Chapter 342

Lawrence casually picked up the phone and Ray's annoyed voice came through, "Lawrence, where are you? Darcy got drunk at the bar to the point that her stomach is bleeding. Did you know that? She has been crying, saying that you didn't answer her calls. The bartender couldn't reach your phone either, so they called me. How can you treat your fiancée like this? Anyways, I'm taking her to the hospital for treatment now."

Lawrence was taken aback, his brows furrowed, and his voice turning cold. "I'll be there right away." After he hung up the phone, he turned to look at Winnie's tightly closed apartment door and had no choice but to send a text message to the woman: "Please take care of Sidney for me."

He then hurriedly made his way to the elevator.

At the hospital, Darcy received a few freshly taken photos from Barbara, and they ignited a fury so intense she felt like spitting blood. The location in the photos was unmistakably Winnie's apartment building. Lawrence was captured embracing that despicable woman on the balcony, engaged in passionate kisses. Darcy dug her nails deep into her palms, and her entire body pulsating with anger. She had called Lawrence so many times, hoping to plead for the Ordelia family, yet he never answered.

Earlier in the afternoon, she had rushed back to Jasmine Manor, only to find out that he had already taken Sidney out, deliberately avoiding and ignoring her. This alone was infuriating but what infuriated her even more was his decision to not help the Ordelia family, opting instead to join forced with that powerful and despicable woman, kissing and embracing her. The audacity reached its peak with a family reunion too. Darcy's eyes bulged in disbelief as she tore up the photos.

Ray's footsteps echoed, prompting her to grip the bedside tightly as she weakly vomited.

"Darcy..." Ray rushed in, looking shocked.

Teary eyed, Darcy helplessly said, "Ray, I feel so hopeless. Mr. Rodriguez won't help the Ordelia family so does that mean he doesn't want me anymore?"

Half an hour later, Lawrence arrived at the hospital. Ray's face remained calm as he observed Lawrence walking in.

Darcy lay pale and asleep on the bed, a lingering tear at the corner of her eye.

"How is she?" Lawrence asked Ray.

"She had her stomach pumped urgently, underwent minimally invasive surgery, and the anesthesia hasn't worn off yet." Ray explained with an impatient look. Recalling Darcy's request, he suppressed his temper, stood up and walked toward Lawrence with a raised eyebrow. "Let's find a place to sit and talk," he suggested.

Ray had the bartender pour two shots of strong vodka. Lawrence downed his drink, and Ray stared at him, his gaze ice-cold.

Lawrence let out a sigh. "Ray, what are you thinking?"

"What do you mean, 'what am I thinking'? Don't think that I don't know you were at Winnie's with Sidney tonight. If Darcy finds out too, have you ever considered how heartbroken she would be?"

Lawrence hesitated for a moment with conflicting thoughts passing through his head. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Of course not." Ray rolled his eyes and said indignantly, "Darcy is a fragile woman, so pure and kind. Just think about how much has she sacrificed for you. Seven years ago, she quietly saved you from a functioning neurological disorder. Then three years later, she saved you again and even donated a kidney to your mother. I would be more than willing to marry such a woman, but you are so heartless. Why didn't you help her when her father and the Ordelia Group got into trouble?"

A trace of complexity flashed in Lawrence's eyes, and a cold expression formed on his face. Seeing his silence, Ray's tone turned harsh. "Is it because of Winnie? Is her uncle being a prisoner the reason you're reluctant to assist the Ordelia family?"

"Ray, if you understood the case, you would know right from wrong. Darcy's parents' behavior in this incident had been so appalling that I am ashamed. Even Darcy's character has given me... doubts."

"You can't possibly doubt Darcy." Ray immediately shook his head. "It's impossible. I believe in Darcy! Even if her parents actually did harm Elliott, she has nothing to do with it. She was crying just now, begging me to explain to you and saying how afraid she was that you wouldn't marry her anymore. Do you still love her? You wouldn't really be swayed by Winnie's seduction and have such thoughts, right?"

Lawrence's gaze turned icy and intense. Remembering that moment in the apartment, when he kissed Winnie without any rationality, he wondered if he had fallen under Winnie's influence again after three years. He broke out in a cold sweat, feeling lost. When the divorce papers were thrown in his face, he didn't think about marrying Darcy. Instead, he felt infinite frustration. The state of confusion in his heart was becoming increasingly difficult for him to comprehend.

Seeing the man's expression, Ray's face turned dark, and he cursed, "Great, now you're wavering between two women? Grow up! Three years ago, Winnie abandoned you, her husband, and her child. Oh, did you forgot about your deceased child? And what about Darcy? What part of her doesn't deserve your love? She has been by your side for over a decade, wholeheartedly devoted to your family. Even if she made a small mistake, can't you tolerate her?

"Lawrence, it was you who wanted to get engaged in the first place, and Darcy has also sacrificed three years for you. She's no longer young, and if you reject her, how will she navigate the social circles of Trento City and Lymington? She's incredibly fragile; rejection could drive her to contemplate the unthinkable. Tonight's events are just the beginning of what she might do."

Ray observed the man's complex and somber expression, unable to resist issuing a warning, "You know very well that you are responsible for her. So, rein in your desires and be faithful." He looked at him with a knowing gaze that men understood too well.

Lawrence tightly gripped the wine glass in his hand, feeling suffocated as if there was a heavy hammer pressing on his heart. Unaware of when the decision of marrying Darcy had gradually shifted from voluntary to pressured, he also found himself uncertain of when his flirtation with Winnie had caused him to lose his sense of guilt toward Darcy.

At that point, both Jeremy and Ray had asked him if he loved Darcy. Before Winnie's return, he believed he loved Darcy, fueled by a desire to retaliate against Winnie. However, once Winnie came back, the heartbeat he felt when being close to her surpassed anything he had experienced while living with Darcy. It couldn't withstand the comparison.

Nevertheless, as Ray pointed out, once the arrow was released from the bow, there was no turning back. A woman's youth couldn't be compensated for, and Darcy's favors felt like binding ropes.

Lawrence's slender fingers traced the outline of the divorce certificate in his pocket, sensing an inexplicable pain. He forcefully closed his eyes, contemplating whether he should refrain from provoking Winnie any further. It wasn't fair to either woman.

He returned to the hospital room and Darcy immediately rose from the bed with red-rimmed eyes. "I didn't intend to get drunk. I couldn't reach you no matter how I tried, and you didn't come home. I was really scared, so I impulsively went to drink"

Barbara, who stood beside her, also wept. "Ms. Darcy, you heart has endured so much! There was pressure from the Ordelia family regarding Mr. Ordelia's incident, urging you to plead with Mr. Rodriguez However, knowing Mr. Rodriguez's temper, you just silently bore it all on your own."

Lawrence saw the maid and mistress crying together, but his heartache for Darcy wasn't particularly intense. Perhaps having cried so many times, he gradually developed immunity and annoyance toward it.

Darcy keenly sensed his indifference and immediately signaled Barbara to not say anything anymore. She weakly climbed out of bed, stumbled toward the man, and hugged him. "Mr. Rodriguez, I know that the Ordelia Group's reputation has been tarnished in your eyes, but children should not be punished for their parent's mistakes. I truly am innocent. It's me, not the Ordelia family, who wants to marry you.

"After loving you for so many years, will you still marry me?"