Old Mrs. Quigley had seen enough of the world to understand the undertones in Noreen''s voice.


    She whipped her head around to face Felix. "You! Tell me what happened!"


    "...We''re still investigating," Felix exined.


    "Are you investigating, or are you covering up the truth? She was perfectly fine when you called her over to talk. How is it that in the blink of an eye, she''s on the ground and the baby is gone?" Noreen couldn''t hold back any longer, her voice sharp with usation.


    That was his child, too!


    How could he be so... so cold?


    Why?


    Why could he act as if it had nothing to do with him?


    Felix tried to exin, "She left after we spoke. I don''t know what happened after that."


    "I also didn''t know... that she was pregnant."


    "You..." Old Mrs. Quigley was livid. "You are an absolute scoundrel!"


    "Sweetheart, can you tell Grandma what happened?" Old Mrs. Quigley turned to ire. "Grandma will make it right for you!"


    ire was still sobbing. "I was on my way back to find Noreen when someone shoved me hard from behind. I fell down the steps, and then..... I don''t remember anything else."


    "It was Madeline!" Noreen''s immediate reaction was to name her.


    Old Mrs. Quigley paused. "Madeline?"


    Noreen then recounted the day''s events to Old Mrs. Quigley, including how Madeline had been making things difficult for ire.


    Barely suppressing her fury, Old Mrs. Quigley snapped at Felix, "You,e with me!"


    Then, she softened her voice tofort ire. "My dear girl, you just rest. Grandma will be back to sit with you in a little while."


    After the two left, ire''s crying slowly subsided.


    Her eyes looked hollow.


    Noreen brought a warm, damp cloth and gently wiped her friend''s tear-swollen eyes.


    ire reached up and grabbed


    Noreen''s hand, her voice hoarse


    Noreen, want a divorce


    waiting for the contract to


    She wanted to cut ties with Felix immediately, right now, forever.


    She needed to carve him out of her worldpletely.


    Noreen squeezed her hand firmly. "Okay. You just focus on getting better. I''ll handle everything else."


    ...


    In a quiet corner of the hospital, Old Mrs. Quigley stared at Felix, her expression icy.


    "Are you satisfied now that it''se to this?"


    Felix''s jaw was tight, his lips pressed into a thin line.


    Old Mrs. Quigley pointed a finger at


    his


    own


    So furious she was


    speechless. Finally, she pounded t a few times in fretation.


    "How did I end up with such a worthless grandson!"


    "ire is such a wonderful girl, and you had to torture her like this! Don''t you have a conscience?"


    "Do you have any idea how many years I''ve been waiting for this child?"


    "All for that Madeline! You''d let ire suffer this much for that conniving little minx?"


    "Let me tell you, I will not let anyone who hurts ire get away with it! I don''t care who she is!"


    Felix, who had been silent, finally


    spoke his tone sounding like an


    exnation. "We don''t know


    facts yet. We can''t jump to conclu-"


    Before he could finish, Old Mrs. Quigley pped him across the face.


    It was a hard p.


    It left a clear handprint on his other cheek.


    Even so, her anger wasn''t spent. "Even now, you''re still defending that little tramp? I think you''re a lost cause!"


    "Get a divorce!" Old Mrs. Quigleymanded, her body trembling with rage. "ire deserves better! You don''t deserve her!"