Chapter 517 Pushing Her Away with His Own Hands
After that night, Harper didn't get a chance to see Francis for days. Even though they were in the same city, it hit her that if Francis didn't wanna see her, they might never cross paths again.
Sure, he was ice-cold that night, and his "I don't love you anymore" stung like hell. Yet, every night, as soon as Harper shut her eyes, she'd think of Francis, remembering the determined look in his eyes when he shoved her out of that car packed with explosives.
The desperate look in his eyes had morphed into cold indifference. Was he even the same guy anymore?
One afternoon, Agnes came back from kindergarten and brought up wanting to see Abigail again, the woman who saved her. Maybe it was some blood bond thing. Ever since Abigail saved her, Agnes kept asking about her.
Logically, Harper felt she should take Agnes to see Abigail. But with Francis's ban, Harper could only tell Agnes, "Let's whip up some food and take it to Abigail's hospital room. I'll see if we can get in. If not, at least we can show our thanks."
Agnes nodded, a bit confused, "Okay, Mommy, I'll be good."
Agnes's obedience tugged at Harper's heart.
Zoey mentioned that Agnes also wanted to see Francis, but the kid had learned to read the room and knew something was up between Harper and Francis, so she didn't bring it up in front of Harper.
Harper made some soup, but in her distraction, she burned her hand, getting two blisters. She just wrapped it up with some gauze, then took the soup and Agnes, and Isla drove them to the hospital.
When they got to the VIP floor where Abigail was, as expected, Abigail wasn't seeing anyone. Harper asked the bodyguard if Abigail would be willing to meet Agnes. After all, she risked her life to save the kid; there was no reason she wouldn't want to see her.
But nope, the answer was still the same.
Agnes pouted, on the verge of tears when she couldn't see Abigail. Harper quickly squatted down to comfort her, "Agnes, be good. Abigail must be feeling unwell. When she gets better, she'll definitely want to see you."
Luckily, Agnes was super obedient and bounced back quickly. She mumbled that she needed to go to the bathroom. When Harper offered to go with her, she shook her head and asked Isla to take her.
Isla nodded, "I'll take her. You wait here for us."
Agnes held Isla's hand and walked to the corner. Once she was sure Harper couldn't see her, she whispered, "Isla, can you take me to find Daddy?"
Isla was stunned, "Agnes..."
"Didn't you say Abigail is my grandma?" Agnes analyzed like a little adult, "Then Daddy will definitely come to see Abigail. Can you take me to him?"
Isla was troubled, "Agnes, but your dad might not be here right now."
"Isla, I just wanna ask Daddy something. Can you help me ask him?"
As Agnes spoke, her mouth pouted, looking like she was about to cry.
Isla couldn't bear it and said, "Alright, I'll help you ask."
With that, Isla took Agnes to the nurse's station.
Harper was still at the entrance of the hospital room, trying to negotiate with the bodyguard to get the soup inside. But the bodyguard was firm, insisting they couldn't accept food from outsiders.
Harper pleaded a few more times. Seeing the wounds on her hands, the bodyguard felt a bit sympathetic and said, "Leave it here. I'll ask for permission later."
Just as she put down the thermos, she turned around and saw Francis walking over. It was clear he was also there to visit Abigail.
As he passed by Harper, he didn't stop and walked straight ahead. Harper was stunned and instinctively called out, "Francis."
He had to stop and responded indifferently with a "Hmm." Francis's handsome face was sharply defined, and without any emotion, he appeared particularly cold.
Harper really wanted to take Agnes inside to see Abigail. No matter how Abigail had treated her before, this time Abigail had risked her life to save them, and they were unharmed because of it.
Moreover, when Francis was in trouble, Abigail was the only one who believed her. So even though she could see Francis's impatience, Harper still asked, "Can I go in and see Abigail?"
"No," Francis said coldly.
Harper was unwilling to give up and tried again, "I'll just take a quick look, I promise not to disturb..."
Before she could finish, Francis interrupted her with a voice as cold as ice, "If you have nothing else, leave. We don't accept visitors here."
Harper tightened her grip, not expecting him to say that. Even if their relationship had changed, it shouldn't be summed up with the word "visitor."
The bodyguards were all watching. Harper had just claimed to a close friend to the Getty family, and now she felt very embarrassed.
Harper barely maintained her composure and said softly, "Sorry to bother you."
Just as she was about to leave, she heard Francis say coldly, "Who allowed you to accept things from outside?"
The bodyguard quickly said, "Sorry, Mr. Getty, this lady said she was very close to Mrs. Getty."
"Throw it away!" Francis said impatiently.
When Harper turned back, the soup she had spent four hours making, the cause of the still hurting blisters, had already been thrown into the hospital trash can.
These days, she had been telling herself not to understand Francis with ordinary thinking; he must have his reasons. But at this moment, her heart was still being torn apart painfully.
She walked over, and Francis stepped back as if avoiding garbage. Harper paused, silently picked up the thermos from the trash can.
When she raised her hand, the gauze wrapped around her fingers made Francis's face tense for a moment. Then, Harper opened the thermos lid, and a fragrant aroma wafted out.
In front of everyone, she drank several mouthfuls of the soup she had retrieved from the trash can. "What are you doing?" Francis frowned and reached out to take the soup away, "You can't drink that."
Hospital trash cans could carry all sorts of germs.
Harper stepped back, maintaining the same cold distance, looked at Francis, and said word by word, "This soup is clean, and I am clean, not garbage."
Although Harper was acting out of spite, she wouldn't risk her health. The thermos had a protective design, and bacteria couldn't get in when it was just thrown in.
The silent atmosphere was broken by a childish voice. "Bad guy!"
Agnes broke free from Isla's hand, rushed to Francis, and started hitting him with her small fists. "You're a bad guy! Why did you throw away the soup Mommy spent hours making? Mommy's hands are burned!"
Francis's face went rigid. Agnes cried, "I don't like you anymore, bad guy. You made Mommy cry. She cries every night."
Agnes had wanted to find Francis to ask him why he broke his promise and made Harper cry. He had clearly promised to make her and Harper happy. Why, in such a short time, had he made Harper so sad?
When kids were upset, they couldn't hide their feelings and blurted everything out.
"Daddy is a big meanie! You made Mommy sad. I don't want to like you anymore, and I won't call you Daddy again!" Agnes cried as she stood on tiptoe to hit Francis, and suddenly, she lost her balance and fell.
In an instant, she was lying on the ground, crying loudly.
Isla, quick on her feet, picked up Agnes before Harper could. From their angle, it looked like Francis had impatiently pushed Agnes. This action made Harper instantly furious.
"What are you doing?" She rushed over and pushed Francis hard, not expecting the tall man to stagger back several steps.
But at that moment, Harper didn't notice such details. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said, "Francis, I must have been blind to misjudge you!"
Even when he treated her so coldly just now, and even when the thermos was thrown into the trash can, she didn't cry. But now, she couldn't hold back. Why did even Agnes have to be treated like this?
Her tears streamed down, each one piercing Francis's heart. Francis endured the intense pain in his heart, forcing himself to stand there indifferently.
Isla, holding the sobbing Agnes, tugged on Harper's arm, "Ms. Murphy, let's go."
Harper didn't want anyone to see her in such a sorry state and decisively turned away. Behind her, sweat beaded on Francis's forehead, and the muscles in his jaw tightened from restraint.
He appeared indifferent, not looking at them again as he turned and walked into the hospital room. Once the door closed, Francis's tall figure suddenly collapsed to the ground. He struggled to prop himself up on his elbows, trying to stand, but his legs wouldn't cooperate. Instantly, a feeling of powerlessness and suffocation swept over him.
The door opened again. Victor entered, and seeing Francis on the ground, he rushed over to help him up. "Mr. Getty."
After getting Francis onto the sofa, Victor hurried to the door to call for a doctor.
"Come back!" Francis stopped Victor, his overly pale lips moved, "The medicine."
Victor took out an inconspicuous small bottle, poured a transparent, oily pill into the cap, and handed it over. Francis took the pill and closed his eyes to rest.
As the tension in his veins slowly eased, his breathing gradually returned to normal, and he regained some feeling in his numb limbs.
Victor cautiously asked, "Mr. Getty, would you like some water?"
"No." Francis opened his eyes, bloodshot, with veins bulging at his temples, and his well-tailored suit soaked with sweat. It was clear how much willpower he had used to endure just now.
"Mr. Getty, maybe you should let the doctor check you?" Victor was very worried. Just taking medicine wasn't enough. Every time he had an episode, he took medicine, and it temporarily helped, but his body was visibly deteriorating.
"No need," Francis refused coldly. His body no longer had any need for a doctor.
The progression was exactly as the female doctor had said, now in the mid-to-late stages of the first treatment cycle. If Wesley didn't find a cure within three months, no one could save Francis.
At this moment, the heartache he had just felt was still deeply imprinted in his heart, but he had to do it. Those were the people he cared about the most. For the safety of Harper and Agnes, he had to make everyone believe he had abandoned them.
But thinking was one thing; actually doing it brought a heartache that was beyond what he could bear. He once wanted to keep her by his side forever, but now he had to push her away with his own hands.
Francis clenched and unclenched his fists, his voice returning to its hollow coldness, "Has Keith left?"
"Yes, he was standing at the corner watching the whole time. I don't know if he'll follow Mrs. Getty..."
Francis suddenly interrupted him, coldly instructing, "That title is no longer allowed."
Victor, used to it, forgot to correct himself, "Sorry, Mr. Getty, I'll call her Ms. Murphy."
Francis looked down. At this point, Keith shouldn't dare to make any moves. And with Isla there, Keith wouldn't gain any advantage.
Victor continued, "Mr. Bolton bribed a nurse to inquire about the room's situation. Fortunately, we were prepared."
On the bed lay a woman who bore a seven-point resemblance to Abigail. The real Abigail hadn't woken up and had been transferred abroad, still in the ICU on a ventilator. The claim that Abigail had woken up was mainly to make Ryan wary.
Victor continued, "Also, Joseph was confirmed to be murdered. His body was found in a reservoir 500 miles away."
Francis's expression turned grim, his lips pressed tightly together, "Don't alert them yet. Handle Joseph's affairs quietly."
"Yes, Mr. Getty."
Francis moved his numb legs, forcing himself to stand, but a wave of dizziness almost made him fall. Victor, seeing this, urged, "Mr. Getty, rest a bit longer."
But Francis, with incredible willpower, stood up straight again. Once Francis stood, no matter how much pain he was in, he hid it well, standing tall like a mountain. He had no time to rest. Soon, he wouldn't be able to walk, and time was running out.
His handsome features regained their imposing look, and he coldly ordered, "Tomorrow, start closing the net!"
Harper left the VIP floor, walking in a daze. Suddenly, a sharp pain in her lower abdomen made her panic. She asked Isla to take Agnes home first while she went to the OB-GYN for a check-up.
Agnes, now calm and no longer crying, didn't want to leave Harper. She pouted and said, "Mommy, just now..."
Isla, seeing Harper's pale face, quickly coaxed Agnes, "Agnes, let's talk about it at home tonight, okay?"
Seeing Harper looking very unwell, Agnes said, "Okay, Mommy, when you come back, I'll talk to you."
"Okay, Agnes, be good and listen to Isla."
After Isla took Agnes away, Harper went for an ultrasound. The results came out immediately. The doctor looked at them and said, "Nothing serious, just take more folic acid, rest, and don't stress."
Harper finally felt relieved. She thanked the doctor and left with the report, only to bump into someone. She quickly apologized, "I'm sorry..."
Before she could finish, Harper realized she had bumped into Keith. Keith's eyes fell on the report in her hand, and he reached out, "What kind of check-up? Let me see."
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