The little guy woke up once in the middle of the night. So, Leanna fed him, changed his diaper, and then coaxed him back to sleep.
The heavy rain outside was still pouring and showed no signs of stopping.
She sat cross-legged on the edge of the bed as she stared blankly at the rainwater pitter-pattering outside while she was utterly lost in thought.
After a while, she stood up and quietly left the bedroom.
As she reached the doorway, Louis came out from another room and asked, "Where are you going?"
Leanna paused for a moment before saying, "I'm going downstairs to buy something. You can go back to sleep."
He nodded and looked outside at the pouring rain, but he didn't reveal her true intentions.
Leanna wore her shoes and added, "Can you watch the baby for me? He usually only wakes up once at night and shouldn't wake up again, but... I'll be back soon."
"I understand. You go ahead. Bring an umbrella with you."
She pursed her lips but didn't say anything more as she quickly opened the door and left.
When she arrived at the lobby, she walked for quite a distance before she could finally hail a cab at the intersection and went to the hospital.
Just as she approached the nurse's station to inquire about the situation, she heard Jonathan's voice behind her, "Miss McKinney."
Leanna took the elevator and inquired, "How is he doing?"
"President Pearson only came out of the operating room a short while ago. The anesthesia hasn't worn off yet, but you can rest assured that there is no danger to his life," said Jonathan.
She nodded faintly and stared at the rising floor numbers displayed on the screen.
He hesitated for a moment but decided to make one last ditch effort. "Miss McKinney, President Pearson didn't tell you about this because he didn't want you to worry—"
Leanna turned her head to look at him with an unchanged expression. "Do you know what your behavior is called right now?"
Jonathan was puzzled.
"You're in a difficult situation yourself, so stop meddling in other people's business," she replied.
He was rendered speechless by her harsh rebuttal and decided to keep his mouth shut.
When they arrived at the entrance to the ward, she did not go in but instead looked through the glass.
In her mind, she remembered the words that Aidan had said to her when she was hospitalized, as well as his birthday wish.
She chuckled to herself as she realized that he had probably known that he couldn't keep it a secret, so he tried to create ways for her to give himself a way out.
When Jonathan noticed that, he didn't stay, lest he disturbs her. So, he made himself scarce.
Leanna finally entered the ward after leaning against the wall for a while.
It was the first time she had seen Aidan in this state in so many years. He was pale as he lay on the hospital bed, looking completely different from his usual self.
Leanna's gaze fell on his right arm, which was wrapped in bandages, and she fluttered her eyes shut.
After a while, she turned around and left the room.
As she walked toward the elevator, a figure called out to her from behind, "Leanna."
She turned around to see that it was none other than Naomi. "Ms. Fletcher."
"It's still raining outside. Let Jonathan send you home," Naomi suggested.
After Naomi finished speaking, Jonathan immediately stepped forward.
Leanna hesitated for a moment before nodding.
She remained silent during the ride back as she stared out at the passing scenery through the car window.
After the earlier incident, Jonathan knew better than to speak, so he didn't strike up a conversation throughout the journey.
When they arrived at the apartment, she got out of the car, and he quickly assured her, "Don't worry, Miss McKinney. I won't tell President Pearson that you're staying here."
Leanna looked at him seriously before she responded apathetically, "Thank you."
"It's nothing. Don't mention it, Miss McKinney," he replied.
"I'm leaving. You can return."
In reality, she knew very well that it was unlikely that Aidan wouldn't investigate her whereabouts just because she told him not to.
It was already past 5.00AM when she returned.
She pushed open the bedroom door and saw Louis sitting by the bed, looking at the baby with gentle eyes.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" she asked.
"I can't sleep," he replied honestly.
"Okay, it's almost daylight, and you have to go to school. Get some rest," Leanna urged.
Louis stood up and walked over to her. "I asked for leave."
"Why did you ask for leave?" Leanna asked as she walked out of the bedroom and closed the door.
"It's not convenient for you to take care of the child alone. I'll help you find a new place," he replied.
Even though he didn't ask, he knew that she wouldn't be living with Aidan again in the short term.
Leanna paused for a moment before nodding lightly. "Okay."
This place was only a temporary residence for tonight, and they would have to find a new place to live in.
After a while, Leanna asked, "Why did you come with Elijah today?"
Before she entered the Pearson Family Estate, she had called Louis and told him to call the police if she hadn't come out after an hour.
He replied, "After you called me, I contacted Daniel, but he was too busy, so I asked Elijah to accompany me."
"Okay, get some rest. I'm heading in."
Back in the bedroom, she closed the door and slumped to the ground right next to the bed. Her eyes were fixed on the baby as she was reluctant to look away.
All the memories and details of the past few months came together, and she felt like she was getting closer and closer to the truth every time. She was almost sure about it every single time. But it always seemed to be just that one missing piece that kept her from getting it right.
From now on, no matter what happened, she would never let go.
No one could take her baby away from her again.
Outside the window, it rained throughout the night.
Meanwhile, Leanna sat there, unmoving, but she didn't even sleep a wink that night.
At around 8.00AM, the baby woke up and started cooing while waving his little hands in the air.
She carried him and went to the kitchen to heat the water and make some milk for him.
After a while, there was a knock on the door.
She opened the door and saw Zoe rushing in, bombarding her with a series of questions in a worried tone, "Nana, are you okay? I heard from Daniel that you went to Pearson Family Estate yesterday. Did they do anything to you? What about Aidan? Why are you living alone here? What is this place?"
Leanna didn't know how to answer all these questions and just said, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Everything is good."
Zoe finally noticed that Leanna was holding a baby in her arms.
The baby was looking at her curiously with his big round eyes.
She was shocked and asked, "This is..."
Leanna smiled and said, "Your godson."
Zoe came back to her senses and asked in amazement, "He's so big now. Didn't you..."
Leanna nodded and said, "Yes."
"Oh, my goodness!"
Zoe eagerly reached out her hands and asked, "Can I hold him?"
The baby was rather light, so Leanna placed him directly into Zoe's arms.
Zoe held him tightly and froze as she was too nervous to move.
Leanna chuckled and said, "Relax. He's not a bomb. There's no need to be so nervous."
"But he's so tiny. I'm afraid I'll hurt him if I'm not careful," Zoe naturally dropped her volume to a murmur.
Just then, Daniel came in and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Let's go in and sit. We can talk inside."
"I was just about to go out and buy breakfast. What do you guys want to eat?" Leanna asked.
At that moment, Louis came out of the room. "I'll go. The rain hasn't stopped yet."
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