Chapter 1826

chapter1826

In the hospital room, Jim lay there, nerves all over the place, thinking about how he was going to explain everything to his little niece when she showed up. The moment he heard the door creak open, he snapped his eyes shut, playing possum.

On her way to the hospital, Nellie felt a heavy weight of sorrow pressing down on her. By the time she walked into the room, any attempt at keeping it together vanished. As she got to the bed, her legs just gave out, and she sank to the floor, the ache in her chest spreading through her whole body. She leaned against the bed, her hand trembling, not quite daring to reach out and hold the man's hand lying there. She was scared of what she might find if she checked his pulse.

Jim, with his eyes closed, heard the faint sounds but, after waiting a bit with nothing happening, couldn't resist peeking. "Mira, Chester didn't really mean to—" His words died in his throat as he saw who was standing there.

Jim was floored, his mind reeling. "Nellie?" he mumbled in disbelief.

Nellie's hand hovered in mid-air. She met Jim's eyes, looking completely stunned. "Weren't you... didn't they say you were..." she trailed off, realizing he wasn't hooked up to any machines. The room was way too calm for someone in a dire state. It dawned on her that Rea had set her up. Just as the realization hit, Jim had already tossed the blankets aside, climbed out of the bed, and, ignoring the pain from his wounds, pulled her into a tight hug.

"Nellie, I've missed you," he said softly, his voice carrying a gentle caution.

There was no anger for leaving without a word, no fury for faking his death, just the sheer joy of finding something precious again. Nellie's heart clenched painfully. What a fool. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him too. How lucky could she be in this lifetime?

They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other, not noticing the door being quietly closed. Outside, Grady, usually so composed, had a hint of redness in his eyes. Next to him, Mirabella raised an eyebrow teasingly, "Uncle, now that Chester's off the market, any plans of your own?"

Grady, caught off guard, was at a loss for words. "..." That joke was ice-cold. What plans could he possibly have? None, absolutely none.

Mirabella chuckled, checked her watch, and said, "Uncle, you should get some rest. We're heading out now."

At the word 'we', Grady felt like he'd been sucker-punched again. He glanced up with a frosty glare at James standing nearby Great, just another reason to take him down peg.

**Pretty soon, Mirabella and James left the hospital. It was already 11 PM, and the night was thick and dark, with streetlights casting a soft, hazy glow. Mirabella strolled casually beside James, mulling over how everyone seemed to know her whereabouts at First Base tonight so her fingers, entwined with his, absentmindedly scratched his palm.

By the time they reached the car, James, finally fed up with her antics, let go of her hand but then

immediately wrapped an armine

around her waist, spun her around, and pinned her against the car door.

Mirabella snapped back to reality, tilted her head up, but before she could say anything, his lips were on hers.

By the time they got back to Davis Estate, it was half-past midnight. They almost didn't make it back. Updates are released by find·novel·net

As Mirabella walked into the house, she saw Nick still sitting in the living room and adjusted her clothes self-consciously.