Chapter 652
Anouk's fists clenched, her eyes flashing with anger and unease.
"Afraid of you? Lillian, I heard you’ve got postpartum depression, but you seem more like you have delusional disorder." Anouk sneered, but her palms were sweating.
Ever since Flora mistook Lillian for her mom, Ophelia, Anouk had been on edge.
Growing up, she’d always heard whispers that she didn’t look like the rest of the Kelly family.
Ophelia had died when Anouk was just over three, and five years later, her dad, Kenneth, remarried Ruby Lawson.
With Flora’s dementia, all of Ophelia’s old photos had been put away.
A few days ago, Anouk had asked the servants at the old house to send her an old photo of Ophelia, one where she was dancing in a sea of flowers.
Ophelia’s smile was as beautiful as a flower, and her looks and demeanor were eerily similar to Lillian’s.
Lillian’s mysterious background only made Anouk more uneasy.
That’s why she was so impatient today, coming to the hospital, hoping Lillian would stay away from the Kelly family.
But to her surprise, Lillian was so shameless and ungrateful!
Seeing Anouk’s angry face, Lillian just smiled more provocatively.
She tilted her chin and said, "Delusional disorder? Maybe. Let me keep dreaming then. Flora mistook me for her daughter but doesn’t recognize you, her own granddaughter. Seems like you don’t look like your mom at all? You know, I feel a strong connection to Oberon and Flora, like long-lost family. My biological parents are missing; could it be that I’m the real Kelly family heiress, and you..."
"Shut up!" Anouk snapped before Lillian could finish.
But Lillian was just trying to get under Anouk’s skin, not seriously suspecting anything.
Seeing Anouk’s strong reaction, Lillian frowned slightly, finding it a bit odd.
Anouk glared at Lillian with disgust. "I don’t think you’re delusional, just plain crazy! You think you can replace me as the Kelly family heiress? I knew you were up to no good getting close to my grandparents!"
Before Lillian could respond, the door to the hospital room opened, and a nurse rushed in. "Is there an elderly woman in a dark green outfit here to see Ms. Young? Something happened to her, and you should go check."
"That’s my grandmother! What happened? Where is she?" Anouk looked anxious, grabbing the nurse and heading out.
Lillian was also startled, worried about Flora, throwing off the covers and quickly following.
Outside the room, they saw a crowd gathered near the hot water room in the hallway. Lillian approached and heard the chatter.
"What happened?"
"This elderly woman was running in the hallway without watching where she was going, and bumped into someone carrying hot water. Luckily, a young patient nearby reacted quickly and pulled her away, or she would have been scalded badly."
Lillian squeezed through the crowd and saw a basin on the floor, water still steaming.
Flora stood to the side, looking frightened and lost.
Anouk was scolding Layla. "How are you taking care of my grandmother?"
Layla said, "Miss, we couldn't find Gabriel in the doctor's office. I thought he might be doing rounds, so I went to look for him, leaving Flora in the office. Who knew she would come out on her own."
"Shut up! Don't you know my grandmother's condition? How could you leave her alone in an unfamiliar place? It's lucky that nothing serious happened! If she got scalded, could you bear the consequences?" Anouk continued to scold.
"This elderly woman doesn't seem quite right," someone said.
"She's really not in her right mind. How could they let her run around like this?" The onlookers, hearing Anouk's words, continued to gossip, shaking their heads at Flora.
Flora hung her head, saying nothing.
Lillian quickly walked over, holding Flora's arms, bending down and asking gently, "Are you hurt anywhere? Did you get scalded?"
Flora looked up, her eyes lighting up when she saw Lillian.
Like a bullied child finding a parent, she nodded at Lillian. "Ophelia, I wasn't running around, I was looking for the doctor. It hurts here; blow on it."
Flora raised her hand, and Lillian saw a red patch on the back of her hand, with two blisters forming.
"Get away! If my grandmother wasn't here to see you, this wouldn't have happened." Anouk immediately pulled Lillian away, holding Flora's hand. "Grandma, why didn't you tell me you got scalded? Let's go get it treated."
Anouk led Flora away, and as Lillian was about to follow, someone nearby said, "They should thank that young patient. If it weren't for him, it wouldn't just be her hand. That young man seemed to have scalded his arm."
Someone said, "Where is he?"
Lillian paused, looking around instinctively.
At the end of the hallway, near the emergency exit, she saw a tall figure in a hospital gown pushing the door open.
'Could he be the brave young patient?' Lillian hesitated for a moment, then quickly followed toward the emergency exit.
She pushed open the door, unsure whether to go up or down, when she caught a glimpse of a figure in the corner.
Lillian turned sharply, startled.
In the corner stood a man, lighting a cigarette. He hadn't expected anyone to come in, and his movements froze.
The cigarette in his thin lips wasn't lit, but the flame of the lighter hadn't gone out.
The dim light in the corner reflected in his deep, cold eyes, his gaze on her flickering like the flame.
Their eyes met, and Lillian felt as if an invisible hand had gripped her heart.
Realizing this, she turned to leave.
But Jackson in the corner came to his senses, dropping the metal lighter and cigarette, and stepped forward, grabbing Lillian's wrist.
"Lillian." Jackson's voice was hoarse.
Hearing him call her name, Lillian felt both strange and familiar, as if waking from a long dream.
She stiffened, then struggled. "Let go!"
Jackson gasped, not loudly, but in the quiet emergency exit, Lillian looked down.
She saw that Jackson's hand was holding her wrist, and his hospital gown sleeve was wet.
His hand gripping her wrist was red and scalded. Lillian frowned instinctively.
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