Chapter 4
4
When I woke up, I was lying in Ivy's cramped room.
I had no standing at The Mercer Estate.
Ivy was constantly ostracized by the rest of the staff.
The room held only a small bed; it was dark, damp, and smelled faintly of mildew.
But the blanket draped over me was clean and smelled of fresh flowers. Ivy had clearly washed and aired it out just for me.
"Ma'am, you're awake."
Ivy gripped my hand, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
"The doctor says you're stable. How do you feel?"
I forced a weak smile and patted her hand.
"I'm okay."
After a brief pause, I finally asked:
"The baby... it's gone, isn't it?"
Ivy hesitated, struggling to find the words.
But I already knew the answer.
Beneath the bitterness, I felt a strange, overwhelming exhaustion—a sense of total release.
I had absolutely nothing left for Adrian.
Once I handled my mother's arrangements, I would leave The Mercer Estate and never look back.
"Where is my mother?"
"Rosa is at the care residence. The medical examiner just released the body, and the funeral home is waiting for the family's instructions."
Ivy choked on a sob. "She said your mother wrote that note herself, right before..."
Fighting through the weakness in my body, I gritted my teeth and sat up.
"I need to go."
...
Unable to shake his concern for Talia, Adrian had specifically brought in a high-risk pregnancy specialist, paid out of pocket by the Mercer family, to double-check her test results.
Only after the specialist repeatedly confirmed that Talia was perfectly fine did he prepare to leave.
"Adrian, if we're all set, I'll take my leave."
As the doctor packed up his equipment, Adrian suddenly spoke up.
"Wait. Can you reach out to Margaret's medical team? Check on her condition."
The doctor replied calmly, "Mrs. Hart has her own specialized team. They handle all her medication protocols directly with the hospital. You can have them request an expedited consultation, and I'll forward my referral channels to your office."
Adrian fell silent for a moment, then called his assistant in, ordering him to contact Margaret's existing team and secure an expedited consultation slot.
"Adrian," Talia complained, trailing closely beside him. "Why are you still worrying about Maris's mother? Maris doesn't even care, and she burned that expensive medication..."
For once, Adrian ignored her.
He just walked forward in silence.
Over the years, Maris had endured endless humiliation. Why did she stay at the estate?
Was it because she still loved him?
Suddenly, Adrian wasn't so sure.
But there was one thing he knew for a fact.
It was because of Margaret.
The Hart family had long since fallen from grace, and Maris's father had been dead for years. Her mother was all she had left.
The moment she left the Mercer family, Margaret's medical treatments, care contracts, and transport arrangements would be severed.
As long as Margaret was alive, Maris couldn't leave.
And he could keep torturing her, until the day he finally grew tired of his own hatred.
But when he arrived at the Hart family's care residence in the Virginia suburbs, all he found were white bouquets left by the funeral home and the faint, lingering smell of antiseptic.
Adrian's heart violently dropped.
"Where is she?"
A groundskeeper hurried over.
"Mr. Mercer. Mrs. Hart took her own life this morning. The medical examiner just released the body, and the funeral home is waiting for the family's instructions."
Rosa Bell, who had been caring for Margaret and had once looked after Adrian himself, watched the color drain entirely from his face. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Adrian, you need to go check on Maris. She just found out she was pregnant. She needs rest now more than ever..."
"What did you just say?"