eat at the cafeteria! You’ll need your strength if you want to look after Ella!”Zoe nodded. Then, she lowered her head and ran her fingers over Ella’s hand, feeling reluctant to leave her.Turning around, Mia was beside herself with sorrow.…Zoe freshened up and went to the cafeteria on the second floor. She was in front of the elevator when she heard someone calling her name.Turning to look, she saw Cecil. Wearing a lab coat, he leaned on the window in the hallway. It was opened, allowing the winds to tousle his hair and bring out the melancholy air about him.It looked like he hadn’t slept the entire night.Cecil was the medical director of the hospital. He could pull some weight around here. She was well aware that he helped a lot in Ella’s case. So, she decided to go over and thank him.He stared at her intensely.She was a lot slimmer now. He could see her shoulders shaking slightly, but she was
Evening rolled on, but Ella had yet to come round from her coma. Mia looked at Zoe’s reddened eyes and said softly, “I’ll watch over her. You should go home, take a bath and get changed. Grab some shut-eye too. How long are you going to last if you keep white-knuckling it? Your dad’s worried sick about you too.”Zoe responded with a simple “Okay.” Before she left, she took Ella’s hands and said, “Wake up soon, Ella.”That made Mia feel sad again. Walking over to Zoe, she asked softly, “I was sending the doctor out and saw you with Cecil this morning. Are you going to give him a chance?”After a brief silence, Zoe responded, “I have no room in my heart for another relationship, Mia. Not for the time being.”Mia hesitated before saying, “I know this might not seem like the right time for a relationship. But don’t just turn him down. I could tell he quite likes you and he’s very respectful toward me and Gordon.”Nodding, Zoe said, “I understand, Mia.”…Zoe chatted with Mia for
“Cecil doesn’t have the kind of power and influence that can help you! He can’t go up against the Schmidts and the Lynches. If you got together with him, all you’re going to get from him is his love and nothing else. He can’t protect Ella! “Then, he’ll find himself in deep sorrow. He’ll regret that he chose to study medicine instead of garnering more power and influence for himself!”“You need to fight fire with fire, Zoe!”…Zoe was trembling all over. She didn’t want to believe him, but she knew clearly that he didn’t have to lie to her. She was also afraid that something else might happen to Ella and she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if it did. He could see what she was wrestling with and smiled lightly. He even leaned over and opened the car door for her and asked her politely, “Are you going to call a cab or should I give you a ride?”“I’ll take the cab!” She stumbled a little when she got out of the car. She was so exhausted.He didn’t offer her help. Sitting in
Zoe knew what Mason wanted to talk about in this phone call! She didn’t want to let Mia know about it, so she excused herself before she answered it outside.Even the tightly closed window couldn’t hold off the bitter coldness of the night. The chilling wind seeped in through the crack of the window at the end of the hallway and hit her squarely in the face.With that said, it was nothing compared to her conversation with Mason. Over the phone, his voice was soft yet heavy with intention. “You should know what the Schmidts’ next move is! I’m the only one who can help you now, Zoe! Ella has to become one of the Lockwoods if you want Langston to back off!”Numb, Zoe asked, “Can you please help me?”After a brief moment of silence, his voice sounded significantly deeper than earlier when he said, “I told you. I’m not a charitable man! I think you know that I won’t intervene in Leslie and Ella’s matters if you’re not in the picture.”Of course, she knew that. She had been married