<b>Chapter </b><b>490 </b>
Thaddeus stared at the unfamiliar number shing on his phone screen, momentarily immobilized. Not many people had his private number, and he never bothered with wrong numbers or cold calls. But this time, his heart inexplicably raced out of control.
Pressing the answer button, he brought the phone to his ear, “Hello?”
On the other end, the tumult of a storm mixed with static.
“Hello? Who is this?<b>” </b>
Usually, Thaddeus would’ve hung up by now. But today, he uncharacteristically waited for a reply.
“Thaddeus, it’s me.”
Evadne’s frail, soft voice came through in fits and starts, torn to shreds by the howling wind. Like a dagger, it pierced straight through the man’s heart.
“Evadne?!”
Thaddeus’s eyes sparkled with a mix of surprise and joy as he shot to his feet, his breathingced with an intense tremor. It was almost unbelievable to him that he was receiving a call from her.
“Thaddeus. I want to see you. I’m so tired,” Evadne’s fading voice was nearly imperceptible.
“Evadne, where are you?! I’lle to you right away!” Thaddeus’s eyes reddened, a nameless agony churning within.
“I don’t know where I am.”
The woman <b>on </b>the other end couldn’t hold back her tears any longer, “I’ve walked so far. I can’t go on. My head’s spinning. I just want to sleep.”
“Evadne! Don’t sleep, please, stay awake!”
Thaddeus’s heart clenched, spasming wildly, “Don’t hang up. I’m tracing your call right now! Stay with me!”
Hamilton, overhearing, tensed with concern.
“Granddad Hamilton, I’m sorry.”
“Thaddeus, you don’t need to exin.”
With an understanding wave of his hand, Granddad urged, “Go now! Nothing is more important than finding na!”
Gripping his phone, Thaddeus dashed out of the hospital room.
“You’ve got to find na! Keep her safe!” Hamilton cried after him, tears in his eyes.
Thaddeus nodded heavily, his steps heavy. He got into his car, taking Gordon with him as they sped off into the stormy night towards Skyrim.
He quickly gathered his men; a convoy of sleek ck sedans raced behind Thaddeus’s lead, struggling to keep up with his breakn*eck speed.
To them, Mr. Abernathy wasn’t driving a car; he was piloting a jet on the sl*ppery roads with limited visibility. He was gambling with his life <b>at </b>this speed!
Gordon, white–knuckled and pale, clutched the handle above the car door as if his life depended on it.
“Mr. Abernathy! Please, calm down! Finding Mrs. Abernathy is crucial, but you have to think about your own safety!”
“Evadne’s in danger! She could be in trouble at any second!” Thaddeus’s eyes bloodshot, tremendous terror caused his shoulders, which were hid under the suit, convulsed uncontrobly, “Any secondte, and Evadne might be in danger. How can you expect me to stay calm?!”
Gordon fell silent, his eyes shut tight, praying for their safety.
“Can you still pinpoint Mrs. Abernathy’s location?!” Thaddeus’s voice hoarse, forehead slick with sweat.
“Yes, we still can! About two kilometers away!”
Suddenly, the signal vanished from the GPS screen. Gordon eximed in panic, “Damn it<b>, </b>Mr. Abernathy! We’ve lost Mrs. Abernathy’s signal!”
Thaddeus felt a heavy sinking <b>in </b>his heart. All he could hope for now was that Evadne’s phone had simply died and not that she had met some terrible situation.
“Evadne, hold on. I’m going to find you!”
Soon, they arrived at thest known location. His men fanned out with shlights, searching desperately.
Thaddeus ran into the rain<b>, </b>his shoes and pant legs caked in mud, but he didn’t care less, his eyes burning with anxious concern.
“Mr. Abernathy! Slow down! Be careful of the road!” Gordon followed, stumbling, his mind a whirl.
What had happened? Why was Mrs. Abernathy alone in this forsaken ce?
Evadne, after dealing with some thugs, was drained of herst ounce of strength. She had taken one of their phones and pushed on through the rain. Fearing they might follow, she kept trekking forward instead of stopping for any short while, because she didn’t have any single of strength remained to handle any danger.
In the end, Evadne’s spirit wentpletely numb, her legs still moving in their quivery state unceasingly as if they were not hers anymore.
But eventually, she couldn’t take another step and copsed in a dpidated gazebo at the foot of a hill. Only then did she dare to call Thaddeus – her only fear was that her man wouldn’t find her.
As time ticked by, Evadne huddled into a ball, her face buried in her arms, drifting to sleep with the phone clutched tightly in her hand.
In her daze, she dreamed of the ident three years ago – the car ident, the dark red blood streaming down, begging the doctor to save him, save her child.
“Evadne!”
In her haze, she thought she heard Thaddeus calling her, but she had no strength left to respond.
The next moment, her cold, shivering b*dy was enveloped by a warm embrace, a broad figure shielding her entirely.
“Thaddeus, is that you?” Evadne murmured faintly, her eyes shimmering with vulnerable light.
Thaddeus tightened his arms, pressing her into his pain–wracked chest, his voice rough and barely coherent, “It’s me. Evadne, I’m here.”
A moment ago, seeing her curled up so pitifully, he felt as though his heart had burst open, bloodied and shattered.
Now, hot tears streamed down his cheeks, sinking into the delicate hollow of her shoulder. If tears were blood, the rivers would have surely run crimson by now.
Evadne’s mind was a muddied haze, her words slurred as she cried out, “Thaddeus, our baby’s gone! You must save him, please!”
Thaddeus felt as if an arrow had pierced his soul. Her words, sharp as knives, carved into his heart. His trembling hand rested on her forehead, the scorching heat sending shivers of dread through him.
“Evadne! You’re burning up! I’m taking you to the hospital!” He stripped off his suit jacket to wrap her tightly and lifted her in his
arms.
Her cheeks were <b>a </b><b>feverish </b>red, her words delirious, “Baby, our baby.”
“It’s okay, Evadne. It doesn’t matter if we never have children.”
Tears clung to Thaddeus’s longshes as he k*ssed her burning forehead, “In my heart, you are my child. I will cherish you, love you, protect you. Having you is more than enough.”
When Thaddeus carried Evadne out of the stormy night, Gordon’s face split with a wide, tearful grin as he sprinted towards them.
In the car, Thaddeus discarded his soaked suit and wrapped the woman tightly in a nket from the hospital, clutching her waist almost fiercely, his eyes rimmed with frightening red.
“Gordon, drive. To the hospital, now.”
“No.”
Evadne’s almond eyes were half–closed/weakly gripping Thaddeus’s sweaty hand, “If we go to the hospital, my brothers will find me quickly. They’ll take me back. Thaddeus. I don’t want to go back. I want to be with you.”
Thaddeus choked with pain, “But you’re running a high fever; your b*dy will overheat.”
“It’s okay. I’ll just take some medicine.”
With that, Evadne closed her eyes again, sl*pping back into unconsciousness.
<b>In </b>the early morning hours, the vi was peaceful. Mari slept sweetly in her bed.
In the next room, Jareth didn’t retreat to his study<b>. </b>Instead, he moved his work to the bedroom to keep an eye on his delicate wife
without missing a beat. Now fully he was integrated into the core of Fairhaven Group, his days were busy, having taken on several projects from Gary. He had transformed from a man of leisure to a man besieged by a never–ending to–do list.
He used to <b>not </b>understand when Thaddeusined of exhaustion. After all, how tiring could it be to move a few fingers? Now, massaging his sore temples, Jareth sighed. Oh, how the tables had turned.
Then came a knock on the door, and Lily’s voice, “Mr. Fairhaven, could you pleasee out?”
Jareth put aside his documents and opened the door to find Lily with a look of urgency, “Mr. Fairhaven! Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy is here!”
“Who? Thad? At this ungodly hour?!” Jareth’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“It’s not just Mr. Thaddeus Abernathy. Ms. Ashbourne is with him!”
Sensing trouble, Jareth dashed downstairs.
In the living room, Thaddeus sat on the sofa, clutching an unconscious Evadne, his handsome face pale and bloodless, staring unblinkingly at her face.
“Thad! What on earth happened?”
Jareth rushed over, his heart tightening at the sight of Evadne limp in Thaddeus’s arms, unconscious.
“What happened to Evadne?!”
“Sorry for disturbing you sote, Jareth.” Thaddeus’s voice trembled as he spoke, “But I didn’t know where else to take her where we wouldn’t be found, so I had toe to you. I’m sorry.”
“C’mon, we’re buddies. My home is always open, no matter what, no matter when. It’s my absolute duty to help you two out!”
Jareth knew something serious must have happened. Though worried, he felt it wasn’t his ce to pry.
“She’s running a high fever. Do you have any fever reducers?” Thaddeus asked hoarsely.
“I’ll get them now!” Lily hurried to fetch them.
“Look at her; a pill isn’t going to do much good!”
Jareth immediately ordered, “Lily, contact my personal doctor. Have hime over now to see Ms. Ashbourne!”
Lily went to make the arrangements at once.
“Cold, so cold.” Evadne shivered with chills, murmuring in her half–awake state.
Thaddeus drew a deep breath, fighting back tears, wishing he could transfer all his warmth to her.
“Thad, I hate to say it, but ever since Evadne’s been with you, she hasn’t had a single day of peace.”
Jareth stood before them, shaking his head sorrowfully, “The Ashbourne brothers are probably tearing Elmsworth apart looking for her. Those guys are crazy about their sister. Won’t stop until they’ve turned the ce upside down. With your previous troubles still unresolved and now you’ve whisked Evadne away again; you’re really asking for it.”
“Yeah, asking for it indeed. I’m already a viin for the ages; what’s one more crime to my name?” Thaddeus attempted a wry
smile.
Jareth clenched his jaw in frustration, “Damn it, in my opinion, you two should just elope!”
Elopement.