Chapter 660 Landon, I Am Your Wife!
In a private hospital in Seattle, Phoebe was undergoing emergency surgery. The operating room light was still on, and the doctor hadn't come out yet.
Caitlyn sat on a bench in the hallway, her delicate face pale. Landon would be here soon, and she had no idea how to break the news to him.
She knew that no matter her involvement, she couldn't dodge the responsibility.
Caitlyn wasn't a reckless girl anymore; she understood the stakes. Landon and Phoebe were in an arranged marriage, and this baby was a crucial link between their families. Nothing could go wrong.
Despite the scorching summer heat, Caitlyn was drenched in a cold sweat.
The sound of familiar footsteps echoed, drawing Caitlyn's attention. She looked up and saw Landon approaching, flanked by a group of people, with Amara by his side.
His face was stern, a look she rarely saw. He must really care about his wife and that baby!
As Caitlyn snapped back to reality, she realized her palms were sweaty, and Landon was already in front of her. He frowned and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"
Caitlyn wasn't her usual mischievous self. With a pale face, she recounted the events, leaving out some private details.
Amara kept her eyes on her. Caitlyn felt somewhat dependent on her and feared Amara wouldn't believe her, her eyes filling with tears.
Before Landon could speak, Amara softly asked, "Why would Mrs. Carter suddenly come to Seattle? Mr. Carter, did she tell you?"
Half an hour ago, Phoebe had asked about Landon's whereabouts. But Landon said nothing. He looked at Caitlyn and said, "Go home! You don't need to worry about this!"
Caitlyn had always been spoiled in front of him, but this time she said seriously, "It's not my concern at all. She kept pestering me."
She lacked confidence because she had been with Landon the night before. Although nothing happened, Landon hugged her and made her breakfast.
Caitlyn had no idea that Landon and his wife had never been intimate, and that Phoebe was pregnant with someone else's baby, which made Phoebe feel somewhat guilty.
Landon, with a blank expression, repeated, "Go home!"
Caitlyn thought he was concerned about Phoebe's feelings and didn't want her to stay. So she bit her lip, turned, and slowly walked away.
Landon watched her back. At the end of the hallway was a narrow window, and the light from the side cast a shadow on her back, making her look thin, fragile, and somewhat desolate.
Landon's heart ached. He took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, saying to Amara, "Am I a bastard?"
Amara said calmly, "To Caitlyn, you definitely are."
Landon suddenly wanted to vent his anger on her and scolded, "Sometimes you go against me too!"
Amara remained unmoved. "Mr. Carter, you're right!"
Landon's anger dissipated.
What could he do? Amara was trained by him, and now her sharp tongue was used against him! He found another issue and said, "Have you thought about what I told you? You don't want to leave Seattle?"
A nurse passed by, looking displeased. "This is a hospital; no smoking allowed!"
The nurse glanced at him and muttered, "Your wife is in emergency surgery, and you still have the mind to smoke."
Amara watched as Landon put out his cigarette and sat down on the bench to wait.
He didn't love Phoebe, and the baby she was carrying wasn't his, so he wasn't too upset. He accepted the baby partly because he didn't want to remarry and partly to keep the Carter Group's internal affairs balanced.
Amara thought Landon didn't love Phoebe but was worried about the baby.
Luckily, the light in the operating room went out soon, and both mother and baby were safe.
Phoebe was moved to a VIP room to recover. Since Landon and Phoebe had no emotional connection and were already living separately, he naturally wouldn't stay to take care of her. But he did make sure all the necessary servants were arranged.
After giving instructions, Landon was ready to leave.
Phoebe had just come out of the emergency room, awake but very weak. She urgently called him and sat up, her voice trembling, "Landon! Are you blaming me?"
Landon's attitude was cold. "You're overthinking it! Take care of yourself; I'll visit you another day!"
Phoebe's face was full of tears. Ignoring Amara's presence in the room, she cried out to Landon, "Are you going to see her again? She almost caused me to miscarry. This is our baby. I am your wife!"
Landon took a few steps back, bending down to look at Phoebe's delicate face. His voice was ominously deep. "My wife? If you remembered that, you wouldn't have done this! And wasn't it you who went to find Caitlyn? If you miscarry, shouldn't you blame yourself?"
Phoebe grabbed his hand, still crying. "I can't accept being neglected by you. I've waited for you for so long, and you still love her."
Landon shook off her hand. "Then face the facts!"
He paused and added, "Don't let me find out you went to see her again! Otherwise, I won't want this baby."
Phoebe was stunned. She instinctively covered her belly, tears streaming down. "Landon, you're so cruel to me for a shameless woman!"
Landon slapped her, leaving Phoebe a bit dazed.
Landon remembered the finger marks on Caitlyn's face from an earlier slap. This was payback.
He had been with Caitlyn for three years. She had scratched him countless times, but he had never hit her. Yet she had been slapped by Phoebe.
After a while, Phoebe came to her senses and murmured, "You hit me for Caitlyn!"
Phoebe suddenly gave a bitter laugh. "You love Caitlyn very much, don't you? But you still married me. As long as I was ever your wife, she won't forgive you. Landon, this is your punishment! You deserve to be like me, unable to get what you want. No matter how much you hate me, you'll have to spend the rest of your life with me."
Landon clenched his jaw. "Nuts!"
He ignored her and left with Amara, with the sound of Phoebe smashing things behind him.
Amara turned her head. "Mr. Carter?"
Landon walked to the smoking area, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit it, saying, "Ignore her! I want to be alone for a while!"
Amara wanted to check on Caitlyn and nodded.
After she left, Landon smoked. The image of Caitlyn's pale face lingered in his mind, causing his heart to ache. But he understood all too well that keeping his distance might be the best way to protect her. Then he called Amara, "Buy some ointment for Caitlyn. She never takes care of herself."
Amara nodded with a complicated expression. After hanging up, she was about to leave the ward area when she heard a voice. "Amara."
She looked up and saw Maurice, who looked very haggard, probably because of Zachary's illness. He looked at Amara for a while before saying softly, "Here to visit a patient?"
Amara nodded.
Maurice frowned slightly and after a moment, said, "It's Mrs. Carter, isn't it? Amara, you can visit someone unrelated, so why won't you visit your father?"
"He's not my father!"
Maurice looked at Amara's cold-hearted demeanor and sighed. "He wants to see you! Amara, I don't want to disturb your life, but the Hughes Family is in a terrible situation right now. If you don't see him, he'll find a way. He's much more aggressive than I am."
Amara looked at him quietly. After a while, she lowered her eyes and smiled faintly. "You know how to threaten people now!"
Maurice was stunned, but Amara had already walked towards the elevator. He was delighted and quickly went to press the elevator button for her. He resumed his gentle and loving elder demeanor. "There might be something important to announce later."
He added with some regret, "Jesse should be here too!"
Amara wasn't buying it. "That's not necessary!"
Maurice's eyes dimmed. He was naturally indifferent but usually kind to Amara. However, with Zachary gravely ill, he couldn't help but secretly blame Amara for being heartless.
Amara knew what he was thinking. As she entered the elevator, she looked up at the red numbers and said softly, "You were born into wealth and probably never suffered. You might not know what it's like to live under someone else's roof: to carefully ask for tuition, eat sparingly, and rush to clean up after meals, afraid they'll think you're freeloading."
Amara stopped talking. These were things of the past, but they occasionally came to mind.
So how could she have ever fallen in love with Ralph? All good things came at a price. Besides, her first real crush was on Kingsley.
Maurice was stunned. After a long time, he said softly, "You had such a hard childhood?"
Amara didn't respond. She was willing to see Zachary, not out of softness but out of annoyance. She would always hate Zachary and never forgive him for what he did to her mother.
Amara walked into the ward, which was very quiet inside. Zachary was resting with his eyes closed on the hospital bed. His cheeks had sunken deeply, and his complexion was dark.
A middle-aged man who looked like a lawyer, wearing black-framed glasses, was sitting on the sofa next to the bed, writing something.
Hearing the door open, Zachary looked up and saw Amara. His eyes immediately lit up. "You came?"
Amara stopped six feet away and looked at him coldly. "Speak now if you have something to say."
Zachary was displeased and he pointed at Amara. "You still won't forgive me?"
After speaking, he started coughing violently, his frail body shaking on the bed, looking nothing like his former self.
Maybe Maurice was right; Zachary didn't have much time left. Zachary looked up at the fluorescent light above and said, "It's stomach cancer and can't be cured! Amara, I dreamt of your mother. She was still the most beautiful and lovely woman I've ever seen. Her eyes were so bright when she looked at me! Do you think she's asking me to join her and atone for my sins?"
Amara's face was expressionless. "She forgot a long time ago!"
Zachary coughed violently again, his bony fingers clutching his chest, gasping for breath.
Maurice stepped forward to help Zachary up, but Zachary pushed his hand away.
Zachary continued gasping, his voice altered. "I also dreamt of you as a child, following your mother, so small and cute, with a round face. Amara, I've never seen you as a child!"
Amara's eyes welled up. She walked to the window, turning her back to him. "What's the point of saying all this?"
Zachary struggled to sit up, wanting to see her. But after trying for a long time, he fell back into the bed and could only lie there and say softly, "Amara, I want you to take over the Hughes Group. Inherit its wealth and guide the family to greater heights. When I first found out she was pregnant, I didn't think her temperament would allow her to raise a capable child. But fate had other plans, and you met Kingsley and Landon. Amara, consider this my final compensation to you, okay?"
Zachary's eyes sparkled. The last few words were almost a plea.
Amara listened for a long time. She lowered her eyes and sneered. "Compensation? Mr. Hughes, you make exploitation sound so refined! You deceived my mother and abandoned me, and now, on your deathbed, you want me to work for the Hughes Family. You've truly epitomized self-interest your whole life."
Zachary couldn't believe it. "You don't want it? This is a $20 billion inheritance! Even if you worked for Landon your whole life, you wouldn't earn one percent of it."
Amara sneered. "What do I need that much money for!"
Then she turned to Maurice. "I've seen Zachary! I'm leaving!"
Maurice wanted to stop her but finally sighed. "Alright then!"
Zachary, however, was unwilling to give up, raising his hand and shouting, "Don't let her go!"
As Amara passed his bed, she said calmly, "Mr. Zachary Hughes, get well soon!"
She resolutely left. As she gripped the door handle, Zachary's voice came through, seemingly filled with hatred. "Will you come when I die?"
Amara's slender fingers tightened. She raised her head slightly, trying to hold back the tears, and after a long time, said softly, "No!"
Zachary spat out a mouthful of blood.
Maurice immediately came back to support him. "Why do you do this to yourself!"
Amara had already left. She walked alone down the long hospital corridor, her high heels clicking crisply in the empty space.
Amara closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, they were filled with determination.
She walked out of the hospital and opened the door of a white Bentley in the parking lot. She sat inside, surrounded by Kingsley's scent, with a small crystal bunny hanging in front of her.
Her slender fingers gently touched it. Suddenly, she missed Kingsley deeply, but she restrained herself and called Caitlyn, "Where are you now?"
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