Chapter 274 Family Affection
After a long, exhausting day, I felt like I got hit by a tidal wave of fatigue. Once I made sure there was nothing else to deal with, I said goodbye to the cops and got ready to head back to the Cooper Group.
Being pregnant made everything tougher; even the simplest movements felt slow and awkward. Thankfully, the baby had been doing well over the past few months. As long as I could make it to full term, I'd be welcoming a new life into the world.
Seeing me struggle to stand, Edward quickly stepped forward to help. "Diana, be careful. Let me help you."
I felt he had ulterior motives and subtly twisted my arm to avoid his touch.
Edward noticed and tactfully let go, but he still followed me closely through the long hallway of the police station, all the way to the car.
We stayed silent the whole way.
When I opened the car door, Edward quickly slid into the driver's seat.
"Edward, what are you doing?" I asked, puzzled.
Edward looked up at me seriously. "Diana, you've been pregnant for so long, and I haven't been able to take care of you properly. Just let me drive you this once."
"Get out. I don't need you to drive me," I said coldly, without hesitation.
A flash of disappointment crossed Edward's face. He lowered his eyes, his voice filled with a sadness he couldn't hide. "Diana, I've lost my father, and you don't want to reconcile with me. Now Anne and my mom have been arrested. This child is the only family I have left. Just this once, can you let me feel some semblance of family?"
He looked up slowly, his eyes meeting mine. Those eyes, once filled with sharpness and confidence, now carried a lingering sadness.
At that moment, the Edward before me overlapped with the handsome Edward in my memories. He was still as attractive, but his face now showed signs of weariness. This unexpected scene stirred something in my heart.
I sighed softly and got into the passenger seat, fastening my seatbelt.
I noticed a flicker of excitement in Edward's eyes, like a child receiving a long-awaited toy. I couldn't help but remind him. "Just this once, take me back to the Cooper Group."
Hearing this, Edward nodded eagerly and started the car.
As the car smoothly merged onto the road, he hesitated before speaking. "Since my dad passed away, the days have felt endlessly long. I've been stuck in the hospital, unable to go anywhere, and then the company faced such a huge crisis."
I sat quietly in the passenger seat, listening.
I knew he had been through a lot recently, but wasn't it all his own doing? If he hadn't indulged Anne so much, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
Edward seemed to read my thoughts and spoke softly, "I know you think I brought this on myself."
He paused, his gaze drifting into the distance, as if lost in memories.
He continued, "But over the years, I've gotten used to having Anne by my side. She's been with me since she was young, like the sunshine in my life. I can't imagine what my childhood would have been like without her."Hayden had mentioned something similar before, but hearing it from Edward now, I could really feel how deep his feelings for Anne ran.
I couldn't hold back my urgency, my tone coming out harsher than I intended. "No matter how much you care about her, you can't just let her do whatever she wants. Your constant indulgence is what led to the Howard Group's downfall!"
Edward nodded silently, his eyes instantly reddening. Tears began to stream down his cheeks.
"I admit it," he said. "But I couldn't bring myself to be strict with her. She lacked a father's love from a young age. I didn't even know she went to find Nicholas behind my back. I can't imagine what she went through with him."
My heart sank, the memory of that night flashing through my mind like a nightmare: Anne kneeling in humiliation before Nicholas. Edward knew exactly what kind of person Nicholas was! Yet, back then, he had ruthlessly targeted Mia and the Cooper Group to force my hand. When I sought Nicholas's help, Edward showed no sign of remorse.
I looked at Edward in disbelief. Feeling my gaze on him, he clung to it like a lifeline and urgently said, "Diana, can you really bear to let our child grow up without a father? Do you want him to make the same foolish choices that Anne did?"
I turned to look at Edward's profile, finding my voice after a long moment. "Edward, trying to guilt-trip me with our child now is ridiculous. When you plotted against me and my family, did you ever think about the future? Did you consider we'd end up in this situation? You indulged Anne, crossing boundaries time and again and hurting so many people. What about those who lost their livelihoods because of the Howard Group's turmoil? Were they not innocent? And now you believe a few words of remorse can fix everything?"
As I spoke passionately, I suddenly noticed Edward's hands shaking uncontrollably, causing the car to swerve. I couldn't tell if it was my words that triggered it or something else, but a wave of panic washed over me.
"Edward, hold the wheel steady!" I shouted, instinctively reaching out to help him. "Focus on driving!"
But his shaking intensified, and the car veered off the road.
"Brake! Hit the brakes!" I screamed, my entire body tensed with fear, completely ignoring the sharp pain in my abdomen as I concentrated on getting Edward to regain control of the car.
At the last moment, Edward managed to slam on the brakes. The tires screeched against the pavement, and the car came to a sudden stop.
The force threw us forward, but the seatbelts held us in place, preventing injury.
After the car stopped, Edward continued to shake. I looked at him; his face was pale, drenched in sweat, and he seemed in great pain. I was also in agony, waves of pain radiating from my abdomen.
Leaning weakly against the window, I whispered for help, "My stomach hurts, call for help, quickly…" Before I could finish, everything went black, and I lost consciousness.
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