Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 580

Hearing Neil compliment me felt like stepping into unfamiliar territory, given that it was the first time he had openly praised me.

Instantly, Hiram started winking and grinning at me, as if teasing me about my interaction with Neil.

"Ms. Finch, this is the first time I've ever heard my dad compliment a girl. He never even compliments my mom!" Hiram blurted out with the innocence typical of his age.

"Cough, cough!" Neil immediately coughed twice, causing Hiram to shrink back a bit, realizing he might have crossed a line. He quickly bowed his head down to his trading cards, pretending as if nothing had happened.

I was genuinely surprised. Logically, Hiram should be rooting for Karina and Neil to be together. No matter how nice I was to him, I couldn't replace his mom.

But lately, I'd noticed that he seemed to be subtly trying to play matchmaker between Neil and me.

If Karina found out, she would be livid, wouldn't she?

"What brings you here today?" Neil approached me, suggesting we step outside to talk.

Glancing at Hiram, who was now deeply engrossed in his cards and looking pitifully thin and pale from chemotherapy, with a cap covering his hair loss, my heart ached for him.

Once we were outside the room, I asked Neil, "Haven't you found a suitable bone marrow donor yet?"

Talking about this seemed to irritate Neil. His brows furrowed, and he spoke softly, "We found one."

A wave of relief washed over me, "Really? Then why haven't you scheduled the surgery?"

"Hiram’s body is facing some issues that need to be addressed first," Neil’s words puzzled me. The biggest issue Hiram faced was leukemia. A successful transplant could potentially allow him to grow up healthy and safe.

What else could be wrong?

Neil then shared something that left me stunned, "He seems to have been malnourished for a long time and has taken some medication that stunted his growth, making him smaller than his peers. We need to get his health back on track before we can proceed with the transplant."

I felt confused but had a sneaking suspicion.

Karina had recently given Hiram some medication he shouldn’t have taken. Could it be she had been doing this all along?

"Was it Karina?" It was the only conclusion I could draw, even though she was his biological mother.

"I can't be sure, as Hiram has denied it," Neil shook his head.

Anger surged within me. It seemed Hiram had endured not just emotional abuse but physical harm as well. No wonder Karina was so careless with his diet, allowing him to drink soda instead of eating proper meals. She clearly didn’t care about his health.

In contrast, Neil seemed more composed.

"It has to be Karina!" I was almost certain, my words tinged with venom. "She’s heartless. I can’t understand how she could be a parent. At any rate, I won’t let her hurt Hiram again."

As we continued, Hiram’s expression turned sullen, "Ms. Finch, please stop asking."

"Hiram, I'm just worried about you," I sighed.

"I know, but my mom wouldn't hurt me. She said once I get better, she'll take me away from here. I agreed," Hiram said, looking down, his voice tinged with sadness, "Even though it's hard to leave you all, it's for the best."

His words were far too mature for his age, leaving me speechless.

"Hiram, I won't get back together with your dad. So you shouldn't force yourself to leave if you don't want to," I started, driven by emotion, but then I stopped, caught in a whirl of complicated feelings.

What could I possibly offer him? Hiram still didn’t know he wasn’t Neil’s biological son, and once he recovered, Neil might not want to keep him.

Could I really expect to keep Hiram from leaving with Karina and take his place as his parent, caring for him as if he were my own child?

I had to admit to myself that I couldn't do it. It wasn't just because Hiram wasn't my biological child. There was another reason, and that reason was Karina, his birth mother.

The thought of entangling my life with Karina's once more was something I wanted to avoid at all costs.

Hiram looked at me with eyes full of hope, shining like black diamonds, and I felt a searing sensation, forcing myself to look away. I knew exactly what he was hoping for.

Hiram wasn't naive. He knew what he had gone through, even if he always stood by Karina, probably because he couldn't bring himself to admit that he had been hurt.