Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 434

"I'm telling you, it was Hiram who hurt himself. Neil ran into me when he was off to get some medication for him at the hospital. So, he asked me to look after Hiram for a while. Aren't you aware that Neil had an important meeting to attend today?" I threw the question back at Karina. "Even I know that. Surely, Dr. Karina, you know that too, right?"

If Karina admitted that she didn't know, it would imply that her relationship with Neil wasn't as snug as she claimed it to be.

She would never admit this in front of Ryan and Faith, even if she wasn't aware of that, she'd insist that she was.

As expected, Karina responded swiftly, "Of course, I knew. But I find it hard to believe that Neil would entrust his son to you."

"What's so implausible about that?" Faith defended me. "We had an urgency and there was nobody at home. We needed someone trustworthy to look after the kid. Irene seemed like a perfect fit. We know her well, so we felt assured leaving Hiram in her care."

Karina's face turned pale, then red, then pale again. She hadn't anticipated that Faith would defend me so firmly, even when it concerned Hiram's safety.

However, Karina was determined not to let me off the hook.

"Regardless, Hiram is my son. I gave birth to him and raised him all by myself. He is my life. I can't take his safety lightly. I have to get to the bottom of this," Karina turned to me and asked, "Ms. Finch, if you're innocent, why are you afraid of me calling the police?"

I was baffled by her twisted logic. Essentially, she just wanted to create trouble by getting the cops involved.

"Hiram, tell me what happened. Where's your father?" Faith asked sternly.

Hiram looked at the stern expression on Faith's face and lowered his gaze, whispering, "Dad's at work..."

"How did you get this injury on your face? Good boys don't lie. Tell the truth," Faith prodded.

Hiram pursed his lips, looking a little scared. His eyes darted nervously towards Karina.

Seeing that Hiram was about to speak, Karina stepped in. "Faith, Hiram is just a kid. He might blurt out something he doesn't mean to say when he's anxious and afraid. Let's leave this to the police."

"Isn't this something that Neil could clarify with a few words when he gets home? Are you determined to make a scene?" I was genuinely curious. How would escalating this situation benefit her?

"I'm not trying to make a scene. I just want to know the truth," Karina retorted.

Just then, my phone rang. It was Neil returning my call.

For a moment, I was unsure whether to answer it. Karina had called Neil earlier too, but he chose to return my call first.

Either Karina or Ryan and Faith finding out about this wouldn't bode well for me.

I declined the call and texted Neil. [Karina and your parents are here. Please call them and explain.]

My text had barely been sent for half a minute when Ryan's phone rang.

Neil chose not to contact Karina. Why?

I was puzzled. Could it be that Neil's feelings for Karina were merely out of obligation, as he had claimed?

This thought crossed my mind but was interrupted by Ryan's voice, "Alright, I got it. You explain it to her!"

With that, Ryan handed the phone to Karina, visibly disgruntled, "You hear it from him."