Chapter 418 There Are No Women Around Him Anymore, But She No Longer Belongs to Him!
Oliver gave a faint smile.
Claire shook out a small piece of clothing and said, "This is perfect! Jacob's almost three, and Nicole just turned one. She can take a few steps now! She doesn't talk much, but Jacob loves playing with her."
As they spoke, the nanny brought the two children over.
Jacob ran into Oliver's arms. "Daddy!"
Oliver hugged his little arms and legs, feeling a pang in his heart. It had been half a year since he last saw Jacob, and the boy had grown taller and stronger, looking more like a big kid now.
Nicole, just learning to walk, wobbled over.
She mimicked Jacob, diving into Oliver's arms. She hugged his leg and babbled "Daddy" several times, making Oliver pause for a moment.
After a while, he reached out and picked up Nicole.
Nicole was teething.
She bit down on Oliver's arm, her little teeth hard and firm. Nicole happily gnawed, drooling all over. Oliver gently wiped her mouth with a tissue, showing a tender, fatherly side.
Claire stood by, wiping her tears.
She said, "This is so wonderful! If Mr. Windsor had treated Mrs. Windsor well from the start, things wouldn't have ended up like this. That Ellie came back from Marigoldia, and Mr. Windsor shouldn't have paid her any attention..."
Oliver was taken aback.
Then he said, "I didn't cherish what I had."
Claire wanted to say more, but the sound of a car interrupted them. A black Rolls-Royce pulled up in the yard.
Sarah got out with the man they had seen last time.
They walked closely together.
Oliver watched intently.
After a while, he softly asked Claire, "Are they doing well?"
Claire hesitated before finally saying, "They're okay! But both of them are too mild-mannered, and the engagement hasn't been finalized yet."
Oliver nodded slightly.
He didn't ask further, looking down at the two children. Nicole was still biting his arm, soothing her little teeth.
When Oliver left, it was already dusk.
As he opened the car door, he happened to see Sarah come back from seeing Jeremy off.
Their eyes met unexpectedly.
His gaze was deep and unreadable, gentle yet seemingly hiding a hint of possessiveness. Sarah didn't want to decipher it.
She walked past him towards the house.
"Sarah."
Oliver took a few quick steps and grabbed her slender wrist, but after a second or two, he let go and even stepped back. His voice was low. "Can we talk? I just need a minute."
Sarah turned and looked at him quietly.
Without the luxury car, the clothes, and the watch, he looked like an ordinary man visiting his kids at his ex-wife's house.
The evening breeze ruffled Oliver's hair. He spoke to Sarah with added gentleness, "For New Year's, I'd like to take Jacob for a couple of days."
Sarah shook her head. "It's not that I'm being difficult, but you have too many women around you. I don't feel comfortable sending Jacob to your place."
In the twilight, his eyes deepened.
He didn't explain, didn't say there were no women around him anymore. He didn't insist on taking Jacob for New Year's. He just said, "Okay," then looked at her deeply, "Is he treating you well?"
Sarah's brow furrowed slightly.
She didn't answer directly. "Whether he is or not, it has nothing to do with you."
Oliver felt a bit hurt.
After a moment, he smiled self-deprecatingly, "You're right, it has nothing to do with me."
He looked at her as if wanting to say more, but there was nothing left to say between them except about Jacob.
Talking about the past only brought pain.
The future? What future did they have?
They stood in the twilight for a long time.
Finally, Oliver smiled faintly and said, "I'll be going now."
He gave her one last deep look, then turned and opened the car door.
The car slowly drove away.
Sarah stood there, unmoving for a long time.
In the cold winter air, she forgot to pull her wool shawl tighter. Jacob ran over and hugged her leg, asking softly, "Mommy, are you crying?"
Sarah bent down and hugged Jacob.
She rested her face on Jacob's shoulder, hiding her teary eyes. Her voice choked. "Mommy's not crying. The wind just got in my eyes."
Jacob cupped her face, "I'll blow it away for you."
A tear slipped from the corner of Sarah's eye.
Oliver carried a bag of groceries back to his apartment.
Grace had been there.
She had tidied up the place and added a couple of potted plants. The fridge was packed full and Oliver tore off a note from it.
[Oliver, the food in the fridge was Clara's cooking. Don't forget to eat.]
Oliver smiled faintly.
He had dinner, then leaned back on the sofa, smoking.
Pale blue smoke rose.
He tilted his head back, thinking about his meeting with Sarah.
Half a year had passed, and she looked fuller, clearly living well. If he had any genuine feelings for her, he shouldn't disturb her life anymore; he should just play the role of a good ex-husband. But how could he be content? His battle with Matthew was a dead-end from the start.
Even if he didn't lose, he had to lose!
Upon thinking about it, Oliver's throat tightened.
He calculated his comeback, thinking about a future with Sarah. If she stayed with Jeremy, if she didn't become a widow, he might never get a chance.
Yes, even if she married and became a widow.
He would still wait!
Oliver knew this waiting was ridiculous. He had always been a romantic.
He didn't know how long he could hold out.
But for the past six months, he had remained celibate, not touching any woman. In the north, he stayed in a small alley hotel, where many women solicited business at night, some of them young and pretty. But he never felt tempted, preferring to sleep in his shabby hotel room rather than touch a woman.
Of course, he didn't know how far Sarah and Jeremy had gone.
Had they...
Oliver irritably took a drag on his cigarette, then leaned over to stub it out. He got up and walked to the bathroom, undressing as he closed the door.
Late at night, he tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
His phone rang on the bedside table. At first, he didn't notice, but it kept ringing persistently. He turned over and answered it.
It was Claire.
On the phone, Claire was crying, "Mr. Windsor, something's wrong! Nicole has been having fevers lately. We didn't think much of it, but tonight it got worse. The doctor did a blood test... They said Nicole might have a congenital blood disease. If we can't find a suitable bone marrow donor, she might not make it!"
Nicole had always been cared for by Claire.
Claire was overwhelmed with grief, crying uncontrollably in the middle of the night.
Oliver got out of bed,
He pulled on his clothes with one hand, asking, "Which hospital are you at? I'll come right away."
Claire quickly gave him the address.
Oliver arrived at the hospital at 1 AM.
Thanks to Matthew's connections, the director of Evergreen City Children's Hospital and a team of specialists were there. They were assessing Nicole's condition. The results weren't out yet; they had to wait for her fever to subside before doing further tests.
Nicole was half-awake, her little face pale.
Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she called out for her mommy in her sleep. Sarah held her small hand, gently calling her name.
Sarah was in agony.
To her, Nicole wasn't just an adopted child; she was the continuation of the Lesters' lives. If anything happened to her, Sarah would never forgive herself.
She kissed Nicole's forehead, her expression anxious.
Oliver stood at the door, watching silently.
Claire saw him and wiped her tears, saying, "Mrs. Windsor, Mr. Windsor is here."
Sarah looked up, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She didn't say anything, just nodded slightly.
Oliver walked over, his heart aching at the sight of Nicole. He gently touched her forehead, feeling the heat of her fever.
"How is she?" he asked softly.
Sarah shook her head, her voice barely above a whisper. "They're still running tests. We just have to wait."
Oliver nodded, feeling helpless. He wanted to do something, anything, to make it better, but all he could do was wait with them.
He sat down next to Sarah, their shoulders almost touching. For a moment, it felt like old times when they faced problems together. But the weight of their past hung heavy between them.
Hours passed, and the doctors finally came back with some news. "We need to run more tests, but it looks like Nicole might need a bone marrow transplant. We'll start looking for a match immediately."
Oliver and Sarah exchanged a worried glance. The road ahead was uncertain, but they both knew they had to be strong for Nicole.
As the night wore on, they stayed by Nicole's side, united in their love and concern for their daughter. For now, that was enough.
Realizing her slip, Claire fell silent.
But no one cared about such details at this moment. Sarah looked at Oliver, her vulnerability showing. She said softly, "If something happens to Nicole, I don't know how I'll face her parents."
Oliver's throat tightened. "The results aren't out yet. Don't worry."
But how could she not worry?
Every minute before the results came out was torture for Sarah. She didn't know how she would get through the long night. Looking at Nicole's fragile state, she covered her mouth to keep from crying.
Her shoulders trembled.
Oliver stood behind her, hesitating to reach out and wanting to comfort her.
But he didn't.
He was no longer her husband.
She had someone else by her side now.
In the middle of the night, Nicole woke up briefly. She looked at Oliver, calling out "Daddy" softly, her little arms reaching out, clearly wanting to be held.
Oliver's heart softened.
He bent down and picked up Nicole.
Her small face, sharp and delicate, bore a slight resemblance to Lester. But at this moment, Oliver felt no resentment. He held Nicole tightly.
No matter who her biological father was, she called him Daddy.
So he was her Daddy.
Nicole lay on his broad shoulder, slowly closing her eyes again. Even in her sleep, she kept murmuring, "Daddy... Daddy..."
Sarah wanted to stop him.
But in the end, she said nothing and quietly left the room. She walked to the end of the hallway, looking out into the night, silently praying for the Lesters to protect their daughter.
A week later, Nicole's condition was confirmed by specialists.
Acute blood disease.
The only treatment was a bone marrow transplant, and the sooner the surgery, the better her prognosis. If done within a month, it would have minimal impact on her future life.
After hearing this, Sarah almost collapsed.
Isabella supported her.
Vaughn asked the doctor, "Is there a match in the bone marrow registry?"
The doctor shook his head gently.
Knowing Nicole's background, the doctor suggested, "If she has any relatives, they should all be tested for a match. The chances are higher that way."
Relatives...
Sarah was momentarily dazed.
The Lesters were gone, and Lester's parents were in a nursing home in Vesper City. Asking those relatives to donate bone marrow for a child they had no connection with was a long shot. Hovever, for Nicole, Sarah was determined to make the trip.
Vaughn and his wife agreed.
Oliver suddenly spoke up, "I'll get tested too. Maybe I'll be a match."
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