Chapter 80: Chapter 80: Victim Number 2
Julian Croft noticed Lillian Donovan was awake the moment he walked in. Overjoyed, he stepped forward to take her hand, but a fearful Lillian instinctively recoiled.
’This had never happened before!’
The smile on Julian Croft’s face froze. He withdrew his outstretched hand, unconsciously clenching it into a fist, yet he still forced a patient and concerned tone.
"What’s wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Lillian Donovan realized her own loss of composure. She bit the tip of her tongue again, letting the pain ground her.
"For the past two days, I’ve felt this tightness in my chest, and it’s been a little hard to breathe. I even fainted today. My sister-in-law is worried something unexpected might happen if I go home, so she wants me to stay in the hospital for a few more days of observation. I’ll go back once we’re sure I’m really okay."
Mrs. Donovan immediately understood Lillian’s reluctance to go home and be alone with Julian Croft. She gave Lillian’s hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Lillian has always been healthy. For her to suddenly have so many problems, like fainting and chest tightness, it’s impossible not to worry. Besides, our family is one of this hospital’s shareholders, so it’s no big deal to have them keep a room available for her. We’ll all feel more at ease if she just stays for a few days of observation until she’s better."
With both of them having made the decision, Julian Croft could hardly object. However, when he heard Lillian mention her chest tightness and shortness of breath, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.
Arabella Donovan, however, tilted her head in confusion.
’When did Mom and Auntie talk about staying in the hospital? Why didn’t I hear anything? Was I so lost in thought that I missed it?’
Lillian Donovan and Mrs. Donovan froze simultaneously, breaking out in a cold sweat as they tried to think of a way to salvage the situation.
But Arabella had already come up with an excuse for them.
’They probably just huddled up to whisper a moment ago. Adults are always whispering in front of us kids, thinking we’re too young to understand anything. Tsk...’
The two whispering adults: "..." Fine by them.
Regardless, Lillian staying at the family’s hospital was far better than her going home to a man who seemed ready to drive her insane at any moment. This was the main reason Arabella didn’t dwell on it.
Since she was staying in the hospital, someone had to be there with her.
Lillian truly didn’t know how to face her husband, so she sent him away on the pretext of needing him to go home and pack some clothes.
Then, she reasoned that since Julian would have to stay with her at the hospital, there would be no one to look after their two children. She arranged for them to stay with the Donovan family for a while, saying she’d pick them up after she was discharged.
This was a sensible arrangement for the children. After all, if Lillian herself didn’t know how to face Julian, how could two minors be expected to?
If the two of them couldn’t maintain their composure and let Julian notice something was amiss, then the truths they were trying to uncover might remain secrets forever.
As the Donovan family was about to leave, Lillian pulled Mr. Donovan aside, hoping he would stay and keep her company for a little while longer.
Mrs. Donovan saw this and knew the siblings had something to discuss. With great tact, she ushered everyone else away.
The moment the door to the hospital room closed, leaving only the two siblings inside, Lillian could no longer hold back and broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Brother, how could this happen? How could he do this? Our dad... Dad treated him so well, almost like his own son. For years, whether it was for investments or academic pursuits, as long as Dad could make it happen, he never short-changed him. How could he... how could he be so heartless... Does he even have a conscience?"
She could accept anything else. Even knowing the truth about Willow Croft and her son, she could have forgiven him once for the sake of their own two children. At worst, they would have just gone their separate ways and never seen each other again.
But if Julian Croft truly had something to do with her father’s death, then it would be a battle to the end between them!
Mr. Donovan looked at the sister he had practically watched grow up and sighed sympathetically. "Third Uncle treated him like a son, but he never saw Third Uncle as a father. He has his own parents."
Lillian’s sobs hitched. Mr. Donovan’s words struck her like a bolt of lightning, jolting her to her senses.
’That’s right. He didn’t just have his own parents; he had his own wife and child. She, her children, her father... they were all nothing more than stepping stones for his climb to the top.’
At the thought of Julian using her family’s money and resources to support his wife and child on the side all these years, Lillian’s stomach churned, and she began to retch right there in front of Mr. Donovan.
Mr. Donovan quickly steadied her, but since Lillian had fainted before she’d had a chance to eat, she only brought up some sour bile.
After she was sick, some color returned to Lillian’s face.
Mr. Donovan poured her a glass of water. "What are you going to do about this?"
"We have to find out the truth about Dad’s death." Lillian’s eyes filled with tears again as she clutched the glass. "Dad was truly allergic to many types of pollen, especially from locust trees. The slightest contact would cause him to have a severe reaction..."
"Alright, I’ll investigate it. You just handle Julian Croft and don’t let him suspect anything. Especially when it comes to his other family, you have to pretend you know nothing for now. Once we have evidence, we’ll have plenty of chances to settle this score."
Lillian breathed a sigh of relief, secretly grateful that she still had family in this world willing to have her back.
Julian Croft returned quickly after going home to pack some clothes. Having thrown up and had a long cry, Lillian’s emotions had mostly stabilized. At least for now, she could suppress her revulsion and play nice, keeping him from getting suspicious.
Fortunately, the ordeal didn’t last long.
Their vacation was supposed to end the day before the incident, so Julian Croft had to return to work the next morning.
Lillian declined his offer to take time off work to stay with her. She hired a private nurse for appearance’s sake, then waited in her hospital room for Arabella Donovan’s arrival.
Lillian’s second day in the hospital was a weekday. Eloise Donovan had to go to class, and after some gentle persuasion, Lillian’s two children returned to school as well.
Lillian was desperate to learn more about Julian Croft, so she asked Mrs. Donovan to bring Arabella along when she came to deliver her meal.
And as it turned out, her decision was an incredibly wise one!
Just as Arabella and Mrs. Donovan arrived at the door to the hospital room, carrying a thermos of chicken soup that had been stewing since the night before, an unfamiliar female voice drifted out from inside.
"You’re in the hospital and that guy, Julian Croft, isn’t even here by your side? That’s just outrageous! Always so quick with the sweet nothings, but the moment things get serious, he runs faster than anyone. You really can’t rely on men!"
"I’m the one who told him to go back to work. The company has several big projects that need his attention; he’s indispensable right now. If you paint all men with the same brush, your own husband might not be too happy about it."
"I don’t care whether he’s happy or not," the woman scoffed. "What about your two kids? Just the other day, Joyce was saying she wanted to come over to your house to play with them. Who would’ve thought you’d end up in the hospital before she even had a chance to visit."
’Wait, Joyce?’
Outside the door, Arabella Donovan’s ears instantly pricked up, and her eyes went wide.
’Joyce Lowe? Victim number two of that family predator? The one who had it even worse than Auntie?’
