Chapter 501 What Should She Do?
Before Liam could finish saying "Atticus," Ian burst through the office door without knocking. "Your Highness, there's an emergency."
"What is it?" Ethan asked.
Ian approached and whispered in his ear, "Your Highness, we've received word from the palace. Ms. White has collapsed."
Ethan stood up immediately, his face tense with worry. "We need to return to the palace at once."
Before leaving, he glanced at Liam. "I have an urgent matter to attend to. Regarding Ashley, we'll speak further. Leave your contact information."
Liam nodded, still dazed. "My phone number is on this card."
Ethan took the card and walked to the door, then paused and turned back with a serious expression. "Are you certain Ashley isn't dead?"
For reasons he couldn't explain, learning that Ashley might be alive filled Ethan with complex emotions. Despite having no memory of her, he felt a strange mix of excitement, anxiety, and inexplicable sadness.
He knew the source of this sadness. If Ashley was alive, then his feelings for Pearl...
"Ethan, I swear everything I've told you is true," Liam insisted. "Ashley is alive. When she boarded that plane, she was still heavily pregnant. Your children must be alive too. She could be anywhere in the world right now, raising your children."
Ethan's heart skipped a beat. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow. With a troubled expression, he managed to say, "I understand."
With that, he turned and left.
Liam watched him hurry away, looking almost like he was fleeing. "Why is he rushing off like that? He looks guilty about something."
Yaakov turned to his brother. "Liam, is it really true? Ashley's alive? Why didn't you tell me all these years?"
Liam rolled his eyes. "I tried, but you always interrupted me."
Yaakov cursed under his breath. "Damn it. I've been grieving for years for nothing!"
"The world is big," Liam said, "but if we try hard enough, we'll find Ashley."
In the luxury car, Ethan held his head in pain.
"Your Highness, is your headache back? I have medication," Ian said with concern.
Ethan swallowed two pills, but his head continued to throb. His heart ached just as badly.
This morning he had selfishly separated Pearl and Atticus, and now, after this whole fiasco, he'd learned that Ashley was alive and possibly raising their children somewhere in the world.
His emotions were in turmoil—happiness one moment, despair the next.
Taking a deep breath, he confessed, "Ian, they say my wife isn't dead, but... I've realized I'm falling for Pearl. What should I do?"
His face showed his anguish.
"Your Highness, don't panic," Ian said. "Your wife hasn't been found yet. Maybe she survived the accident, but childbirth is dangerous. Perhaps..."
Ethan shot him a cold look. "Are you wishing death upon my wife and children?"
"No! I just meant—since we haven't found your wife yet—if you want to continue with Pearl, you could. If your wife returns later, you could offer her a settlement and ask her to leave."
Ethan frowned in displeasure. "That's terrible advice. Then I truly would be a heartless man!"
"What else can you do? You've finally developed feelings for someone. If your wife never returns and you wait forever, you'll lose Pearl to Atticus..."
"Absolutely not! They cannot be together!" Ethan snapped.
With nothing seeming to please Ethan, Ian fell silent.
Ethan rubbed his temples. "Let's take this one step at a time."
When Ethan returned to Azure Palace, Doris had just finished applying medication to Ashley's wounds.
"Ethan, you're back. What happened to your face? You're injured," she asked.
"It's nothing, just a scratch. How is she? Why did she collapse? Is it serious?"
"I don't know why she suddenly fainted. The doctor examined her and said there's nothing seriously wrong. I was looking after her and noticed she's covered in injuries, so I applied some medicine."
"Mom, thank you. I appreciate your help."
"No need for formalities between us." Doris looked at Ashley and asked, "Ethan, do you have feelings for her?"
Ethan gazed deeply at the sleeping woman and nodded. "Yes, I do."
On the bed, the woman's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
Ethan hesitated. "Mom..."
Doris replied, "Yes?"
Ethan sighed dejectedly. "Today I met Ashley's brother."
"What a coincidence!"
"Mom, he told me... Ashley isn't dead. She even gave birth to our children. They just haven't found where Ashley is yet."
Doris looked delighted. "That's wonderful news! I knew Ashley wouldn't have died so easily. But..." Her expression shifted to concern as she looked at the woman in the bed. "What about her? What will happen now?"
Ethan lowered his eyes, suppressing the pain evident in them.
Neither of them noticed the woman in the bed, whose hand hidden under the blanket was trembling violently.
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