Chapter 3 Fainting from Gastric Bleeding

Jessica glanced at Eleanor, her eyes darting away, then shouted loudly, "She's not my mom, she's our maid!"

In that instant, Eleanor felt her heart completely shatter.

I finally understood why Jessica never let me take her to school, why she never let me attend any of her school activities.

It turned out that in this school, Lavinia was her mother.

Lavinia stood up and slowly walked over, saying gently, "Eleanor, don't take it to heart. Jessica is still young and likes to joke around."

Eleanor had no energy to deal with her fake smile. She shook her head bitterly, her voice hoarse: "I'm leaving Jessica in your hands."

With that, she left the school without looking back.

If she had still felt reluctant to let go of Jessica before, this time Eleanor would let go completely.

Lavinia didn't catch the hidden meaning in her words. A smug smile played at the corner of her mouth, which she then replaced with a gentle expression as she turned toward Jessica.

Eleanor wandered aimlessly through the streets. She remembered when Jessica was just born—so tiny, so soft, nestled close in her arms.

When she cried at night, only Eleanor's embrace and lullabies could comfort her.

Back then, Jessica's eyes were only for her. When did things start to change?

The more Eleanor thought about it, the sadder she became. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her stomach, making her double over.

She'd had stomach surgery a few years ago, and pain was normal, but it had never been like this—so intense it made her vision go dark and she could barely breathe.

She tried to grab onto a nearby lamppost, but her fingers trembled and couldn't grip it.

Then, feeling dizzy and disoriented, Eleanor lost consciousness.

When she woke up again, she found herself lying in a hospital bed with an IV in her arm.

"You're awake?" A nurse walked over. "How do you feel? Does it still hurt?"

Eleanor shook her head, her voice hoarse: "Much better..."

"You had acute gastric spasms and stomach bleeding," the nurse said reproachfully. "How did you let yourself get like this? I've seen your endoscopy report—chronic gastritis with erosion. Do you skip meals regularly and stress out all the time?"

Eleanor pressed her lips together and didn't answer.

Ever since she married Harold, she'd been working herself to the bone for this family. Irregular eating had long become the norm.

The nurse sighed. "You're lucky this time—they got you here in time. If you don't take care of yourself, you might not make it next time. Call your husband. A family member needs to sign the discharge papers."

Family member?

Eleanor reached for her phone, only to see a new Instagram post from Jessica pop up.

Eleanor secretly followed Jessica's account—Jessica didn't know about it.

In the photo, Harold wore a black suit, and Lavinia sat beside him, her head tilted slightly, her smile gentle and radiant.

Between them sat Jessica with a bright smile.

The three of them looked warm and harmonious, like a happy family of three.

The caption read: [Having a feast with my beloved Lavinia! So happy!]

Eleanor's fingers trembled as she gripped her phone, her knuckles turning white.

The dull pain in her stomach, which had just started to ease, suddenly intensified, and her heart began to spasm too, making it hard to breathe.

While she had nearly died from stomach pain, Harold and Jessica were out having a feast with Lavinia.

Could anything in this world be more ironic, more hopeless than this?

Eleanor's eyes reddened as she bit down hard on her lower lip.

"Did you make the call?" the nurse asked.

Eleanor looked up, her face pale: "No need."

The nurse was surprised. "What? No one's coming to pick you up? That won't work. You need someone to take care of you, and the hospital has rules..."

"I don't have any family left," Eleanor said, her gaze empty.

The nurse froze and picked up the medical chart at the foot of the bed, flipping through it. "But your information says you're married. How can you not have family? And who was that man who brought you to the hospital?"

Eleanor tried hard to remember. Before passing out, she vaguely recalled seeing a figure—tall and sturdy, but unfamiliar.

"I don't know him. Probably just a kind stranger," she said, looking down.

"But that man seemed to know you. He could even say your name."

Eleanor fell silent. She had no relatives in this city, and after getting married, she'd devoted herself entirely to her family with little social life. She really couldn't think of who would know her.

The nurse looked at her with a complicated expression and said helplessly, "If it's really inconvenient, call a friend. It's hospital policy, and it's for your safety. Otherwise, we can't let you leave."

Eleanor took out her phone, preparing to call her mother, Maya Coleman.

But when she got to Maya's number, Eleanor hesitated.

Although Harold's mother, Clio Webb, had really liked Eleanor back then, Maya had opposed Eleanor's marriage to Harold.

Maya thought Eleanor should continue her studies instead of throwing away her future for a man.

Eleanor had broken ties with her family over this and married Harold without hesitation.

After everything that had happened, how could she bring herself to call Maya now?

Eleanor put away her phone and looked at the nurse. "Um... can I sign the papers myself?"

"How can that work? Even if you don't think about the hospital, you need to think about your own health! Your stomach condition is serious!" the nurse insisted.

Just as Eleanor was caught in a dilemma, a deep, magnetic male voice came from the doorway: "Sorry, I'm late."

Eleanor froze and looked toward the sound.

A man with an upright posture stood at the door.

He wore a dark overcoat, had handsome features and deep-set eyes. He strode in, nodded to the nurse, his tone polite and steady: "I'm Eleanor's friend. I just went to get her medicine."

The nurse glanced at Eleanor and said, "See, I told you! This man knows you!"

Then the nurse said to him, "She had acute gastric spasms with minor bleeding. She's been given medication and needs to rest well. There are some things I need to go over with you, and you'll need to help with the paperwork and signatures."

After he finished signing the papers, he walked to the bedside, leaned down slightly, his voice gentle: "Ms. Mitchell, are you alright?"

Eleanor stared in shock for a moment before squeezing out a sentence: "Who are you?"