Chapter 60 The Hollowness She Left Behind
The door clicked shut behind Tess.
Once again, she had no home.
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Tess was determined not to drag anyone else down with her, even if it meant sleeping on the streets with La in her arms.
Bessie offered, “I’ll walk you to the bus stop.”
The two of them walked in silence until they reached the station. Before getting on, Bessie turned back and gave a fewst words of concern, her voice filled with worry.
Tess nodded along with a grateful smile, watching as the bus pulled away before finally turning to leave.
She took La straight to the Lock Group Private Hospital.
Charles had already done more than enough for her. She didn’t want to burden him any further.
Still, she knew that if Charles found out she was leaving, he’d try everything to stop her.
To avoid that, she handed the keys to the front desk nurse and asked her to pass them on to Charles.
And with that, Tess walked out, carrying La in her arms.
The nurse nced down at the keys in her hand, then made her way toward Charles’s room.
But just as she reached the door, it opened from the inside–and she nearly bumped into Zane.
She gave
him a polite nod, then stepped inside.
Charles was sitting up, his eyes vacant and unfocused.
The nurse hesitated for a moment, then held out the key.
“Mr. Jackman, Ms. Ember asked me to give this to you.”
A flicker of light sparked in Charles’s eyes. He stared at the key as it slowly came into focus-
his house key.
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Chapter 60 The Hollowness She Left Behind
He suddenly bolted upright. “Where is she?”
Startled, the nurse answered truthfully, “S–she just left.”
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Charles threw back the covers and tried to get up. But he was still hooked <i>to </i>an IV, and the nurse rushed forward to stop him. “Mr. Jackman, you can’t! You’re still on fluids!”
She couldn’t hold him down alone and had to call for help. Several nurses and a doctor came running in.
Eventually, Charles copsed back onto the bed, utterly drained. His eyes were hollow and dull.
The nurse wrung her hands; she seemed torn. “Mr. Jackman, I know you want to find Ms. Ember, but please be patient. You’ll likely be discharged tomorrow.”
Charles was unconvinced, his face pale and unreadable.
“Did she say anything else?” His voice was hoarse, almost breaking.
The nurse shook her head. “No… nothing.”
The small spark in his eyes dimmed outpletely.
Of course. He should’ve known.
No wonder she had acted so strange that day.
Tess had probably decided to leave just so she wouldn’t burden him any further.
His hands curled into fists as his mind reyed the earlier conversation with Zane.
-m
That man
stood awkwardly beside his bedside, struggling to ry a message.
“If you’ve got something to say, just say it,” Charles had told him.
At those words, Zane stopped beating around the bush. “Mr. Lock has a few questions for you.”
Charles wasn’t surprised. With his hands folded calmly in hisp, he waited in silence.
“Your rtionship with Mrs. Lock,” Zane began, “and the child is she Mr. Lock’s?”
Two questions, both exactly as Charles had expected.
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Chapter 60 The Hollowness She Left Behind
“Our rtionship?” He gave a slight pause, then answered with a wry smile.
“Does mutual affection count?”
He nced sideways, the corners of his mouth curling with quiet sarcasm.
He had once thought he could treat Finn as just another boss.
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Back when Tess was imprisoned for allegedly stealing confidential files from Lock Group, Charles hadn’t known all the details. But he had never doubted her character–or the sincerity of her love for Finn.
How was that possible? Anyone might have leakedpany secrets, but not Tess. She would never do anything to harm Lock Group.
The next time they met was outside aw firm. Max was harassing her.
A child at her side–one who bore a striking resemnce to Finn.
And yet that same woman–kind, loyal, and once full of promise–had been driven to the streets by Finn himself.
Charles clenched his fists at the thought.
Zane, taken aback by the bluntness, warned him with a sharp look, “Mr. Jackman, I suggest you tread carefully. Provoking Mr. Lock won’t benefit you.”
Charles shut his eyes for a beat.
He already knew what it was like to be on Finn’s bad side–he was 30 million in debt because of it.
“So tell me,” he said with a cold smile, “is it you who can’t handle the truth or Mr. Lock?”
Zane broke into a nervous sweat.
He gave Charles a long, uneasy stare.
Was this gentleman really the same man he used to know? The once–shy rookie, who had grown into the polished andposed lead attorney–Zane had seen him shine in court, always eloquent and restrained,
But now there was something different about him. A razor–sharp edge, like thorns beneath his usual calm.
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Chapter 60 The Hollowness She Left Behind
“And the child?” Zane pressed, forcing his voice to remain steady,
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“She’s not his,” Charles said tly. He lifted a hand and gestured toward the door, left slightly ajar. “If that’s all, you can go.”
“Then whose child is she?” Zane asked quickly.
Charles gave a cold chuckle. “That’s none of your business.”
He turned his face away, clearly done with the conversation.
Zane realized he’d hit a wall. With nothing left to ask, he ced a file on the nightstand and quietly walked out.
The memory ended there. Charles stared down at the house key still clenched in his palm, the jagged edges pressing faint red lines into his skin.
She was gone.
And with her, she took the light–leaving a void in his heart.<fn7f01> ???s ??????? ?s ?????? ?? F?nd-Novel</fn7f01>
He reached for the file Zane had left behind. Inside was a torn contract–the same breach of agreement he’d once signed.
Attached was a formal statement: Lock Group will no longer pursue legal action against Charles Jackman and is prepared to invest substantially in Jackman Legal.
Beneath it was a nk check.
Charles held the check between his fingers, a bitter smile spreading across his face. For the first time, he truly felt the weight of his helplessness.
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