Chapter 181
The flippant words struck Sienna like a sledgehammer.
She stared at the hidden malice in Celeste’s eyes, but before she could utter a single word, her eyes fluttered shut.
Drained of all her strength, she collapsed backward.
Celeste immediately feigned terror. “Sienna p>
“Keep your voice down! You’re always the loudest one in the room!” The old man snapped before she could even finish her sentence.
It was then that everyone in the room realized something was genuinely wrong.
The old woman shot Celeste a sharp look, silently warning her to keep quiet.
Helena sat in her wheelchair, carefully watching the old man’s expression, too intimidated to speak.
Jarred’s chest tightened as he rushed forward. He carefully gathered Sienna into his arms, carrying her to the bed and gently pulling the covers over her.
He rested his fingers against her forehead for a brief second. Her temperature was normal, but her skin felt icy to the touch.
The family doctor stepped up to examine her. Pulling off his stethoscope, he said, “It’s nothing serious. The brief fainting spell was caused by extreme nervous tension. Let her sleep it off and she’ll be fine p>
The rigid tension in Jarred’s spine finally eased.
He sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze fixed on Sienna’s pale face. He reached out, wanting to smooth the deep furrow between her brows, but stopped halfway and pulled his hand back.
He was terrified that his touch would disturb her fragile peace, even in her sleep.
Just then, a knock echoed at the door.
Declan walked in briskly. Seeing the room full of people, he paused for a fraction of a second.
He then stepped right up to Jarred. “Boss, I’ve looked into it. Owen’s condition suddenly deteriorated a month ago, and domestic treatments were no longer viable.
That’s why he had to be transferred to Professor Krueger’s private hospital in Germany. He’s been there for almost a month.
He underwent brain tumor surgery two weeks ago and was only moved out of the ICU last week. He’s currently in a critical recovery phase p>
A stunned silence fell over the room. Aside from Celeste, everyone looked completely blindsided.
They had all assumed Owen was still receiving standard care at a local hospital. No one had a clue he had been quietly transferred overseas.
The atmosphere in the room grew suffocatingly heavy.
The old man’s face darkened with anger as he turned to Jarred. “Who is Owen’s attending physician? Did you review all his pre-op and post-op medical plans?
Does the doctor even know if Owen’s current physical state is stable enough for a transfer? Is there an emergency protocol in place p>
Hit with the rapid-fire questions, Jarred remained silent, his jaw clenched tight.
He kept his head down, his gaze entirely locked on Sienna’s face.
Even in her unconscious state, her brows were knitted together, plagued by an overwhelming sense of unease.
It suddenly hit him that the bank card he had specifically set aside for Owen’s medical expenses hadn’t seen a single transaction in a month.
Declan had mentioned it to him before, but Jarred had simply assumed Owen’s condition was stable and didn’t require major funds. He hadn’t given it a second thought.
She had been facing such an impossible crisis, yet she hadn’t reached out to him for help even once. She hadn’t breathed a word about her struggles.
Who helped her contact the hospital? Who paid the staggering medical bills?
She had gritted her teeth and shouldered every bit of the agony alone, completely shutting him out of her life.
Just how disappointed in him did she have to be to push him away so thoroughly? To choose to carry the weight of the world on her own rather than let him share a fraction of the burden?
A violent, suffocating wave of despair washed over him.
Jarred felt an agonizing emptiness carve out a massive void in his chest.
He tightly grasped Sienna’s frail hand, feeling as though the second he let go, she would vanish from his life forever, never to be found again.