Reborn, Reawakened, Rekindled novel Chapter 638

"Louis, maybe you should think about seeing a therapist," I suggested before hanging up the phone.

Louis went on a calling spree, bombarding me with calls until I couldn't take it anymore and blocked him. But my thoughts quickly shifted to my dad, who had just landed in Ylandia. I was worried about him running into Russel and hoped he'd come back soon.

"Don't worry, Russel's all alone over there, and I can't just leave him like this, especially after his surgery. I'll come back after a couple of days, once I know he's okay," Dad insisted over the phone, his voice laden with guilt. He always felt he owed Russel, a feeling that I shared too.

Neil had helped me out before, and I could justify that as him making things up to me, but Russel owed me nothing. Yet, he had given so much, often of his own volition, and it weighed on my conscience.

"Alright, but you have Ali's number, right? Call her if you need anything. She should be able to help," I advised, hoping to ease my worries.

"Will do," Dad replied.

On the day of Russel's surgery, Dad texted me that it went relatively well, but the recovery was still up in the air. As we were chatting, the doorbell rang. The maid went to check and came back with a message, "Ms. Finch, there's a Mr. Whitmore here to see you."

My heart skipped a beat. Neil? Why was he back already without telling me?

"Let him in," I directed the maid. I hadn't been in touch with Neil for a few days, and his sudden return made me anxious. Did something go wrong with Hiram's situation?

I didn't know how to feel. It had been a while since I last saw Neil. He walked in, shedding his black coat and handing it off to the maid.

"Why are you back so suddenly?" I asked, my brow furrowed.

"We had to put a pause on things overseas," Neil replied, looking a bit worn with dark circles under his eyes but still managing to look presentable.

He took a seat close to me, his gaze intense, "How are you feeling? Any discomfort?"

I was concerned about Hiram, but Neil's first worry was my health.

"I'm okay. The poison on Karina's needle was mostly rubbed off by my clothes. If she had targeted my neck, it would've been a different story," I said, touching my neck, still shaken by the thought.

Neil frowned in silence, processing my words.

Curiosity about Hiram's situation bubbled up, but I didn't want to seem indifferent to Neil's concerns, so I shifted the topic to Faith, "Is Faith with you?"

"No," he replied, surprising me.

"We were discussing something important," I offered as an excuse, avoiding the real reason for my discomfort.

Neil scoffed, "Is this how you thank me? Keeping secrets about Hiram and now this..."

"If Karina hadn't confessed, were you planning to keep it from me forever? I've shown you trust, and yet, you guard against me at every turn," Neil continued, his frustration evident.

I was taken aback, "What trust?"

"If I had wanted to, I could've easily pushed for a DNA test for the kids. But I chose to trust you. Maybe it's because I'm afraid of the truth, afraid that the kids aren't mine. Not knowing allows me to hold onto hope," Neil confessed, his voice softening.

His words left me speechless, contemplating the delicate balance of trust and fear that defined our relationship.

"You have no idea, when Karina went public about the baby, how thrilled I was to hear the news."

I didn't know what to say. After a moment of silence, I sighed, "Neil, I have to admit, I was shaken when we were expecting our first child. If she had made it, maybe I would have told you, but she didn't survive. It felt like fate."

Neil scoffed, "That was not fate. That was you deciding to face it all alone."