Billionaire Lawyer's Secretary - Chapter 168: Chapter 168

Janice collapsed by the bed, having gone into shock.
Hearing the commotion, Alex rushed into the bedroom. Seeing Janice on the floor, he quickly checked her condition. "Elara, call 911!"
Alex lifted Janice onto his back and made his way quickly to the door. Elara called 911 for an ambulance, grabbed Janice's phone in a hurry, and followed Alex out. The ambulance arrived soon. Inside, the medical staff gave Janice oxygen and first aid.
Elara held Janice's hand tightly, silently crying beside her, guilt overwhelming her. 'I shouldn't have stayed away from home just because I was angry these past few days,' she berated herself.
'She's my mom, my closest family. She can scold me all she wants, as long as she's okay. Please, just let Mom be alright. She's just sick. She didn't mean those hurtful things. I should've tried harder to understand her.'
Ever since she was little, every time she and her mom fought, Janice would always end up having some kind of accident, big or small. Elara could never figure out why it always seemed to happen right after their arguments.
Car accidents, jumping out of windows, falling down the stairs, taking the wrong medicine, and so on. This had already formed a pattern. That was why Alex was so anxious and rushed over immediately.
Elara felt like it was her stubbornness that caused all this, and she started doubting herself and blaming herself all over again. 'It's all my fault. I just keep hurting her. ' She thought. "Mom, it's all my fault. I'm to blame for everything."
Alex gently patted Elara's shoulder. "Elara, don't cry. It's going to be alright."
Elara choked back her tears. "When... when did she start having high blood pressure?"
"I only found out the day before yesterday, and..." Alex hesitated, not wanting to upset her further.
At the hospital, the bed carrying Janice rushed into the emergency room. Elara sat numbly on a chair outside, her face pale and streaked with tears. A chilly draft swept through the hallway, and Elara couldn't stop sneezing. She hugged herself, trying to keep warm.
The temperature had dropped sharply today, and Elara was only wearing a thin shirt. She was already coming down with a cold, and now her lips had turned blue from the freezing air.
Alex took off his suit jacket, draped it over her shoulders, and then sat down beside her.
She thought about refusing, but the warmth from the jacket made her fall silent—she was just too cold to say no.
Alex sat quietly beside her. He spotted a vending machine at the end of the hallway, so he walked over and grabbed some milk and bread.
Here, you need to eat something. We don't know how long we'll have to wait, he said, handing them to her.
Elara didn't hesitate. She took them, tore open the wrapper, and started chewing the bread. She felt a lot calmer now. "You should go back to work. I'll just have Julian and Ruby come keep me company later."
Alex was supposed to fly to Wainlomred for a business trip today, but he changed his plans at the last minute. "It's okay. I'll stay here and wait with you."
"You don't have to..." Elara wanted to refuse him when the emergency room doors suddenly swung open. "Is Janice's family here?" a doctor called out.
Elara immediately jumped to her feet. "Here! That's me."
"She has regained consciousness, but since she just had bypass surgery, her condition is still unstable..." the doctor informed her.
But Elara barely registered the rest of what the doctor was saying—her mind was buzzing, and everything sounded distant. "Wait, did you just say my mom had bypass surgery?"
"Yes, didn't you know? Aren't you her family?"
Nancy didn't know how to explain it.
Alex gently squeezed her wrist, telling her with his eyes not to get caught up in that right now. "So, will she need to stay in the hospital for observation?"
"Her blood pressure has come down now. It was likely the lack of rest and emotional stress that caused it to spike, and since she just had major surgery, her body is still recovering—that's why she went into shock.
"We'll keep her in the emergency room for another half hour to monitor her. If there are no complications, she can be moved to a regular ward. Please wait outside a bit," the doctor explained.
Alex nodded. "Okay." He guided Elara, who was still in shock, to sit down beside him. "It's good she's out of danger. Don't worry, she'll be fine."
"My mom went through such a major surgery, and I didn't even know. I even argued with her. I..." Elara's voice trembled.
"Elara, this isn't your fault. Ms. Langton just didn't tell you."
Elara felt a sharp pain in her chest. "Why didn't she tell me? Alex, does she even think of me as her daughter? She didn't even tell me something so important."
"Ms. Langton might not always handle things the right way, but deep down, she loves you. She probably didn't tell you because she didn't want you to worry."
Elara shook her head in despair. "It's all my fault. I argued with her, and I didn't come home. I left her all alone at home right after her surgery."
She was crying her heart out, the light in her eyes fading away bit by bit.
It was like Alex was seeing Elara as a lost teenager again. Back then, when her parents' relationship was at its worst, he used to see her standing outside her house, looking so lost and alone.
She'd be in her high school uniform, ponytail swinging, standing under the sycamore tree in the yard, listening to her mom yelling inside.
Alex would show up in the yard and pull her out of that place for a bit. He'd take her out for a walk or grab some late-night snacks together.
If her parents were fighting all night, Alex would even let her crash at his place. Those couple of years were when they got close, and that's when Elara started to lean on him.
Alex watched as Elara's shoulders shook with silent sobs, his heart twisting with pain. It had been years since he'd seen her like this. Ever since they moved abroad, he and Elara had spent almost every day together, while Janice lived alone in Andria.
With her and her mother apart, there were fewer fights, and her personality had visibly brightened. But now, she looked just like that helpless, self-blaming, self-doubting teenager she used to be.
She kept talking, "Alex, I love her. You know that better than anyone. I really do. But being with her just hurts so much. I have no idea what to do anymore.
"I thought maybe if I just kept my distance, things would be easier for both of us. But every time, something bad always happens to her. Why is it like this? Maybe... maybe I was never meant to exist in the first place."
Alex reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder. "No, don't think like that. She only says those things when she's upset. She brought you into this world—of course, she loves you. She just doesn't know how to show it, or how to say it."
"Alex, do you know what she told me? She told me you were going to say you liked me."
Alex felt his heart clench. "Elara."
"She knew how much I liked you. She knew you were my lifeline, the only thing I could hold on to. But without even asking me, she told you to stay away from me!
"She took away so much happiness that should've been mine. She wouldn't let my dad get close to me, wouldn't let you be with me, and pushed away everyone who ever cared about me!
"Why? Why did she do that? But I really, really love her, Alex. You know? But what about her? What does she even want from me?"
Her mind was a mess. She didn't even know what she wanted to say. Her heart ached for her mom, but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel deep resentment.
But right now, she was there needed to be cared about. Her slender body curled up, shoulders trembling with sobs, as if the whole world had abandoned her.
"I know." Alex pulled her tightly into his arms, wrapping her in the familiar warmth he'd always given her since they were kids. His warm hand gently smoothed her hair. "Elara, I know. Don't cry. I'm here with you."
The long-lost feeling of being loved washed over her, but Elara didn't dare let herself linger. She quickly pulled away from Alex's embrace, hurriedly wiping away her tears, forcing herself to pull it together.
She was terrified that if she let her emotions keep spiraling, she'd end up tumbling right back off that cliff named Alex.
'I can't let this happen. I shouldn't let this happen. ' she told herself. The emptiness inside her was so overwhelming that it felt like she couldn't breathe.
She wanted to call Adrian so badly, wanted him by her side, wanted the safety of his arms around her. But Adrian was probably still in the air right now.
Alex reached out to wipe her tears, but Elara instinctively pulled away, her voice shaking as she cried, "Alex, thank you for today. My mom's okay now, so you should go home. I can handle this myself."
"No rush. I'll wait until Ms. Langton is moved to a regular ward before I leave," Alex replied.
Elara shook her head. "Alex, you should go where you belong. You shouldn't be here right now, but I appreciate you being here today."
"Elara, I can't leave you right now. You know I liked you too, when we were teenagers—"
"Alex." Elara closed her eyes, afraid of what he might say next. "It's all in the past now."
"No, it's not."
"Alex, you have your family now. Let's move on," Elara said firmly. She didn't want to dig up old stories. What was missed was missed—there was no going back.
"Elara, I can listen to you about anything, but when it comes to letting you go, I just can't. I've waited for you for ten years, Elara."