Chapter 185

Eric didn't expect Thea to return so quickly. He held a large basket as he greeted her at the door. "Miss Rowland, is your husband's condition improving? We don't know which hospital he's in. These are a token of my appreciation."

His eyes were filled with guilt. "I recruited that fanatic. He seemed honest and dutiful. I didn't expect It's my fault. All my fault." He wanted to slap himself.

Thea quickly stopped him, taking the basket. "This isn't your problem. I was careless. However, I may not be staying here for long. I'll go to town to find a safer residence. Don't worry about the factory; I'll handle it." She glanced at the basket and forced a smile. "I'll take this to the hospital. Don't blame yourself."

Eric was relieved she accepted it. He offered to help find her a house, using his wife's connections in town.

Thea liked the idea. "Alright, I'll leave that to you. I'll see everyone first."

The doctor had just adjusted Nicolas's medication when chaos erupted outside. Nicolas's eyebrows twitched. He told Darwin, "Go see what's happening. Keep it quiet."

Darwin returned, nervous and shocked. "Mr. Hendrix, something happened. Ms. Ralap jumped from a building."

Nicolas was stunned. "What?"

Fortunately, Stephanie hadn't fallen from a great height. Otherwise, her still-healing injuries from the car accident would have been catastrophic. The worst part? Fans were at the hospital.

"Isn't that Stephanie? She hasn't been in any shows lately. Why is she here?" "Didn't she have a car accident in Key Biscayne? Why's she here?" "Could she be terminally ill?" "What about her husband?"

Darwin, overwhelmed, had his bodyguards remove the onlookers.

After Stephanie woke up, she demanded to see Nicolas immediately. Darwin sighed; she was relentlessly persistent.

Chapter 183

Nicolas's knife wound was healing well; he just needed to care for it properly. He arrived at the ward as promised.

Seeing Nicolas, Stephanie nearly leaped out of bed, ignoring tubes and equipment. Nicolas felt helpless and frustrated.

He said coldly, "Is this how you make me compromise? If anything happens to you, I'll only feel guilty for letting your brother down. I won't be sad for you."

Stephanie pouted, feeling wronged. "Nicolas, that's hurtful. Do you really hate me that much? I don't believe it."

"You don't?" Nicolas raised an eyebrow. "Will you believe me if I lock you up and have someone watch you?"

Stephanie cried. Nicolas hated this weakness; tears didn't affect him, only frustrating him. Except for one person He was momentarily dazed.

He continued, "From now on, where you go is none of my concern. But if you interfere with my life again, I will do as I said."

Stephanie misunderstood, clinging to a glimmer of hope. "Nicolas, you won't send me away, right?"

Nicolas was speechless. He turned and left, followed by Darwin. Anger propelled Darwin back. He gritted his teeth, addressing Stephanie, "Ms. Ralap, please let Mr. Hendrix go, and let yourself go. If you continue to push him, he will become heartless."

Stephanie retorted proudly, "I like him! What's wrong with that? He didn't reject me, so I have a chance."

Darwin was incredulous. "Ms. Ralap, wasn't Mr. Hendrix rejecting you?"

"He didn't chase me away. That means I can stay if I want to," Stephanie insisted. Darwin was utterly exasperated. This was the most difficult person he'd ever dealt with.

Chapter 183 (Continued)

He was certain the doctor's assessment of Stephanie's mental state was accurate. He took a deep breath. "Ms. Ralap, think carefully. You're in a relationship with someone else, and pregnant. You don't only love Mr. Hendrix, right?"

Just as Darwin thought she was listening, Stephanie's eyes lit up. "I understand! Nicolas is angry because I'm with another man and pregnant! He's jealous!"

Darwin gave up. He left, unaware that Stephanie's smile faded, replaced by a crazed look. She couldn't accept it. She'd always wanted the most outstanding man. Why couldn't Nicolas see her heart? Why?

Nicolas avoided Stephanie. She was recovering when Thea, busy with her own affairs, finally remembered to deliver something to Nicolas. Eric had provided mountain goods and expensive herbs, specially dried for preservation.

Thea arrived at the hospital, stopped by bodyguards. She explained her purpose, offering to leave immediately.

The bodyguards were about to refuse when Stephanie's voice called out, "Let her in."

Thea, instantly disheartened, turned to leave. Stephanie, hearing her footsteps, mocked, "Why the rush? You planned to seduce my boyfriend, then felt guilty seeing me?"

Chapter 186 (No text provided)

This cleaned-up version corrects grammatical errors, improves sentence structure, and clarifies the narrative flow. Punctuation has been standardized for consistency and readability. Several instances of repetition or slightly awkward phrasing have been streamlined.