The Sway and Slide of Love

Hendrix stood just outside the hospital room.

He was dressed in black again today. He seemed thinner, and his features were more defined. And combined with his tall, commanding figure, he gave off an intense sense of oppression.

But Noelle wasn't intimidated in the slightest. She simply stood calmly in front of him.

Hendrix swept his gaze over her from head to toe, then asked, "When did you go see my mother?"

Noelle didn't answer.

His voice tightened. "Do you know how old she is this year?"

"I know."

"And you're still going to let her go through with this surgery?"

Noelle remained silent for a moment before slowly curling her lips into a faint smile. "Then, do you know how old Rosie is this year?"

Hendrix frowned.

"She's two and a half years old. Or to be exact, she's 29 months and 7 days old," she said. "The doctor told me that now is the best time for her treatment. So, Mr. Freeman, what do you think I should do? Should I just stand by and watch her—"

Noelle couldn't continue. She had always found superstitions ridiculous and never believed in them. But when it came to her own child, she couldn't help but believe.

She had even lost count of how many times she had prayed to God during those dark days. The word "die" was something she couldn't even bring herself to utter.

Hendrix stared at her for a long moment before asking, "So, that's your excuse for forcing my mother into this surgery?

"I'm sorry, but I had no other choice."

Noelle didn't feel the need to explain to him, nor could she be bothered. After all, Beatrice had already signed the surgery consent form. And since no one could force Hendrix to undergo the surgery, neither could he stop Beatrice from doing it.

So, Noelle had nothing left to say to him at this point.

She had already turned away, but in the next moment, Hendrix asked, "What if I told you that consent form is useless, even if it's signed?"

His words made Noelle stop in her tracks. Then, she slowly turned back to face him,

Hendrix chuckled softly and held up a document. "This is a psychiatric evaluation I had my mother done a while ago. According to it, she has mental issues that disqualify her from surgery."

Noelle's expression instantly changed. She rushed forward and snatched the document from his hand.

It bore Beatrice's name, indeed, and below it was a doctor's diagnosis, which read, "Unable to live independently. Requires a guardian to bear significant responsibilities."noveldrama

Noelle's fingers tightened around the paper, her eyes locking onto him.

"Why?" she asked in a trembling voice. "Why would you—"

"You should remember, right? When this report was first made, you were still pregnant," Hendrix said. "Back then, I thought she was planning to with Nathan to go against

team up

me, so had this prepared as a precaution. Thing is, I never

expected it would come in handy

now."

"This is fake," Noelle said. She was trembling uncontrollably, but her voice was

firm.

Hendrix met her gaze, then said, "There's a doctor signature and an official hospital seal. What makes you so sure it's fake?"

"Because it was fake from the beginning!" Noelle said through gritted teeth. "You forged it!"