Chapter 188: IT HURTS
"This is the second time you have visited me in the hospital, and you still don’t bring anything," Olivia sneered, but deep down, she was way more relieved to see Hazel than any other member of her family, including her mother.
She didn’t hate her, but the way she acted around her father always made her very angry. She was too passive, the type that her father preferred. Unfortunately, she took after Deryl with their stubbornness.
"Don’t complain," Hazel said as she sat down on the sofa. Her back was killing her. She has had a hard time falling asleep recently. "You should be grateful I come to visit. This is an honor for you. I must be like a breath of fresh air among the McKennas that surround you."
Olivia didn’t bite back. Her eyes fell on Hazel’s big stomach. She was heavily pregnant. "When is your due date?"
"Hm?" Hazel was confused by the sudden change of topic. She caressed her belly because her baby kicked her. "Around six weeks from now."
Olivia was silent for a while, and the atmosphere became a little bit awkward for Hazel. She didn’t like the way she stared at her intently.
"I think you have already known that I lost my baby." Olivia started.
"Yeah, I know." Hazel could feel the shift in emotion as it became a little mellow, and she wasn’t really good at heart-to-heart conversations. "I am sorry to hear that."
However, she couldn’t brush her off when she was mourning the loss of her baby.
She herself didn’t want to be a mother, but the thought of losing her baby would drive her crazy. Olivia, who had always dreamed of having a normal family of her own, must feel the same, if not worse. She wanted to be a mother, and she had been very vocal about it since River knew her.
"I think this is it." Olivia covered her face with her palms. "I think this is for the best." She wouldn’t have anything tying her down to Marcus. It was over, for good.
Olivia didn’t say the last words, but she was in anguish. She couldn’t hold back her tears, even though she couldn’t cry out loud.
It was over. This was truly over.
"Hazel... I am in pain."
Hazel stood up and approached her. "Do you want me to call a doctor?" She saw Olivia shake her head.
Hazel was not stupid; she knew the pain Olivia felt had nothing to do with her injuries, but she didn’t know how to handle the situation. It was too emotional for her...
Is it time I hug her?
Hazel looked complicated. They were not close to begin with, and even now, she couldn’t say they were friends. It felt awkward to hug her.
However, the sight of Olivia was so pitiful. She was a proud woman, a stubborn one with a strong will, but she turned into a twit when it came to Marcus.
In the end, Hazel leaned over; it was a little bit hard because her stomach was in the way, but she cradled Olivia’s head, and she held onto her arm. Hazel saw her tears and felt the pain; it was uncomfortable.
She was used to brushing off her feelings, and when the situation became too emotional for her, she would let her logic deal with it.
But there was no logic for this...
"It hurts..." Olivia whimpered. "It really hurts..."
Hazel patted her back lightly and caressed her hair.
***
Ranon and Deryl conversed about business and whatnot. It was a very pretentious conversation since neither of them brought up the elephant in the room.
It would be like opening a can of worms.
But Deryl ended the conversation shortly because he received an important phone call, and it would take long because it came from Jack Barlowe.
"I am going to check on my wife; they should be done by now." Ranon didn’t mind it. He didn’t find any valuable information in their conversation. It was rather taxing when they were dancing around the safe topic.
After a few pleasantries, Deryl excused himself and received the call while Ranon was still sipping his coffee. He was not in a hurry to get Hazel.
"Jack?" Deryl called his name. It had been so long since they had a conversation.
Ever since Arthur smelled Jack’s rebellion, added to the problem between Aubrey and Arlo, they had been keeping their eyes on the Barlowes’ movement.
"Why do you call me?" Deryl cut to the chase with his greeting.
"There is something I want to talk about."
Deryl went silent for a moment. "Did Arthur know about this?"
"No. This conversation will not suit Arthur’s taste."
It was hard to know what was in Jack’s mind. He didn’t come from a mercenary family like the Lozens or the McKennas. They were a family of businessmen, though their business was rather illegal.
However, one thing Deryl learned about the businessmen was that they were driven by profit.
That was why when River had gone missing and Arthur spiraled with failed murder attempts, he didn’t see a profit anymore from their union.
"I am afraid I have to decline this."
Jack didn’t sound disappointed. He said, "I have an offer for you. You need to listen to this before you make a decision."
The sound of it was very tempting. Whatever Jack was going to offer to him, it would give him a benefit that the Lozens couldn’t afford.
***
"It never happened," Olivia said sharply, as she wiped her tears roughly. "Why did you even hug me?" She glared at Hazel with her red eyes.
"You were the one who held onto me," Hazel snapped back. She scrunched her nose when she saw Olivia’s tears and snot on her clothes.
They bickered for a while, and it felt normal like this. Hazel could handle Olivia’s snappy side and hoped this would be the last time she saw her cry.
"Can I touch your belly?" Olivia suddenly asked.
Hazel wanted to refuse, but the look of expectation in her eyes made her relent. She came closer and let Olivia put her hand gently on her belly.
"How does it feel to be pregnant?" Olivia asked, her eyes fixed on her belly.
"Weird. As if I have a big worm in my belly. The baby keeps moving when I sleep." Hazel grimaced. "Not to mention with the back pain. I can’t even see my toes, and now I have gained so much weight, I will be out of breath if I walk for a long time."
She used to be so nimble and move with ease. Years of intensive training allowed her to endure physical discomfort way better than normal people.
But Hazel’s body was very weak, and now she was pregnant. It was a struggle for her to keep up. Sometimes it would annoy her with the way how slow her movement was.
Hearing such an outrageous answer, Olivia gave Hazel a disdainful look. "You sound like River." That was precisely the kind of thing River would say.
She didn’t ask why it was Hazel who came instead of River, as she assumed it was still inconvenient for her to show up in public.
"But..." A soft smile was etched on Hazel’s lips. "It feels so amazing. You know, you grow another human being inside your body. Every kick and every movement of the baby make me think about what kind of personality she will have when she is born. What she will look like. It’s a wonder to think about all of those things..."
Olivia listened closely. She was thinking about her own baby and the family she dreamed of.
"I don’t know what love is, but I think I will burn the world if someone wrongs her."
"You know what?" Olivia retracted her hand. "You turn a sentimental moment into violence."
"That’s my specialty." Hazel winked at her.
***
Olivia was placed in Central Hospital. The latest news that Hazel heard was that Rafael had acquired this hospital not so long ago.
But it was still rather strange to run into him in this hospital, especially in this area.
"Mr. Rafael," Hazel greeted him, because he recognized her.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Leighton," he said cheerfully.
There was a time when River said his cheerful personality didn’t match how he truly was. "Good afternoon, Mr. Scar."
"Did you come to visit a friend?"
"Yes." Hazel made it simple.
"I see." He nodded. "Did you come alone?"
"I came with my husband, and I am looking for him now." After a few conversations with Olivia, and Hazel answered all of her questions, she decided to leave and let her get some rest. A bullet wound was no joke; it hurt so much.
"I will help you look for him." He smiled harmlessly. "We can have some conversations while we are walking.
Hazel then pulled out her phone. "I can make a phone call. I don’t want to walk around."
"Oh, I see." His eyes fell on her stomach. "My bad."
Hazel didn’t say anything, but she smiled at him. She didn’t know what he was up to, but she didn’t want to be alone with Rafael.
This man was always up to no good. Usually, there would be a hidden agenda with him. She didn’t want him to dig up something about Ranon through her.
And she was right, because once she hung up the call to inform Ranon she was done, Rafael started to speak.
"You are not like the rumor said..." He tilted his head, as if assessing Hazel.