Chapter 504
When There Is Nothing Left But Love
I nodded and took a deep breath. Having calmed down slightly, I asked Hannah, âWhere are you now?
Send me your address, and Iâll come over right away.â
âOK!â
After weâd ended the call, I found Ashton looking at me anxiously. âWhatâs going on?â
âI think Hannahâs going into labor. Thereâs no one with her right now, so Iâm going over,â I said, already
making a beeline to my wardrobe to change.
When I had finished, I saw Ashton waiting for me at the door with his car keys in hand.
I was startled but had no time to question him. We immediately got into the car and headed off towards
the address Hannah had given.
On the way, I began dialing John. None of my calls were successful.
âWhy isnât John picking up?â I fretted.
Ashton continued driving, his eyes fixed serenely on the road. âDonât get all flustered yet.â
I knew that I had to compose myself but couldnât keep my hands from shaking. Hannahâs baby was
only seven or eight months old. How can she suddenly be going into labor? Something must have gone
wrong.
It was precisely at this crucial moment that John had chosen to go missing.
I considered briefly and decided to give Louis a call. It was quiet on his end of the line. Louisâ rich voice
came through clearly. âScarlett, whatâs up?â
âUncle Louis, whereâs John? I think Hannahâs going into labor now. Can you reach him?â I asked
hurriedly.
Louis paused, then said, âIâll look into it. Howâs Hannah doing?â
I shook my head instinctively, then replied, âIâm still on my way over to her. I donât know yet.â
âAll right. Donât fret, my dear. Let me worry about getting in touch with John. Focus on getting Hannah
to the hospital as soon as you can. Donât worry!â Louis said comfortingly.
I nodded. Ashton was speeding rather wildly down the roads. He wrinkled his brow as if he was
ponding over something.
âWhatâs wrong?â I prompted.
âIt says here that Hannahâs location is in the alley. My car wonât be able to enter. Iâll have to go down to
take a look,â he said, immediately parking the car. He swung his legs out and headed straight towards
the alley.
When we finally found Hannah, she was lying in the yard with a puddle of blood forming beneath her.
She looked rather dazed and on the verge of passing out.
When Hannah saw us, she heaved a sigh of relief. Then she fainted dead away without saying a word.
Upon our arrival at the hospital, Hannah was quickly wheeled into the ER. It was only then that I let out
the breath Iâd been holding ever since the call came.
I turned back to look at Ashton, only to see streaks of blood all over his body. His hands seemed
dipped in red.
When he saw my look of horror, he glanced down at his dreadful state. He then commented ruefully,
âIâm fine! Iâll go back and take a shower soon.â
My legs were trembling slightly from the shock, and I crumpled onto a chair along the hallway. I quickly
clung to Ashton once Iâd partially recovered my wits.
The terror from the last time I experienced a miscarriage washed over me like a flood, leaving me
floundering.
Ashton embraced me, consoling, âDonât worry, nothing bad is going to happen.â
After the fear had subsided, I remembered my original mission. I took out my phone and called John
again. It rang for ages before someone picked up.
It was a womanâs voice, however, that answered. âHello, Mr. Stovall is currently in the shower. Please
call him again later.â
Yvonne? The voice sounded incredibly familiar.
âGet John on the line,â I replied coolly.
There was silence on the other end for a while. âAre you Ms. Stovall?â
I was immensely annoyed, and my voice hardened. âGet John on the line,â I repeated.
Yvonne seemed to have discerned my displeasure. She stuttered, âMs. Stovall, Mr. Stovallâs really in
the shower right now. Iâll be sure to get him to call you back. Is that OK?â
I refused to dignify her with a response. I flung the phone away from me without even hanging up.
The phone was rather hardy and survived that sudden bout of violence, clattering onto the floor with
only a cracked screen.
Wordlessly, Ashton got up and retrieved the phone. He deftly extracted the memory card, then casually
tossed the phone away.
Using his own phone, Ashton dialed Joseph. Joseph arrived in no time at all, bearing an entirely new
phone.
I sat for a while longer, steadying my nerves.
Ashton handed the new phone to me, then gestured towards the door of the ER. âAre you tired?â
It was already one oâclock in the morning.
I shook my head resolutely. âIâm not tired.â
After another few moments of silence, Ashton tugged at my sleeve and said, âPromise me that you
wonât let anyone get to you, OK?â
Donât I already know that? I shouldnât allow anyone to get to me, butâ¦
âI canât help myself! No matter how awful Hannah is, John was still the last one who had her. The child
is his! Even now, heâs still messing around with another woman! Iâ¦â
I was mid-rant when Louis charged in. Seeing Ashton and I seated there with John nowhere in sight, he
demanded, âWhereâs your brother?â
âHe must be dead!â I said scornfully.
It was the first time I had ever been rude to Louis. When I realized what Iâd just said, I immediately
froze.
I looked up at Louis. He was gazing back at me with an unreadable expression on his face.
My immediately assumed that he was about to reprimand me.
However, he suddenly chortled. âMy dear, what in the world are you saying?â
Iâ¦
I took a deep breath and explained, âI donât think Johnâs going to make it.â
Then I continued rather impulsively, saying, âUncle Louis, Hannahâs still a part of the Stovall family after
all. Johnâs utterly irresponsible, but if this child is born, what will everyone else think of the Stovall
family?â