The Hidden Empress Stripping Her Secrets After Divorce novel Chapter 270

Sebastian Thorne stood outside Room 301, staring at the tightly shut door in silence for a few seconds.

Lance Sterling’s cautious voice drifted from behind him. "Mr. Thorne, where to now?"

Sebastian didn't answer immediately.

He stood there, the corridor lights stretching his shadow long against the floor. His father’s pale, panicked face from inside that room, and the heavy silence that followed the words "You just don't want to go," still swirled in his mind.

The child in that woman’s belly was Geoffrey Brooks’s. His father had spent four months raising another man's son.

It was utterly ironic.

Sebastian's fingers subconsciously clenched, then released.

"To the clinic," he said.

His voice was flat, devoid of any discernible emotion.

Lance paused. "Now? It's so late..."

Sebastian didn't reply and was already striding toward the elevator.

Lance hurriedly followed, muttering internally as he walked. Was the boss going to see his mother, or Dr. Sullivan? No, it was too late, Mrs. Thorne would definitely be asleep by now, which meant...

He didn't dare finish the thought and simply quickened his pace.

—

By the time the car pulled out of the retreat's gates, night had fully fallen. The suburban road lacked streetlights, leaving only the headlights to cut through the darkness ahead.

Sebastian sat in the backseat, watching the pitch-black scenery blur past the window in silence.

Lance glanced at him through the rearview mirror and asked carefully, "Mr. Thorne, would you like to grab something to eat first? You haven't had dinner yet..."

"No need," Sebastian cut in.

The interior of the car fell back into a heavy silence.

As they drove into the city, the lights outside multiplied. Sebastian’s gaze rested on the flashing neon signs, but he wasn't really seeing them.

He thought back to many years ago, when his mother still lived in the old estate. She had been young then, and on weekend mornings, she would personally cook him a hot, comforting breakfast. His father was rarely home, so she would sit across from him, watching him eat with eyes curved in a gentle smile.

Later, his father’s visits became even less frequent, and his mother’s smiles faded right along with them.

Eventually, she had moved into the retreat.

Sebastian closed his eyes.

—

It was almost eight o'clock when they arrived at The Bayview Retreat.

At the far end of the sixth floor was the VIP consultation wing.

The layout here was different from the regular clinic. The corridors were more spacious, the lighting softer, and plush waiting chairs sat outside every door. It was well past regular consultation hours, and the entire wing was pin-drop silent.

Only one office door was slightly ajar, spilling warm yellow light into the hall.

Sebastian slowed his pace and stepped up to the crack in the door.

Through the narrow gap, he saw Evelyn Sullivan sitting behind her desk. Across from her sat a middle-aged couple. The woman looked to be in her early forties, her skin sallow, her eyes sunken, so thin she was practically skin and bones. The man sat next to her, hands tightly clasped, his spine completely rigid.

"...You're saying, it can be treated?" the man asked, his voice trembling with a fragile, desperate hope.

Evelyn nodded, her tone gentle but firm. "It can. Your wife's condition is complex, but it isn't hopeless. The previous hospitals told you there was nothing they could do because they were only looking at localized issues. The connection between the heart, kidneys, and immune system requires a holistic treatment plan."

She flipped open the thick medical file in front of her, pointing at the dense rows of test results. "Look here. Her creatinine levels are high, but when combined with the cardiac ultrasound and immune markers, the root cause is actually the heart. The weakened pumping function of the heart leads to an inadequate blood supply to the kidneys, which has formed a vicious cycle over time."

As the woman listened, her eyes turned red. "Doctor, I've traveled across six states, seen over a dozen specialists, and they all said I was a lost cause... I truly thought..."

Her voice broke, unable to finish.

Evelyn reached out and gently rested her hand over the woman's. The gesture was light, yet it brought an inexplicable sense of peace.

"Don't be afraid," Evelyn said softly. "Now that you're here, there's hope. You'll need to be admitted for observation, and we'll implement a two-week conditioning plan. The heart and kidney issues must be addressed simultaneously, and your immune system will need time to recover. The process will be long, but we are heading in the right direction."