Chapter 479

Chapter 479 Only When They Need Something

“I’m fine. I just got a little too emotional, that’s all. I’m feeling much better now,” Dad said, sounding rather weak as he stared at me with his face all pale.

Seeing him in such a state only made me feel even worse. Tears rolled down my cheeks, and my eyes were filled with pain as I yelled at him, “You nearly scared me to death, Dad! What will Mom and I do if something were to happen to you?”

While he was inside the emergency room, I feared that the doctors would come out and tell me that they failed to save him.

Dad had always been a man of few words. but that wasn’t the case this time. After hearing what I said, he forced a smile at me and said with a serious expression, “Anna, if you truly want me to be fine, then help your brother out. He really can’t afford to go to prison. Your mom and I are very old now. What will we do if your brother gets locked up in prison?”

Just like that, Dad shifted the topic of the conversation back toward Steven. Honestly, it was quite difficult for me to refuse his request, especially when I saw the state he was in. I knew he wanted to get Steven out of prison, but there was nothing much I could do about that.

Unable to face that pleading look in his eyes, I averted my gaze as I replied, “Please stop forcing me, Dad! Steven is my brother! Do you think I’d let him go to prison if I had a choice?”

Do they think I’m not worried about Steven? He’s my freaking brother! While our relationship may not have been the most pleasant, we are still family, and blood is thicker than water! As much as I dislike him, I wouldn’t just sit by and watch as he gets locked up in prison!

“Look at the state I’m in, Anna! Are you still not going to help your brother out? Do you want to watch your parents die? How will your mom and I live on if your brother gets sent to prison?” Dad asked while staring at me in agony.

This was the first time I had ever seen Dad shed a tear. Being his daughter, it hurt me deeply to see him cry.

With my eyes all reddened, I quickly looked the other way. I had to avoid his gaze as I feared I would end up making promises I couldn’t keep.

“I’m sorry, Dad. There really is nothing I can do about this…” I said while sobbing.

I have to stand firm on this no matter what Mom and Dad say. I’m not sure if the Shaw family will agree to stop pursuing this matter if I go beg them, but I have no right to do so. Josephine has been in a vegetative state for a year now, so there’s no way they’d easily forgive Steven for this. He screwed up big time, so he has to take responsibility for his actions.

Dad’s eyes were filled with anger as he shouted at me, “You seriously won’t help your brother? Do you want to drive your mom and me to death?”

“You must be hungry after sleeping for so long, Dad. I’ll go buy you some food.”

Not wanting to continue the conversation any further, I stood up and ran out of the ward after saying that.

My tears started flowing uncontrollably the moment I closed the door behind me. I was running so fast that I ended up crashing into a guy as I made my way around a corner.

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Not wanting anyone to see me in such a terrible state, I quickly lowered my head and apologized without even getting a clear look at the man’s face.

“What happened, Anna? Were you crying?” the man asked in a gentle voice.

I looked up and saw Ronan staring at me with a worried frown on his face.

“Oh, it’s you…”

I breathed a sigh of relief when I realized that I had bumped into Ronan.

“What happened to you? Why are you at a hospital? Are you feeling unwell?” Ronan asked anxiously while eyeing me from head to toe.

“No, it’s my dad. He had a heart attack and got admitted into the hospital last night.”

I knew Ronan was worried about me, so I decided to tell him the truth.

The frown on Ronan’s face loosened up a little as he asked, “Mr. Garcia is hospitalized? How is he now? Is his condition serious?”

“He’s fine now. He came to a while ago. I’m heading out to buy him some food right now.”

I kept my head low while talking to Ronan as I didn’t want him to see me in my current state.

“I’ll go with you and keep you company. You must be in a terrible mood right now,” Ronan said as he followed behind me.

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll go by myself.”

Unsure if there had been any changes in Ronan’s feelings toward me, I instinctively tried to keep my distance from him.

“Why are you still avoiding me like you did a year ago?” he asked with a lighthearted chuckle, but I could hear a hint of bitterness in his tone.

I looked up at him and saw that he still had that devilish smile on his face. However, he no longer looked like the carefree guy he was when we first met.

Ronan already knows it’s impossible for us to be together, so rejecting such offers from him is just plain cruel. Besides, he might’ve already moved on. Maybe I’m just overthinking things here.

With that in mind, I said, “Let’s go.”

Having gotten the green light, Ronan broke into a wide grin and walked side by side with me. Although Ronan didn’t change much in terms of his appearance, he was giving off a much more mature vibe than he did a year ago.

“I heard your brother got arrested.”

Ronan spoke up after a prolonged moment of silence, and Steven’s case was the first thing he mentioned.

Everything I had been hearing since last night was about Steven. For some reason, I really didn’t want to talk about it at the time.

“I know. That’s what my parents came to me about,” I replied with a sigh.

The stress from not knowing what to do was driving me insane.

“I figured as much. Your parents only come to you whenever they need something, don’t they? I don’t think they ever show up in front of you otherwise.”

Ronan didn’t sound surprised at all. It was as if he already anticipated my answer.