Chapter 118 Anne and Clara Each Have Their Own Agenda
However, it seemed like fate had a twisted sense of humor. As I rushed down the hallway, lost in my own thoughts, I turned a corner and ran smack into Aria.
Our eyes locked, and there she was, tears streaming down her face, looking like a deer caught in headlights. When she realized it was me, her lips quivered like she wanted to say something but just couldn't. Then, in a panic, she spun around and tried to bolt.
Seeing her so upset hit me like a ton of bricks. Almost without thinking, I grabbed her hand. Trying to keep my voice steady, I asked, "Aria, what's going on? Why are you running from me?"
Her shoulders shook, and she just shook her head, looking like she was in so much pain. Her eyes were a storm of emotions—deep sadness, a bit of worry for me, and a flash of anger that I couldn't quite figure out.
With one last desperate move, she yanked her hand free and took off again. But instead of heading back to Edward's room, she ran towards the stairwell. I stood there, totally confused. Why would she take the stairs, especially in those killer heels?
The VIP rooms at Sunrise Hospital were on the top floor of a 13-story building. Who took the stairs in a place like this? I stared at the heavy fire door that had slammed shut behind her, trying to make sense of it all.
Aria's closed-off heart was a mystery I couldn't solve. This run-in with her snapped me out of my daze from kissing Edward, bringing me back to reality. I shook my head, sighed, and kept walking down the hallway.
As I walked, I heard Anne's and Clara's voices coming from a regular patient room. When I got to the hospital, I overheard the nurses gossiping about Anne. She was supposed to be in a VIP room but insisted on moving to a standard room because she thought being alone was boring. She wanted to "experience" hospital life with other patients.
But her roommates couldn't stand her bossy attitude. They didn't want to cross the Howard family, so they just left early, even though they were still sick. So, Anne ended up with the room to herself. Typical Anne.
"Why does that woman Aria get to compete with me for Edward?" Anne practically screamed, her face twisted with anger.
"Anne, are you nuts? Aria was chosen by Hayden," Clara snapped back.
"But Hayden is dying..." Anne started to say, but Clara slapped her hard. "Mom! You hit me? Am I even your real daughter?" she said, her voice shaking, tears welling up in her eyes.
Clara tried to reason with her, "Look, I'm not defending Aria, but you can't talk about Hayden like that. You've been part of the Howard family for years, and Hayden's always treated you well. You should be grateful."
"But I can have kids with Edward too. How am I any worse than Aria?" Anne shot back, desperate.
"That's ridiculous, you two are siblings!" Clara yelled, exasperated.
"We're not blood-related, are we? I can marry Edward and have a kid. Wouldn't that make us even closer?" Anne argued stubbornly.
Clara took a deep breath. "Hayden won't agree to Edward divorcing Diana."
"Why?" Anne's voice was filled with despair. "What's so great about Diana?"
"Because they're a good match socially. Anne, you're still young and don't get it. But if Hayden picked Aria, he has his reasons. You need to grow up fast, or if Aria has a kid with Edward, we’re out of luck."
"Luck? Are you really willing to throw away my happiness for your dream of being a rich lady? Our best shot is to get Edward to divorce Diana, and I marry him. That's our chance, the best chance." Anne's voice was sweet, but her words were full of venom.
"You're losing it. The stuff you did to Diana online caused so much trouble for the Howard family. Do you think I don't know? Even Hayden knows, but he never blamed you to save your face. Do you realize how much damage you’ve caused?" Clara said.
Anne looked down, unable to meet Clara's eyes. Maybe she knew her behaviour was inappropriate, but she felt no regret. She was willing to do anything to get Edward.
Clara grabbed her handbag and said, "I'm going to check on Edward. You stay here and think about what you've done. You've really let me down." With that, she walked out of the room with large strides.
I didn't have time to hide, and my eyes met Clara's directly. Clara, being a seasoned woman, didn't panic. She sniffed slightly, her eyes showing a bit of embarrassment but no intention of avoiding me. "Diana?"
"Who is it?" Anne heard the commotion and got up from the bed, walking towards the door.
Clara said nothing and strode toward Edward's room. With no way to avoid her, I headed straight into Anne's room. Thinking about Aria's panic earlier and the content of Anne and Clara's conversation, I guessed that Aria might have overheard something related to her surrogate pregnancy for Edward, which made her run away. Anne and Clara probably didn't realize she had been there, or they wouldn't have continued their argument so loudly.
When I gently pushed open the door and walked in, Anne heard the noise and slowly turned around, then walked silently towards the window. Although she had impulsively stabbed herself in the abdomen, her injury was far less severe than Edward's. Clearly, at that moment, she had held back and didn't go all out. In just two days, Edward was still so weak that he could barely stand, but Anne was already able to move freely around the room.
Edward took the stab without hesitation to protect me. Now, this strong man lay pale and gravely injured on the hospital bed. If that knife had stabbed me, I couldn't imagine what the outcome would have been. I knew full well that Anne harbored a deep malice towards me. From the moment she swung the knife, she truly intended to kill me.
I watched Anne's back quietly as a soft beam of sunlight streamed through the window, giving her a golden glow. The sunlight sparkled in her hair, adding a touch of warmth that couldn't melt the coldness she exuded. Half of her face was bathed in light, while the other half was in shadow. Her slightly lowered eyes and long eyelashes cast a delicate silhouette in the sunlight.
Anne stayed silent, and I had no clue what was going through her mind.
"Aren't you going to explain it to me?" I finally broke the silence, my eyes locked on her.
Anne slowly turned around, a smile on her face, and looked straight at me. "Didn't you hear everything? What more explanation do you need?"
"Who exactly is Aria?" I asked the question I had previously posed to Edward.
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