"I-I'm sorry, Caleb... maybe we should just forget it. Just let me die." Seeing Caleb Forrest start to waver, Ivy White got up unsteadily while holding her child and rushed crying toward the door.
Just as Caleb Forrest was about to reach out and stop her, Grace Winslow, a step ahead of him, rushed to the door.
And just like that, Ivy White slammed heavily into Grace Winslow, child still in her arms.
A sharp pain shot through Grace Winslow's chest. She let out a muffled grunt, and her face grew a few shades paler.
The impact threw her against the door behind her, which slammed with a loud BANG.
Ivy White froze.
'She hadn't expected Grace Winslow to suddenly rush over.'
'Wasn't Caleb Forrest supposed to be the one to stop me?'
She subconsciously glanced at Caleb Forrest.
Caleb Forrest had already rushed to Grace Winslow's side, reaching out to support her. "Grace? How are you? Are you alright?"
"It hurts... I..."
Grace Winslow opened her mouth and managed a few words before her vision went black and she fainted.
"Grace?" Caleb Forrest panicked. Ignoring Ivy White, he scooped Grace Winslow into his arms and bolted out the door.
"Oh my, Deputy Director, what's wrong with Grace?"
The next-door neighbor, hearing the commotion, came out just in time to see a frantic Caleb Forrest rushing out with Grace Winslow in his arms.
Ivy White followed close behind, holding her child as she gave chase.
'What a scene! It looks just like Caleb Forrest has a mistress, one who even had his illegitimate child. Now she's shown up at their door to stake her claim, and poor Grace Winslow fainted from the shock of it all!'
The neighbors on either side were all older women, their eyes scanning Ivy White from head to toe. In their minds, they were already writing a trashy, million-word-long soap opera.
Caleb Forrest had no time for explanations; he just rushed to the factory clinic with Grace in his arms.
Ivy White tearfully chased after them.
The commotion drew plenty of onlookers along the way.
They all pointed and whispered at Ivy White.
Ivy White gritted her teeth in fury.
'This isn't how it was supposed to go.'
'Caleb Forrest is so soft-hearted and easily swayed. All I had to do was say a few words, and he was about to give in and let me stay.'
'And isn't Grace Winslow supposed to be some agreeable, bleeding-heart saint?'
'She knows how miserable I am, so why won't she take me in?'
'Why did she have to make such an ugly scene?'
The whispers and pointed fingers of the crowd made Ivy White wish the ground would open up and swallow her.
Caleb Forrest arrived at the clinic with Grace Winslow.
One look at her and the clinic staff panicked. "Her fever is dangerously high! Is she injured, too? We can't treat this here. You have to get her to the town hospital right away. If you delay, I'm afraid it could get serious."
Hearing this, Caleb Forrest didn't dare to waste a second. He immediately found someone to borrow a flatbed cart from and rushed her to the town hospital.
The whole time, he paid Ivy White no mind at all.
Ivy White watched Caleb Forrest's retreating figure, her fists clenched tightly.
'What gives Grace Winslow the right?'
'I'm the one Caleb Forrest loves!'
'How could he cast me aside for Grace Winslow without so much as a second glance?'
When Grace Winslow woke up, she found herself lying in a hospital bed.
Her head throbbed, her chest felt tight, and she was dizzy and nauseous, fighting the urge to vomit.
She coughed a couple of times and opened her eyes.
The glaring light made her feel disoriented.
The high fever left her body feeling weak and limp, and her throat ached as if she had swallowed glass.
She had barely coughed when a hand reached out, helping her sit up. "Are you okay?"
Grace Winslow opened her eyes to see Caleb Forrest.
He had those eyes—deep, dark, and so full of affection they could make a dog feel cherished.
Right now, however, the sight of him only made her feel nauseous.
She slapped his hand away, her expression cold.
Caleb Forrest was filled with self-reproach.
'He had been so worried about Ivy White that he hadn't even noticed Grace was running a high fever.'
'It was a good thing they'd gotten to the hospital when they did. Otherwise, something terrible might have happened.'
"The doctor said you have a touch of pneumonia, so you'll need to stay in the hospital for the next few days."
"I was careless about the situation with Ivy White. I'm sorry. I've taken a few days off work, and I'll stay here at the hospital to take care of you."
"I promise, from now on, I'll think things through more carefully and won't be so impulsive again. Please don't be angry, okay?"