Forced To Marry My Cousin's Fiancé

Chapter 71: Chapter 71

The moment Lane stepped out the door, the tears finally spilled over. She swiped them away quickly, taking a few more steps down the hallway to put some distance between herself and the private room before answering Mae’s call.

She cleared her throat, making sure the lump in her chest didn’t mess up her voice before she talked to her son. She knew the only reason Mae was calling was because Calvin wanted her.

"Hello, Mae?"

"Ma’am Lane," Mae said on the other end. "Calvin’s awake, and he’s looking for you."

"Mae, I’m gonna hang up and call you back on video instead. I want to see him," she said. It was easier that way; they both needed to see each other’s faces.

"Sure thing, Ma’am," Mae replied.

Lane ended the call and quickly toggled on her data. She took a seat on a visitor’s chair along the hallway before placing the video call. A smile immediately tugged at her lips the second Calvin’s face popped up on the screen.

"Mommy!" he chirped when he saw her.

"Calvin," she whispered, her voice cracking slightly just saying his name.

"Mommy, when are you coming home?" he asked. "I miss you."

Lane let out a long, heavy breath. "I miss you too, Calvin," she said, her heart aching.

"But I’m not sure when I’ll be back yet. I have to stay here with Grandma to look after your Grandpa."

"Are you gonna be there a long time, Mommy?"

She nodded. "But as soon as Grandpa wakes up, I’ll be on the first trip home to be with you," she promised.

"Grandpa isn’t awake yet, Mommy?" he asked innocently.

Lane shook her head sadly. Sensing her mood, her son spoke up again.

"Don’t be sad anymore, my Mommy. I prayed to Dad God when I woke up. I told Him to make Grandpa feel better so my Mommy won’t be sad."

She blinked rapidly, her eyes stinging. She fought with everything she had not to cry in front of him; she didn’t want him catching her sadness.

"Thank you, baby," she said. "Anyway... have you eaten yet?"

"Just my milk, Mommy. Aunt Mae is still cooking my breakfast."

"What’s she making?"

"Aunt Mae, Mommy’s asking what you’re cooking for my breakfast!" Calvin shouted, turning away from the screen.

"Vegetables," she heard Mae shout back.

"She said veggies, Mommy," he reported.

"I’m gonna eat a lot of them when they’re done so you don’t have to worry about me."

She smiled at him. "And you, Mommy? What are you eating?"

"Mommy hasn’t eaten yet, Calvin."

"Why not? Did Grandma not cook for you? Do you not have food? Do you want me and Aunt Mae to send you some? Aunt Mae cooked a lot."

"No, it’s okay, Calvin. There’s food here.

Grandma and I will eat in a bit," she assured him. "Remember what I told you, okay? Don’t be naughty so Aunt Mae doesn’t have a hard time. And if you miss me, don’t cry. Just tell Aunt to call me on video."

He nodded eagerly. "Okay, my Mommy. And tell Aunt Mae to call me if there’s any problem at all."

"I will, Mommy."

She didn’t want to drag the conversation out any longer, so she started saying her goodbyes.

"Take care, Calvin."

"You too, Mommy. Be careful. And don’t cry, ’cause Calvin isn’t there to give you a hug."

Lane nodded, a genuine smile finally reaching her face. Seeing him and hearing his voice had managed to lift some of the weight off her chest.

"I love you, Mommy," Calvin said sweetly.

"I love you more, my Calvin," she replied.

She smiled as Calvin leaned in and kissed the screen as if he were kissing her cheek.

"Goodbye," she said before hitting the end button.

She let out a deep sigh the moment the screen went black. She stood up, dreading going back into that room, but she didn’t want to look like she was hiding, either.

But as she turned, she froze. Ethan was standing just a few feet away, staring right at her. His eyes were bloodshot as he watched her.

She had no clue how long he’d been standing there. What was he even doing out here? Why did he leave his wife and kid?

She tried to brush past him, keeping her eyes forward, but he reached out and grabbed her arm.

The second his skin touched hers, a jolt of electricity shot through her—a feeling she hadn’t felt in five years.

"Calvin?" he whispered. "Is our child’s name Calvin, Lane?"

The question hit her like a ton of bricks. He had clearly overheard everything. She opened her mouth to say something, but a small figure suddenly pushed between them. She looked down and saw Tyler.

"Dad, why did you leave me?" Tyler asked, looking up at Ethan.

Ethan didn’t answer. He kept his eyes locked on Lane, his hand still tight on her arm.

She wrenched her arm away from his grip. "Tyler is the name of your child," she told him coldly before walking away, leaving him standing there in the hallway.

___________

Lane took a quick trip home to grab some clothes for her mom. She had tried to talk her mother into going home first to get some rest while she stayed with her father, but her mother wouldn’t budge.

She was terrified that the second she left, he might wake up and start looking for her.

Seeing that her mom wasn’t going to change her mind, Lane didn’t push it. She just let her stay. Instead, Lane decided to head back to the house to pack her mother’s things and cook a decent meal.

She wanted to make some hot soup to help her mom get her strength back, especially since she noticed she had barely touched her food at the hospital.

Lane got why her mom didn’t have an appetite. She was a wreck worrying about her father since he still hadn’t regained consciousness.

Still, the doctor said he was stable, which took some of the edge off. Lane just kept praying he would wake up soon.

Earlier, when Olivia and the others left the hospital, Ethan had gone with them. He clearly didn’t want to leave, but he didn’t have much of a choice when Tyler started crying. The kid wanted his dad, so Ethan had to cave.

Lane couldn’t figure out why Ethan felt the need to tell her he was leaving, or why he bothered promising he’d be back.

She shook her head, trying to clear him out of her mind.

She finished up the cooking and had the housemaid pack everything into containers.

Her plan was to rest for a minute, take a quick shower, and then head back to the hospital so her mother wouldn’t be alone.

Once she was refreshed and changed, Lane gathered the bags, including some of her mother’s laundry to be washed.

When everything was packed, she headed downstairs and grabbed the food from the kitchen. She’d made extra so she could eat with her mother.

She knew for a fact her mom wouldn’t eat if she was sitting there by herself. So, even though she was starving, she held off on eating until she got back to the room.

Before heading out, she gave the maids a few last-minute instructions and told them to call her if anything went sideways. Then, she hit the road. She figured her mom was probably already looking for her.

On the way, she stopped to pick up some fruit. She knew that whoever was pulling a night shift at the hospital needed to keep their energy up with something healthy.

It didn’t take long to get back to the hospital. After she parked, she hopped out and realized just how much stuff she was trying to lug inside.

Between the bag of clothes, the fruit, and the heavy bag of food, it was a lot to handle at once. But Lane powered through; she didn’t want to have to make two trips.

She made her way inside, stopping every now and then to catch her breath when the load got too heavy.

She was almost to her father’s room when she spotted him. Ethan was standing outside the door, leaning against the wall with one hand in his pocket, staring at the floor.

The second she saw him, her heart started thudding in her chest. No matter how much she tried to play it cool, she couldn’t stop it. It was like her heart had actually missed him.

She was caught off guard by the thought. Why on earth would she miss him?

She shook her head to snap out of it, took a deep breath, and kept walking.

Ethan must have heard her coming because he looked up and immediately straightened his posture. She saw a flash of pure relief on his face, and his whole expression seemed to light up the moment he saw her.

She took another deep breath and kept moving, her lips pressed tight.

Her legs felt like jelly not from the heavy bags, but from the way Ethan was looking at her. His gaze felt like it was piercing right through her.

Ethan must have seen her struggling because he cleared the distance between them in a single stride.

He didn’t even ask. He just reached out and took everything she was carrying, even the bag slung over her shoulder. It felt like the only thing left for him to do was pick her up too.

She bit her lip as his familiar scent hit her. It was the same cologne he’d always worn, the one she used to love.

"Let me take these so you don’t have to struggle," he said, his deep voice vibrating in the quiet hallway. She couldn’t even look at him.

Instead of saying anything, she just walked ahead. She could feel him right behind her.

She bit her lip again, feeling exposed under his intense stare. Her knees felt weak, so she picked up the pace, practically sprinting toward her father’s room just to get away from him.

Lane finally let out a sigh of relief once she was safely inside.

"Are you okay, Lane?" her mother asked, looking up.

"I’m fine," she replied, trying to sound normal.

"Did you see Ethan? He went out—"

Her mother didn’t get to finish because the door opened and Ethan walked in, still hauling all of Lane’s stuff. She instinctively moved closer to her mother as he approached.

"He’s been out there waiting for a while," her mother whispered.

"He kept asking about you. I could see how worried he was when he got here and you were gone. When I told him you’d left, he looked absolutely terrified."

Lane glanced at Ethan. He looked serious as he set the bags down, but she could see the genuine relief in his eyes. Ethan must have felt her watching him because he looked up. It was too late to look away; he’d caught her staring.

When their eyes met, he gave her a small smile. Lane quickly turned away, feeling her cheeks go bright red.

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