Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Before Jason could finish speaking, Naomi's phone rang.
It was a call from a client, Ian Obel.
Naomi answered the phone and said, "Hello, Mr. Obel."
The client began to complain, seemingly endlessly.
Jason had no chance to tell Naomi what he wanted to say.
Considering her use of "your boss" earlier, he felt that a clear distance had emerged between her and Brendan.
Around ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of the law firm. Still on the call, Naomi thanked Jason for the ride and headed upstairs.
That evening, when Brendan returned to Yellowind Bay, Naomi had already left on a business trip.
Brendan returned home for the next three days, but Naomi remained in Belvoria for her work.
This time, Brendan felt the loneliness.
On Saturday afternoon, when most people were off work, Naomi returned from her business trip and went straight to the law firm for an overtime.
Being a lawyer often meant irregular working hours.
Engrossed in organizing case files, Naomi lost track of time.
In the evening, her mother called to ask her to join her for dinner, but Naomi was too busy to make it.
With the case files she had just organized in her left hand, she sensed a subtle ache in her abdomen. She pressed her right hand against that area.
The abdominal discomfort started when she was on her way back by high-speed rail this afternoon.
Initially, Naomi didn't pay much attention to it, but the pain gradually intensified. She tried to ignore it and continued with her work.
However, the pain worsened, making her unable to sit upright. She felt weak all over, cold sweat forming on her forehead.
Unable to bear the discomfort any longer, she picked up her phone and called Bailey." Bailey, are you free?"
Shortly after the call ended, Bailey, who had short hair and was wearing a dark floral shirt, rushed over. She remarked, "You're all messed up, but you've decided to reach out for help
only now?"
Then, she assisted Naomi downstairs.
After a while, they arrived at the hospital. The doctor diagnosed Naomi with acute gastroenteritis and recommended hospitalization.
Naomi was given an intravenous drip.
Beside the hospital bed, Bailey looked at the pale-faced Naomi and scolded, "Everyone's taking a break, but you're the exception. Is the company your family's business? Does all the money belong to you?"
Naomi weakly said, "I'll have nothing to do if I took a break."
Bailey considered Brendan's recent attitude toward Naomi and the rumors circulating around the Ludwig family.
She was tired of scolding Naomi. She believed everyone needed a way to vent when life wasn't going well.
The two of them tacitly decided not to inform Brendan or their families of the incident. However, the next day, news of Naomi's hospitalization reached her family.
Early in the morning, both her parents, Dennis Goodwin and Christine Ziegler, came to visit her, fussing over her.
Naomi explained that she had eaten something bad during her business trip.
After politely dealing with her parents, Naomi sent them away, feeling exhausted.
At this moment, Bailey said, "Your mom does indeed nag a lot."
Naomi replied, "You haven't seen her crying yet."
With her hands in her pockets, Bailey's face revealed a hint of admiration.
In a way, this was also good. Bailey wished she had the chance to be scolded by her mother.
As soon as Naomi sat on the bed, the door to the hospital room was opened.
Looking up, she saw Brendan entering.
She asked in surprise, "Why are you here? Aren't you busy today?"
Staring at Naomi, Brendan remarked coldly, "What could keep me busy on a weekend?"
Seeing Brendan's impatience, Naomi remained silent.
He had never spoken to her like this before.
After staring at Brendan for a while, Naomi turned to Bailey and said, "Bailey, give him some water."
Naomi's courtesy and the surprise in her voice made it seem as if Brendan wasn't her husband but a friend she hadn't seen in a long time.
"Alright," Bailey said as she turned to the fridge, took out a bottle of mineral water, and handed it to Brendan. "Brendan, have some water."
Brendan didn't take it. He looked at Naomi with a cold expression. "Is Bailey your husband?"
He had waited for her the whole night, only to find out this morning from Ronald that she was unwell and in the hospital. Everyone else had known about it, but he hadn't.This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.
Facing Brendan's question, Naomi smiled and said, "I just didn't want to trouble you."
She would be grateful if Brendan could have a child with her. She didn't want anything more.
However, Brendan's expression darkened even further at her reply.
"Naomi, stop being so distant."
Naomi was speaking to him in a polite and friendly manner, but Brendan's unrelenting
attitude irritated her.
But she didn't put on a stern expression like him. She just smiled and said, "Brendan, have you fulfilled your duties as a husband? What's with the attitude now?"
"I haven't fulfilled my duties as a husband, but can Bailey?" remarked Brendan.
Brendan mentioning Bailey made Naomi's expression change. "Brendan, are you sure you want to argue with me?"
Normally, Naomi wouldn't care about Brendan's words. But he shouldn't bring Bailey into it, especially in a way that seemed to reveal Bailey's pain.
Just as Brendan was about to speak, Bailey took a few steps forward and coldly remarked, " Brendan, you want to criticize Naomi now, but where were you when she needed you?" Without waiting for Brendan to respond, Bailey continued, "Do you know why Naomi didn't call you last night?
"It's because after her car accident last year, she called you to come to the hospital and sign some documents, but you just hung up the call. And you never even visited her once during her stay of more than ten days in the hospital."
Brendan was shocked to learn that Naomi had a car accident last year.
But it had been a year, and she had never mentioned this to him.
For a moment, Brendan's mind was filled with Naomi's usual appearance, always wearing a
smile whenever she looked at him.
As long as he didn't push her too much or cross her boundaries, Naomi always managed to ease the awkward situations with just a few words, regardless of his tone or attempts to
appear serious.