Chapter 46 You're Pushing Me Towards Her
After being rescued, Nicole was transferred to a regular ward.
The doctor said she was not seriously injured. Although her wounds were not shallow, they did not require stitches yet.
The main reason for her fainting was due to her excessive anxiety and mental stress.
"Nicole, my dear! You finally woke up!" Karen cried mournfully by the bedside as if Nicole was not injured but dead, "I thought I would never see you again!"
"Enough, stop crying. Edward isn't here. Who are you crying so loudly for? You're bothering my eyes," Tiffany impatiently remarked, standing with crossed arms by the window. "Have you figured out how to deal with this situation?"
"What situation?" Karen wiped away her tears and asked, momentarily confused.
"Heh, you messed up more than just this one thing, right?" Tiffany frowned, disdainfully looking at the incompetent Karen. "You really are a failure. I have dedicated everything to you, my sister. If I hadn't supported you, would your daughter have such a good outcome with Edward? With your stupid mind, it's impossible to marry your daughter into a wealthy family!"
Nicole also harbored resentment, blaming Karen for her reckless actions. Karen had sold the necklace Edward had given her to make ends meet, but she hadn't sold it far enough, so the necklace ended up coincidentally returning to the Taylor family and being brought to an auction. This incident would surely leave a lingering danger, making her and Edward's relationship even worse!
"Tiffany, since you brought this up, then I have to argue with you!" Karen, whom Tiffany had scolded since she was little, felt ashamed and infuriated in front of Nicole. "Today, Nicole and I were cooperating, and we had already taken care of that little bitch, Lily. What's the matter with your daughter? Why did she come out and ruin our plans at a critical moment? If it weren't for her interference, how could things have turned out like this?!"
"How would I know Molly was in the bathroom? Nicole, how many times did I warn you? Why are you so careless in handling things? You don't even know that you left yourself vulnerable!" Tiffany was also angry, but she and Nicole shared responsibility for this matter, so she could only shift the blame onto Nicole.
Nicole wanted to retort but couldn't find a reason, so she could only pout in frustration.
"Anyway, there is no evidence to prove that Nicole caused her injury. Nicole, if Edward asks you, pretend you know nothing. Edward has feelings for you, so this matter should be able to be brushed off," Tiffany said with a troubled expression as she rubbed her temples, speaking coldly. "If you can't handle it, I also have a way to make Edward forgive your actions."
"Understood."
Nicole remembered Donna's defense of Lily, her jealousy distorting her expression. "Has Lily made a deal with the devil? Why is everyone in the Taylor family so good to her? Why does Mr. Taylor's second wife, Donna, protect her as if Lily were her daughter? If this continues, Lily will truly surpass us!"
Tiffany's expression turned ugly whenever Donna was mentioned. "Mr. Taylor's second wife? She's clearly just a mistress! I only tolerated her for Mr. Taylor's sake, but she became even more audacious!"
"Yes! Aunt, you are Uncle Patrick's legal wife. How can Donna compare to you?" Nicole was quickly flattered, knowing that she relied on Karen to marry into the Wellington family.
Karen coldly chuckled to herself. Did Tiffany dare to call Donna a mistress? Wasn't she a mistress herself before becoming Patrick's wife? If it wasn't for Edward's foolish mother falling into her scheme and Karen's inability to bear a son, she could have never married into the Wellington family!
"I won't let Lily marry into the Taylor family so easily. Donna is nothing. What's the use of trying to please her?"
Tiffany narrowed her eyes, her gaze icy. "Unless Charlie can accept her, she can never marry Landon. Patrick told me that Mr. Taylor is not someone to be trifled with. He always emphasizes his family's reputation. Landon is the eldest son groomed to be his heir, so he will definitely have to marry a girl from a prestigious family. How can Mr. Taylor allow Landon to marry this country girl?"
"We have time. Let that little bitch be happy for now. One day, I'll make her cry!"
Before Tiffany finished speaking, the door to the hospital room suddenly opened. A chill spread as Edward's handsome and tall figure appeared in the doorway.
"Edward..." Nicole felt a chill in her heart and put on a pitiful act.
"I have something to ask you."
Nicole's hand trembled as she clenched the bedsheets, desperately seeking help from Tiffany.
"Edward, Nicole has been through a lot of stress and has just woken up from a coma. Can you wait until she recovers from her injuries to ask her anything?" Tiffany cautiously advised.
"There are some things I must ask right now." Edward sneered, refusing to back down.
"Mr. Wellington... it's all my fault!"
Karen thought that instead of being accused, it would be better to take the blame initiative. She couldn't let this matter affect Nicole and hinder her path to marrying into a wealthy family!
So, she cried and threw herself at Edward, directly kneeling in front of him. "The Adams Group is in trouble. Not only has the funding chain been broken, but the factories have also been closing down one after another... The Wellington family refused to help us, and the Taylor family has been pressuring us relentlessly. We've reached a dead end... So, I discussed it with Bray and decided to sell some of our belongings to fill the financial gap of the Adams Group. It was me who secretly sold Nicole's jewelry, and Nicole did not know of it! If I had known that necklace was the token of your affection for Nicole, even if I died of poverty and hunger, I would never have sold it!"
Nicole breathed a sigh of relief in her heart and pretended to be innocent and shocked, with tears in her eyes. "Mom... You're so out of line... That's my favorite necklace... How could you..."
However, Edward didn't even change his gaze, only coldly saying, "That's not what I want to ask."
Compared to Nicole's accusation against Lily, the necklace matter was no longer important to him. Although he felt depressed and annoyed that his feelings had been trampled upon, he could still understand and let go if Nicole really sold the necklace to save their family. But he couldn't let go if she had distorted the truth and falsely accused an innocent person.
"Did you injure yourself, or did Lily cause your injury? Did Lily's bracelet break because she accidentally hit something, or did you snatch it and deliberately smash it?" Edward's voice was deep, and his gaze calm.
"Edward... Are you saying that I'm a bad woman who framed and set up Lily?!" Nicole cried, tears streaming down her face. "We've known each other since we were young... Am I worse in your eyes than a woman who deceived your feelings?"
Edward furrowed his handsome brows. "Molly never lies. She said she didn't see Lily touch you."
"Edward, you know, Molly's mind isn't clear, her language skills are poor, and she may have been hiding somewhere at that time and didn't see it clearly." Tiffany hurriedly intervened.
Edward coolly lifted the corner of his lips. "Do all mothers like to belittle their biological daughters in front of outsiders? I don't have a mother, so I don't really understand."
Tiffany's face turned pale instantly.
Edward was usually as weak as a half-dead person at home, but he was quite energetic when confronting her!
"So, Nicole, why did you do this? Since I chose you, I won't reconcile with Lily. Why do you have to cause trouble for her?"
Edward suppressed his anger and disappointment, which had been accumulating and weighing on his heart like heavy shackles, making it almost impossible to beat.
He was still willing to patiently call her "Nicole," considering the twenty years of emotions between them and the redemption she had provided him in his youth. After all, Nicole was the only beam of light in his dark childhood.
He was afraid of losing this beam of light and afraid that the person he had staked everything on was wrong.
"It's not me! It's not me!" Nicole shouted and pounded on the bed. Her usually gentle eyes were filled with bloodshot veins. "She stole my man! And now she wants to turn me into a bad woman who only causes harm!"
Debra said that Lily became close with Molly when they were at Riverside Villa... They must have conspired against me!
"Edward! Do you believe them over me? Are you falling for Lily? Don't you want me anymore?!"
"I have always belonged to you. Even during the three years I was married to Lily, my feelings for you never changed, and I never touched her."
Edward tightly clenched his trembling fingers, his eyes filled with sadness.
He remembered how Lily had readily taken the blame when questioned, her swollen wrists, and the disappointed look she had when she turned to look at him with tears and hatred...
Edward took a deep breath, his intense headache blurring his vision. "But, Nicole, I can't understand the things you've been doing lately. Are you trying to push me toward her?"
"No, Edward, that's not it... Edward!"
Nicole watched as Edward left without looking back, her face turning pale as she jumped out of bed and ran to the door.
However, as the door closed, all she heard was a heavy thud, and she felt a gust of cold wind.
With her eyes bloodshot, Nicole angrily kicked the door of the room, but she kicked too hard and screamed in pain, hopping around in place.
In her mind, she screamed, "Lily! I won't let you off easily! You want to compete against me, don't you? Well, I have the same intention!"
