Chapter 233

**Chapter 233**

“I don’t know if I’m serious about anything,” he said suddenly, and I noticed the panic in his eyes. “I haven’t even thought about this long enough to know what I want.”

“I never thought I’d find my mate, Judy. I didn’t even think I wanted one in the first place.”

“Wait… what?” I asked, my eyes narrowing. “Are you thinking about rejecting her?”

He bit his lip, avoiding my gaze. That was all the answer I needed. My heart ached for Nan.

“Well, if you have to reject her, I’d rather you do it sooner rather than later,” I said.

I told him, a bit bitterly, “I’m not hungry anymore.” I pushed my plate away and stood up. “Just put the poor girl out of her misery.”

Without saying anything else, I walked out of the kitchen, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

**Gavin’s Point of View**

“I know Irene says her leg hurts, but I’ve done three different X-rays, and there’s nothing physically wrong with her,” Elizabeth Pierce said.

I sighed and leaned against the wall, feeling frustrated.

We stood in the hallway of the hospital, where we had been since yesterday. Irene was crying, saying her leg hurt, and she wouldn’t let me leave her side. I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling completely exhausted. I hadn’t been able to rest, and the worry was weighing heavily on me.

I tried to get some sleep in the hospital chair, but it was really uncomfortable. Irene was whimpering most of the night, which made it even harder to rest. I asked Elizabeth to run several tests to figure out what was wrong with Irene’s leg, but we were still waiting for answers.

I had been worried because she seemed to be struggling. I trusted her judgment because she was the best doctor in the world, after all.

I nodded and said, “Thank you. So, can I take her home?”

Elizabeth nodded in response.

“Yes,” she replied. “I’m sure she could use some rest and her own bed. I’ll prescribe some sugar pills… we can tell her it’s pain medication. It seems her pain is mostly in her mind and doesn’t really exist.”

She believes that if she takes her medication, it will help with her pain and eventually make it go away.

I nodded in agreement.

“I appreciate that,” I told her.

“I’ll get that for you right away,” she said as she stepped back from the room.

With a sigh, I walked back into the hospital room. Irene was sitting there, scrolling through her phone, her brows furrowed in concentration.

“Everything okay?” I asked her.

She looked up, startled to see me enter the room. Irene quickly put her phone down.

She picked up her phone from the bed next to her and held her leg, tears filling her eyes.

“Yes… my leg just hurts, and Ethan hasn’t come to see me even once,” she said softly.

I sighed again and sat beside her.

I sat on the edge of her bed, holding her hands in mine.

“I’m sure he’s just busy,” I said. “I’m going to take you home and—”

“Take me home?” she gasped. “But what about…?”

I could see the worry in her eyes. I squeezed her hands gently. “Don’t worry. Everything will be fine.”

It was Chapter 233 of our story, and I wanted to make sure she felt safe.

“Daddy, my leg hurts!” she cried.

I nodded in understanding. “I know,” I replied gently. “Dr. Pierce is going to give you some medicine. Then we can go home so you can get some rest.”

She bit her lip, and more tears began to fall.

Tears spilled from her eyes.

“Okay…” she stammered, trying to hold back her emotions.

With the pain she felt, she knew they needed to get home.

“Once we are home, we can try to call Ethan,” she said. “Maybe he can come over to see you. I don’t know…”

“If anyone has told him you were injured,” I said to her.

She nodded and wiped her eyes.

I looked at the clock and noticed it was almost afternoon. I told Judy that I would pick her up in a few hours.

I suggested we get some dinner and spend the night together. I felt bad for not being around her much lately. I had left her hanging the other day, and since then, we hadn’t had much time to talk. I really wanted to make up for it and spend some extra time with her.

Elizabeth returned with the medication and immediately gave Irene a tablet along with a glass of water.

“This is a powerful medication,” Elizabeth said. “You only need to take one a day.” She made sure to explain the importance of following the instructions carefully.

He looked up at me and winked. I silently mouthed, “Thank you,” before turning my attention back to Irene. She had just swallowed the tablet and drank half of the water.

Beta Taylor met us at the hospital and took us back home.

Irene walked into her room and settled into bed with her phone.

Once she was comfortable, I went to my own room to get ready for my evening with Judy. I glanced at the clock and realized I only had a few minutes left.

Before I could leave, I heard Irene screaming and crying as I walked down the stairs. My heart raced, and I quickly ran into her room.

“What’s going on?” I asked, worried about what I might find.

I entered her room, looking for someone, but no one was there. I took a deep breath to calm my anger and turned to my daughter, who was crying.

“Irene? What’s wrong?” I asked gently.

“Ethan won’t answer my calls!” she sobbed.

I let out a groan of frustration. Then, I…

Irene squinted at me. “Are you going somewhere?” she asked.

I glanced down at my suit and nodded. “Yeah, I was about to head out…” I began to reply, but before I could finish, she started to cry.

“Please don’t leave, Daddy! I don’t have Ethan, and nobody else is here to help and support me. I need you!”

“I can get one of the maids to take care of you,” I assured her.

I could see the worry in her eyes. She felt alone without her brother, and I wanted to comfort her as best I could.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she cried out, “You are never around anymore, and I miss you!”

“Please, don’t leave me again, Daddy! Please!” she begged, her voice filled with emotion.