Chapter 321

“Your time belongs to me now,” Joe’s deep, seductive voice made Skylar’s heart race, tempting her to surrender completely. Skylar swallowed hard, her eyes drifting from his damp hair to his captivating chiseled features.

“You—” Before Skylar could speak, Joe silenced her with a passionate kiss, causing her phone to slip from her hand. Tonight, Joe was different—more intense, more insistent. It was overwhelming. Tears welled in Skylar’s eyes; she had to call Joe “darling” countless times before he finally let her rest. Feeling satisfied, he held her as they fell asleep.

As she drifted off, Skylar thought about her unanswered Amazon clients. She hadn’t told them she would respond tomorrow, but she had no energy left and didn’t even know where her phone had fallen. Joe had been relentless. She vowed to confront him tomorrow.

Samuel and Maisy were caring for Sadie at the hospital. Peter and Kenny would take over the next day. Jeffrey was dealing with work issues; Kenny had been supposed to stay with Maisy but couldn’t get time off.

The hospital was quiet, but Sadie’s room was far from peaceful. She cried out in pain, even in her sleep. Throughout the night, her sleep was restless, plagued by nightmares. She wailed and shouted that she couldn’t live without her legs. Sadie’s restless night left Samuel and Maisy tense and exhausted.

“Skylar still isn’t answering her phone?” Samuel asked.

Maisy nodded. “I’ve had friends call, but she’s not picking up. She probably knows we’re trying to reach her and is avoiding us.”

The companion beds in their single-room ward were tiny, making the space cramped. The scent of disinfectant added to their discomfort.

Chapter 321 (Continued)

“This is unacceptable. We need Skylar here. She’s neglected her duty as a daughter for too long. How can she ignore Mom at a time like this?”

“I thought Skylar was just throwing a tantrum yesterday, but it turns out she really doesn’t care about Mom. I have to make her come,” Samuel said, his voice laced with frustration from his narrow bed. He was fed up with the cramped quarters and determined to get Skylar to come.

Maisy, equally frustrated by Sadie’s cries, needed Skylar’s help with Sadie and to delete the video. If Christopher hadn’t given her the video, who had? She’d heard he was doing well despite losing his job, recklessly spending her money. The thought made her furious.

“Samuel, I don’t think she’ll come, no matter how hard we try. She’s determined to cut ties with us. Given Mom’s condition, she wants nothing to do with us. She doesn’t care about Mom like we do,” Maisy sighed.

Samuel frowned. “Is she out of her mind? She knows she has no blood relation to the Sullivan family, yet she sticks with them.”

An idea struck him. “Listen, Maisy, I didn’t mean you. You’re nothing like Skylar. You’re the baby sister we’ve always protected. You’re irreplaceable. You can’t go anywhere else.”

“I know. You guys are my real family. You’re like my biological brothers. I don’t care about the Sullivans,” Maisy nodded earnestly.

Samuel smiled. “Exactly! Alright, let’s get some sleep. I need to come up with a way to force Skylar to step up. She has to take care of Mom. And Mom will need someone by her side when we go home. No matter what, Skylar has to come back.”