Abby dragged Ste out for two days of shopping, but her spirits remained low. Abby tried everything to cheer her up, and while Ste smiled cooperatively, Abby knew it was forced. She wasn''t happy; she was just trying not to disappoint her friend.


    Whether she caught a chill somewhere or her body was finally sumbing to the recent stress, Ste fell ill. She burned with a fever all night, and it wasn''t until the next day when Abby didn''t see her that she realized something was wrong.


    Abby rushed her to the hospital.


    Coincidentally, Neville, who had just finished dealing with Grandma Connolly''s affairs, had returned to Solmaris with Marvin. As soon as he heard the news, he rushed straight to the hospital.


    Seeing Neville, Abby''s panic finally began to subside. She had been on the verge of calling Joshua. But she knew this wasn''t the right time for them to see each other. Besides, since Joshua had chosen to return to Aetheria, he likely wouldn''t be back anytime soon. As the head of the Gardner family, he must have a mountain of responsibilities—corporate work, family affairs...


    Abby really didn''t want to run to Joshua for every little thing. It felt too much like Rachel calling Haynes at the slightest sign of trouble. Moreover, she knew Ste wouldn''t want her to bother him unnecessarily.


    Neville arrived at the hospital, his expression grave. "What happened? Why would Star suddenly have such a high fever? I thought she was always in good health." Then, as if remembering something, he nced around. "Where''s Joshua? I haven''t seen him today."


    It was a fair question. Normally, Joshua was always with Ste. Even when she met up with Neville for dinner, Joshua would tag along unless there was a specific reason not to. For him to be absent when Ste was so sick was indeed surprising.


    Abby knew Neville would find out about Joshua sooner orter. Without hiding anything, she quietly exined the whole story.


    After listening, Neville''s dark eyes narrowed slightly. His voice was deep and steady, betraying no emotion. I suspected there might be a connection between Joshua and the Gardner family, but I never imagined he was its head.


    Abby instinctively defended him. "Joshua did help Rachel in the past, butter... he stopped helping her."


    Neville didn''tment on that, instead asking, "What did Star say?"


    Abby shook her head. "Nothing. Star hasn''t said a word. To be honest, I have no


    idea what she''s thinking right now."


    Just then, the light above the


    emergency room door went out, and outthey


    Ste was wheeled out


    stopped talking and followed the gurney into a private room.


    Stey on the bed, her face pale. The recent stress had caused her to lose a significant amount of weight, making her look frail and thin, A wave of sympathy and concern washed over Neville.


    "I''ll stay with you tonight to watch over Star," Neville told Abby. "In case anything happens, it''s good to have an extra person here."


    Abby trusted Neville''s characterpletely. "Thank you, Mr. Connolly," she said gratefully.