The Ugly Wife’s Stunning Comeback (Felicia and Max) novel Chapter 1030

At nine the following morning, Felicia boarded her flight to the Capital.

Jeremy was waiting for her at the arrivals terminal. Tommy swiftly loaded her luggage into the trunk of the car.

"The big boss came to pick me up himself? I'm truly flattered," Felicia teased lightly.

Jeremy chuckled. "You're the only one who gets VIP treatment. Let's get in."

They climbed into the car just as Kate walked out of the airport lobby. She stopped in her tracks, watching the two of them drive away together.

"Where's Anne?" Jeremy asked from the front seat.

"The Hawthorne family picked her up yesterday. Brysen is fading fast," Felicia replied quietly.

Jeremy didn't press the issue, smoothly changing the subject. "When Ava and the others see you, they're going to fret. They might even accuse me of working you to the bone." She hadn't gained any weight, and in fact, she looked even thinner.

Felicia offered a weak smile. "My nausea has been terrible lately. I can barely keep anything down."

"You won't be able to hide that from Ava," Jeremy pointed out gently. "Maybe you should just tell them the truth. Don't carry this burden alone just because you're afraid of worrying them. They're your family, your biggest supporters. Keeping them in the dark is what will actually worry them most."

Felicia bit her lip. "I know."

Jeremy dropped her off at Colton and Ava's house but respectfully declined to come inside. Felicia had called ahead, so they were expecting her.

"Felicia! You're back," Ava hurried out to greet her.

"Mom."

Ava grabbed her hands, scanning her from head to toe. Despite Felicia's loose-fitting dress, Ava's maternal instincts immediately caught on. "Have you not been eating well? Or is it the summer heat? Why are you so thin?" Her eyes brimmed with worry.

Little Sean came waddling over on unsteady toddler legs. "Felicia... hug!"

Colton's expression turned grim, desperately praying that the child didn't belong to Max Hawthorne.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, an oppressive, suffocating gloom hung heavily outside the ICU. The corridor was filled with somber faces, the silence broken only by the muffled, choked sobs of the children.

Members of the Gilbert family began arriving one by one, offering silent nods of greeting with no unnecessary chatter.

Kate hurried down the hall and approached her husband, Daniel. "How is Grandpa?" she whispered.

Daniel looked exhausted. "We're waiting for the doctor to come out."

Kate scanned the crowd before walking over to Amber.

"Why are you just arriving now?" Amber asked in a hushed tone.

Kate quickly explained that her grandmother had recently undergone surgery, so she had gone to check on her, rushing straight to the hospital the moment she received the call.