?<strong>Chapter 578:</strong>


    “Fiona, what’s on your mind? Are you even listening?” Irving was engrossed in his phone, typing furiously, but his eyes flicked up to Fiona now and then, tinged with curiosity and suspicion.


    “You’ve been acting strange since you got back from the hospital,” he finally said, his voiceced with curiosity. “Did something happen?”


    Fiona, still lost in her thoughts, jolted at Irving’s words and instinctively recoiled, like a cat suddenly startled.


    Irving, catching Fiona’s jumpy reaction, raised an eyebrow. “Why are you dodging? I won’t bite.”


    Fiona avoided his gaze, her voice shaky and unconvincing as she said, “I’m not dodging anything. You’re just imagining things.”


    Just then, Gavin descended from the second floor, his violin in hand. Noticing Fiona on the couch, he casually asked, “Back from the hospital already? How did Elyse’s checkup go?”


    Fiona, fiddling nervously with her hair, replied guiltily, “I… I don’t know. You should ask her yourself.”


    Gavin, puzzled and now closer to the couch, pressed on, “Didn’t you take time off to apany Elyse for her check-up? Didn’t you go with her?”


    Fiona had indeed gone, but exining what had transpired afterward was a different matter entirely.


    Gavin, sensing her evasiveness, raised his eyebrows and pressed on, “You didn’t go? What were you doing then?”


    Fiona turned her head, refusing to spill the beans.


    Irving couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off with Fiona.


    Since her return from the hospital a few hours ago, her mind seemed a million miles away, and it was clear to him that she was lost in her own world, preupied and distracted.


    Deciding to get to the bottom of it, Irving pulled out his phone and tried calling Elyse. No luck. Several attempts all in vain.


    Gavin checked his watch. It was too early for Elyse to be asleep.


    He then dialed Jayden, only to find his phone turned off.


    rm bells ringing, Gavin stared at Fiona. “What’s going on? Why can’t I reach either of them? Did something happen at the hospital?”


    Fiona mmed up, shutting her eyes and feigning sleep to escape their grilling.


    Irving’s patience was wearing thin. He frowned and demanded, “Why are you acting like this? We’re talking to you! Where is Elyse? Has something happened to her?”


    Fiona, irked by their relentless probing, snapped, “Why are you asking me? If you want to know about Elyse, ask her directly! I’m not her spokesperson.”


    “Unbelievable,” Irving snapped, grabbing his coat and storming out.


    Gavin, equally perplexed, grabbed his jacket and followed suit, driven by worry for Elyse.


    With the house finally quiet, Fiona exhaled a long sigh of relief, but the weight of dread quickly settled back on her shoulders.


    The stark truth pierced Fiona’s thoughts: Elyse’s baby was gone, and her pregnancy had abruptly ended. The baby meant the world to Elyse and Jayden, but strangely, Fiona found a twisted relief in the turn of events.


    She deeply regretted sticking with Elyse at the hospital now; her presence felt like a dark shadow in their tragedy.


    The most agonizing part was her own inertia: she hadn’t lifted a finger to aid Elyse. Fiona braced herself for the inevitable confrontation once Elyse regained consciousness.


    While Elyse’s loss seemed advantageous to Fiona in a perplexing way, she dreaded the usation of heartlessness.


    The weight of guilt seemed unbearable to Fiona as she wrestled with her conflicted emotions. As she sat on the couch, she racked her brain for ways to dodge this me.


    Outside, Irving and Gavin sat in the car, debating their next move. Should they head to Elyse’s home or the hospital? They decided to head to the hospital and see if they could find anything there—


    it turned out to be the right call.


    In the hospital room, Elyse sat on the bed, looking hollow and broken. Physically, she was fine, but her spirit seemed crushed.


    Unaware of the severity, Irving assumed it was just another scare with her pregnancy. “Need some bed rest again? Don’t worry, just focus on your health. Thepetition can wait,” he reassured her.


    Gavin chimed in, “Once the baby is stable, you can get back to your practice. Right now, your priority is the baby.”


    Elyse gazed at them both, her lips parting as she gently inquired, “Didn’t Fiona tell you what happened?”


    Irving, puzzled, exchanged a nce with Gavin. “She said she didn’t know. Did she reallye to the hospital?”


    “My baby is gone,” Elyse choked out, tears streaming down her face.


    Irving stood frozen in disbelief, his mouth agape, an unusual expression of bewilderment clouding his features.


    It was as if Elyse’s words had thrown him off bnce, leaving him grasping for understanding as he stared at her with puzzled eyes.


    Elyse, her voice cracking with grief, repeated, “My baby is gone. I don’t have a baby anymore!”


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