She Walked Away With His Twins While He Begged the Ground She Walked On novel Chapter 19

Day turned to night, and another heavy, suffocating day passed.

Quinn went to the nursing home to visit her mother. Seeing her daughter's noticeably thinner face, Martha Avery's eyes instantly filled with heartache.

"Quinn... you look so pale. Are you sick? And what happened to your hand?"

Not wanting to worry her, Quinn hugged her tightly. "I'm completely fine, Mom. I'm perfectly healthy. Don't worry about me."

Martha could tell she was holding back. She knew Quinn was suffering at the York estate, and she blamed herself for being sick.

She was nothing but a burden.

Martha gently patted her back. "My poor Quinn."

"By the way... how are your father and brother?"

Quinn loathed talking about them. It was always better when they stayed out of the picture; the moment they showed up, disaster followed.

"They're doing fine, Mom."

Fine enough that they didn't even have the time to visit her. Just last week, her father texted her saying he was back in town and would come to the nursing home.

But the very next day, he called begging for money. When she refused, he threw a massive pity party, crying that he hadn't eaten in days.

Quinn eventually transferred him fifty dollars and told him to stop asking because she was completely broke.

"Quinn, did your father... ask you for money again?"

She shook her head, wanting to spare her mother the stress. "No, Mom. Dad is working construction with some friends right now. He's making decent money."

Construction? Yeah, right.

He couldn't even handle half a day of physical labor before bailing.

But it was better this way. At least he wasn't gambling again.

Martha's eyes were full of sorrow, accompanied by a flash of deeply conflicted emotion. Should she tell Quinn that... she wasn't actually their biological daughter?

But the fear that Quinn might resent her for hiding the truth for so long forced her to swallow the words.

"Mom, the doctor said they'll do a full evaluation soon. If everything looks good, you can be discharged."

"Luna, Caleb, Mommy is fine. I just bumped into something."

Luna's large, grape-like eyes clouded over, her little voice full of concern.

"Does it hurt a lot? Mommy, let me blow on it for you."

Quinn's heart melted. "Mommy doesn't hurt at all."

Caleb's chest felt incredibly tight. He just knew his mother was being mistreated.

"Mommy, if Dad were here, he would never let anyone bully you."

Quinn felt a vicious tug at her heartstrings, a wave of suffocating sorrow flooding her chest.

She turned her head slightly, refusing to let her children see the pathetic tears springing to her eyes.

If they knew their own father was the one who had left these bruises, what would they think?

Caleb pushed a chair over, climbed onto the counter, and rummaged through the cabinet for some healing ointment. He had seen Mary use it for her aches, so he figured it would help.