Chapter 396

The puncture mark still had a faintly bluish hue, indicating it was recent.

Winnie found it strange and took a photo of Madam Rodriguez's back with her phone. She then gently asked, "Madam Rodriguez, have there been any changes in your body these past few days? Have you undergone any major examinations?"

"I'm fine," Madam Rodriguez replied, smiling. "As for examinations, I did have quite a few today."

Outside the room, Lawrence's brows twitched when he saw that she was about to ask about the examination. He shouted abruptly, "Winnie!"

Winnie turned around, phone in hand, to find Lawrence approaching. His furrowed brows suggested displeasure at her intrusion into the ward.

She paused and pursed her cherry lips. She had heard from Olivia that there might be something wrong with Madam Rodriguez, so she came to check on her out of concern. But with the resentful look from Lawrence, Winnie decided not to ask Madam Rodriguez anything more.

"Could you step outside for a moment?" Lawrence said in a low voice as he looked at her.

Winnie turned and walked out, closing the door gently behind her. With more than a meter between them, her cheeks flushed, clearly still running a low fever, and her eyes appeared somewhat weak.

Lawrence took big strides and touched her forehead, gently saying, "You are still sick, why did you come to visit my mother?"

"Sidney is getting an IV here, and I came along." Winnie replied, turning her face slightly away.

Lawrence's palm was left empty, his big hand tightening slightly. "What did you talk to my mother about?"

Winnie hesitated briefly, casting a gaze at him filled with a hint of amusement. "Are you still suspicious that I'm diagnosing your mother for you?"

"That's not what I meant." In truth, Lawrence was just worried.

Winnie furrowed her brow, and directly picked up her phone. "This is Madam Rodriguez's medical record. I also noticed a puncture mark on her lower back. Does she need any spinal injections or taps due to recent spinal issues? It doesn't seem to match her current condition hence why I asked her about it.'

Lawrence noticed the sizable needle mark and hesitated. Unsure when his mother had undergone a spinal tap, he grew apprehensive as Winnie brought up the spinal cord. The conversation now veered into dangerous territory, raising the fear that she might uncover his mother's leukemia.

Lawrence's gaze drifted away from the phone as he changed the subject. "It might have been a routine spinal exam conducted by Dr. Moore. I will ask him later. You don't have to worry about this situation. Mother's illness is now in the hands of experts, so you shouldn't be too concerned in the future."

Winnie hesitated, sensing the meaning behind his words. After all, he was still being cautious of her. That was what he meant after all.

Madam Rodriguez's illness didn't require her to perform any of her specialized medical treatments. Even though she saved Madam Rodriguez when she was kidnapped that night, he still remained cautious.

Winnie's heart sank slightly, and she pursed her lips, finally putting down her phone. "I understand. Then I won't meddle anymore. I'll leave now. By the way, Sidney wants to come back to the apartment with me."

Listening to her business-like tone, Lawrence's deep gaze turned heavy. "I'll take you both home."

"No need," Winnie refused directly; her pretty face expressionless.

Sidney sighed as he stood at the entrance of corridor, watching his parents in distress.

Lawrence still assertively caught up with them, firmly holding the woman's hand. "Winnie, can we not be like this? Don't be stubborn."

"Lawrence, you're overthinking it. What else can we do? It's right for you to be cautious," Winnie sarcastically remarked, exasperatedly.

Lawrence felt a prick in his chest. Just then, Bryan ran over with an elderly person following behind him. "Lawrence, this is Bob's deputy from Trento City. He heard that Madam Rodriguez has woken up and had sent him to visit."

Lawrence had no choice but to stop in his tracks. Winnie glanced at Bob's deputy, holding Sidney as she walked away.

The man's dark gaze retracted.

Dr. Moore sighed softly, "Mr. Rodriguez, you've kept Madam Rodriguez's illness a secret, but it seems that Winnie has misunderstood you. She must have imagined things and felt hurt."

But Lawrence had no choice. It was better for her to be slightly hurt than to find out about the leukemia. He considered the possibility that if his mother didn't recover and passed away, she would carry a heavy burden of guilt and heartbreak for the rest of her life. He didn't want any big issues to rise between them again.

Lawrence looked at the deputy, nobly nodding his head. "Please, go ahead."

In the hospital room, Madam Rodriguez had just been fed water by a nurse.

Lawrence entered with the deputy and cautiously said, "Mother, you were still unconscious earlier and didn't know that Bob from Trento City, my uncle, came to find me and acknowledge me as his relative."

Madam Rodriguez paused heavily, her face briefly showing an emotion she had buried deep inside - a secret she kept hidden in her heart, suddenly brought to light by her son. She was a very traditional woman and the sudden news caused her fingers to tremble awkwardly.

The deputy stepped forward and respectfully said in a low voice, "Madam Rodriguez, greetings. I am Commander Bob's deputy. The commander has acknowledged the young master's identity. It's a double blessing that you have awakened. The commander sent me specifically to bring gifts and visit you. Additionally, he hopes that the young master will return to Trento City soon. He now holds the reins of the Rodriguez family, and you will also have a good status in the future. One must assert oneself throughout their life, after all."

Bob didn't come personally to visit, probably out of consideration for Madam Rodriguez, given their previous relationship as in-laws. But by sending someone, he intended to persuade Lawrence through Madam Rodriguez. Lawrence understood his father's urgency very well.

After the deputy left, Madam Rodriguez fell into silence for a while.

From the wounded depths of her eyes, Lawrence seemed to read about his mother's life of endurance and the concealed affection Bob held for her. "Mother, don't you hate Bob for his mistake back then which resulted in you having me?"

Madam Rodriguez chuckled and shook her head. She had never loved anyone in her life. In her youth, she obeyed her family and married Blake, not expecting him to be a selfish brute. In order to force her into a divorce, so he could marry his crush, he had sent her into the hands of other men. More specifically, other people's beds.

It was Bob who secretly saved her, but at the same time, he had also made a mistake.

Blake dug his own grave, pressured by the family; he couldn't speak up. But he hated her for her supposed infidelity and betrayal, and he hated Lawrence even more. For over a decade, he tormented her and their son.

Madam Rodriguez, on the other hand, buried the secret for the sake of her son's status and Bob's career. She didn't disturb them, silently holding onto her suppressed feelings.

Unexpectedly, many years later, Bob discovered it himself.

Madam Rodriguez drew a deep breath, and a glimmer of resolve flickered in her frail eyes at last. "Son, I lived under Blake's neglect and caused you to grow up without fatherly love, and compromising your mental health. After all these years, perhaps you should break free from the past and return to your once bright position.

"As a mother, I naturally hope for your unmatched future. As you become stronger, you'll naturally be able to protect not only me and Winnie, but also your children, who will all be by your side. My wish is indeed to leave this humiliating vortex of Lymington."

She clenched her hands tightly, and Lawrence understood her intentions. After a lifetime of grievances, it was time for him to wash away the shame for his mother.

Thinking about her illness, maybe letting him return to Trento City was also her dying wish. A touch of sadness crossed Lawrence's eyes as he gently stroked his mother's hair and whispered softly, "Mother, you must stay with me for a very long time."

"It's only organ failure; taking care of me will surely make me better. Winnie's medicine is very effective; it even cured my forgetfulness. You must marry her soon, Lawrence. I only recognize her as my daughter-in-law. Find Oscar as soon as possible, don't let Winnie get angry. As long as I'm alive, I want to see Winnie give birth to another child for you." Madam Rodriguez's worries and anticipations were intertwined, and she smiled wholeheartedly.

Lawrence smiled bitterly, nodding as he replied, "Oscar holds the key to alleviating her burden. I realize I should also make more effort to support my wife and speak highly of her. I acknowledge that I've been neglectful toward her over the past three years."

"Now that you know the truth and see through Darcy, it's not too late. Behave yourself and Winnie will forgive you," Madam Rodriguez chuckled.

Lawrence blinked his profound eyes, let out a sigh, and walked out.

Jeremy was standing outside the corridor and as soon as he saw Lawrence come out, he immediately said, "Mr. Rodriguez, I have some new discoveries about Oscar!"