First Love After Marriage by Flora Nancy

Chapter 21 

Chapter 21 

Upon seeing Elena’s pained expression, Nadia rushed forward and gently supported her trembling body. 

“Doctor, doctor!” Nadia called out urgently while helping Elena to stand still. 

Kadin also noticed something amiss with Elena and swiftly crouched down to lift her into his arms, dashing toward the emergency room. 

“I’ll take her for a check–up. Don’t worry.” Kadin turned to reassure Nadia. 

On the side. Ray watched Elena being carried away, his distress echoing in loud cries. 

“Mommy! I want Mommy!” 

Nadia held Ray tightly while attempting to comfort Iris, who was feeling anxious. “Grandma, don’t worry. Elena must be worn out. Let me go and check on her.” 

“Go, go, don’t mind me, Iris responded, laden with self–blame. 

She believed Elena’s illness was due to the exhaustion of taking care of her. She felt responsible for everything that went 

wrong. 

With Ray in her arms, Nadia followed Kadin to the emergency room while soothingly telling Ray. “Don’t cry, Ray. Auntie will take you to your mommy soon.” 

Kadin carried Elena into the emergency room and found a doctor from the department. 

Placing Elena on an examination bed, the doctor pulled the curtain. 

“The family is waiting outside,” the doctor informed. 

Nadia anxiously held Ray outside, her heart racing with worry. She could not bear the thought of anything happening to Elena. Iris was already in a serious condition, and if anything were to happen to Elena, she truly did not know how she 

would face the future. 

Ray, unable to see Elena, wailed loudly. 

Nadia, seeing Ray in her arms, immediately reached for her phone to call Nathan. 

“Nathan, please come to the hospital quickly! My sister is experiencing chest pain, and Ray needs someone to take care of 

him.” 

On the other end of the phone, there came the impatient voice of Nathan. “I’m still at work! I don’t have time for this. Look at your sister. She’s so robust. It’s hard to believe she’d get sick. I bet she’s just pretending to have chest pain. She does nothing all day other than taking care of Ray, and now she even wants to pass that responsibility onto me? She’s just using her chest pain as an excuse. She can’t fool me. I know she’s just trying to be lazy.” 

He dismissed Elena’s pain as a ruse, suspecting that she was merely trying to avoid responsibilities. 

Hearing Nathan’s dismissive words, Nadia could not contain her frustration. She knew there had been some tension between Elena and Nathan recently, but she did not expect him to speak about Elena in such a harsh manner. 

Ray, hearing Nadia talking to Nathan on the phone, cried even more intensely. 

“Daddy… angry… kicked Mommy… It hurts.” 

Ray cried with increasing intensity, unable to speak a complete sentence in his distress. 

However, Nadia could piece Ray’s fragmented words together and gather a sense of what he was trying to convey. 

Just when she was gearing up to confront Nathan about his violent behavior towards Elena, a series of beeps resonated from the other end of the phone line. Nathan had abruptly hung up. 

Nadia was well aware of Nathan’s quick temper, but she had not anticipated him to resort to violence against Elena once again. 

“Auntie, I’m scared.” 

Nadia observed Ray’s distressed state and held him close in a protective embrace. 

“Don’t worry, Ray. I’m here. Did your daddy hurt your mommy?” Nadia posed the question to Ray once more, hoping to get a clear answer from his young perspective, 

At that very moment, the doctor pulled the curtain apart, interrupting their conversation. 

Nadia clutched Ray anxiously and asked the doctor hurriedly. “How’s my sister? Is there any serious harm?” 

“No cause for major concern. I just finished the examination. There’s a substantial bruise on her chest, likely from an external impact, coupled with excessive fatigue that led to her fainting spell. I’ll prescribe some medication for treating the physical injuries, and then we’ll administer a glucose infusion. With proper rest, she should be on the mend,” the doctor 

Elena was awake. Ray struggled to break free from Nadia’s hold and reached out for Elena. 

“Mommy.” Ray’s voice trembled with a plaintive cry. 

Kadin gently patted Nadia’s shoulder, offering comfort. “She’s going to be okay. Your sister was just exhausted. 

“Your grandma’s condition isn’t something that will clear up in a day or two. I suggest you hire a caregiver. That way, you won’t have to be here around the clock. Whenever I have a chance, I’ll come and check on your grandma. You can rest assured.” Kadin suggested. 

Feeling grateful, Nadia glanced at Kadin and nodded. “Thank you, Kadin. I’ll take your advice into consideration.” 

Kadin noticed Nadia’s unexpected politeness and felt an indescribable sensation. She used to treat him like a friend, but now, it seemed like she was pushing him away. He watched her retreating figure and wondered if her altered behavior was due to her recent marriage. 

Nadia’s thoughts circled back to the doctor’s revelation about Elena’s extensive bruise on her chest. Her intuition suggested there was more to the story than met the eye. 

Approaching the bedside, she firmly grasped Elena’s hand and posed the question. “Sis, tell me honestly. Did Nathan cause that bruise on your chest?” 

I’m fine. The doctor already said that, didn’t they?” Elena evaded a direct response, not wanting to burden her sister with her worries. 

“Elena, we’re sisters. No matter what happens, you should tell me. I’ll always be your pillar of strength.” 

“Nadia, I’m fine. I’m not a three–year–old.” 

After the examination, the doctor wheeled Elena to the ward for intravenous treatment. Nadia had no choice but to carry Ray and follow them to the room. 

Kadin trailed behind, matching Nadia’s brisk pace. After a moment of contemplation, he finally spoke up, “Nadia, if you decide to hire a caregiver, I happen to know a few who are quite skilled at providing care. I can introduce them to you.” 

“Alright, Dr. White. Once I make up my mind, I’ll get in touch with you.” 

Nadia felt a bit uncertain about hiring a caregiver. It was not that she did not want to, but having a caregiver cost 40 to 60 dollars a day, and that was no small expense. 

Her flower shop did not make much money in a day, and now that she was not taking on any part–time work, she was short on funds, not to mention the fact that she owed James a good sum of money. 

Times were tight financially, so every little bit of savings counted. 

The whole day, Nadia was at the hospital. She did not leave until 10 o’clock at night. On her way home, she stopped by a small supermarket to buy some essentials. 

By the time she got back to Orchid Valley, it was already II o’clock at night. She punched in the code, and the door swung 

open. 

But inside, the house was pitch–black. She turned on the living room light and glanced into the guest bedroom. 

Daisy was not home. It dawned on her that Daisy had called her in the afternoon, mentioning that she was going to stay at the old family house. 

It seemed like she would not have to share a room with James tonight. She could finally get a good night’s sleep. 

After inspecting the guest bedroom, Nadia walked over to James’s room. She lightly knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside, 

It occurred to her that James had mentioned how he would be busy and working overtime. Maybe he was still at work, or perhaps he was not planning on coming back. 

After a long day, she hurried back to her own room. After freshening up, she prepared to sleep. 

Glancing at the clock, she saw it was already midnight. It seemed James was not coming back. 

This was her first night alone there. The increasing croak of frogs from the nearby pond made her uneasy, and she tossed and turned in bed. 

Suddenly, she realized she had not locked the door. She had a habit of locking the door when sleeping alone. 

Since James was not returning anyway, she decided to lock the main door as well. With the doors secured, she finally felt at case and went to sleep. As soon as she lay down, she drifted into dreams. 

The reason James chose to stay at the office and work overtime was that he realized that if he went home early, he and Nadia would end up lying on the same bed, and he knew he would not be able to fall asleep. 

Caught up in his tasks, he lost track of time, but his bodyguard, Xavier, was utterly exhausted. 

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Chapter 21 

“If Mr. Howe works overtime, we have to as well. Doesn’t he ever get tired?” thought Xavier. 

He yawned repeatedly and looked at James who was still glued to his computer screen, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Witnessing James’s relentless efforts, Xavier could not help but think, “No wonder he’s fit to be a CEO. He truly puts in the hard work. In comparison, I fall short. I always seem to favor taking shortcuts. I suppose I’m destined to be a bodyguard my 

whole life.” 

Another yawn escaped him, and he began to doze off, accidentally bumping into the glass door. 

Hearing the sound, James checked the time. Midnight had passed. He finally stood up from his chair, ready to go home. With a group of bodyguards around him, he returned to his residence in Orchid Valley. 

He prepared to open the door, pressing his finger against the touchscreen. But no matter how hard he pushed, the door would not budge. 

James’s face darkened, and his brows furrowed. He had not anticipated Nadia to lock the door and leave him stranded outside. 

He found this ridiculous. After all, this was his house, yet he was locked out. 

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