Forbidden Passion

Phoebe ate her meal absentmindedly, her mind buzzing with questions she couldn't voice in her current situation.

She had to suppress her curiosity and concentrate on eating.

As long as she was full, she hoped her thoughts would stay at bay.

Theodore waited for a while, and when she didn't continue asking questions, he placed

a piece of salmon on her plate. "You should have some more."

Phoebe felt a lump in her throat, making her feel uncomfortable. She quickly stood up. "I need to use the restroom."

Theodore watched her hurriedly leave, his grip on the fork tightening. Couldn't they just have a peaceful meal together?

Phoebe stood in the restroom for a long time, staring at herself in the mirror, her mind fixated on the tattoo on Theodore's neck.

Whose bite mark was that?

Just as she was about to bare her teeth at the mirror, a knock came at the door. "Phoebe, you've been in there a long time. The food's getting cold."

Phoebe snapped back to reality. What was she doing? She couldn't still be wishfully thinking that the bite mark on Theodore's collarbone was from her, could she?

"I'll be right out." Phoebe hurriedly turned on the faucet, washed her hands, and walked out. Theodore was still standing at the door.

He stared at her intently. "What's wrong?"

Phoebe looked up and met his gaze, her eyes involuntarily drifting to his collarbone. After a half-minute of silence, she shook her head. "Nothing."

With that, she turned and walked away.

Theodore watched her retreating figure and quickly followed. They sat back down, and neither spoke until the meal was over.

Phoebe got up to clear the dishes, but Theodore grabbed her wrist. "Don't worry about it. We'll have someone clean up tomorrow."

"Then I'll head back now." Phoebe tried to pull her hand away, but Theodore held her firmly.

Theodore looked down at her, about to say something when Phoebe's phone rang. She quickly freed her wrist and rushed to the living room to answer the call.

Her heart was racing, and she didn't even check the caller ID before answering. "Yes, it's me."

"Phoebe, where are you? You need to come to the hospital right away. We took the kids out to play, and Evelyn was pushed to the ground. She's being taken to the hospital now," Ruby's anxious voice came through the phone.

Phoebe became tense. "Which hospital? I'll be there right away."

"Eternal Love Hospital. Hurry."

Phoebe hung up, grabbed her bag, and headed for the door. Theodore quickly caught

up and grabbed her wrist. "Phoebe, what happened?"

"My mom was injured. I need to go to the hospital."

"I'll take you." Theodore grabbed a coat from the rack, draped it over his arm, changed his shoes, and was ready to go with her.

Phoebe noticed he was still in his loungewear and quickly said, "No need, I can go by myself. It's late, and I don't want to trouble you."

"Evelyn is my mom too. Let's go." Theodore said firmly, pulling her out the door.

On the way, Phoebe's heart was in knots. Theodore wanted to comfort her but swallowed his words, focusing on driving.

As soon as the car stopped at the hospital, Phoebe rushed out. Theodore watched her run inside and sighed silently.

Phoebe ran to the emergency room and saw Keith and Ruby waiting there. She hurried over. "Ruby, what happened?"

Ruby's eyes were red, and her hands were bloody. Seeing Phoebe, she could barely hold it together. "I'm sorry. I just stepped away for a moment, and Evelyn was pushed to the ground. Her head hit a rock, and there was a lot of blood."

Phoebe followed Ruby's gaze and saw a woman standing nearby, her neck stiff. "It's not my fault. I didn't push her. She fell on her own. If you can't afford to live in a villa, don't. I've noticed you are two single women with four kids. Who knows if you're traffickers or someone's mistresses."

Phoebe was already worried about Evelyn's safety, and hearing this woman's arrogant accusations made her face darken. "If you can't speak properly, then shut up."

"Why don't your kids have fathers? Your child is clearly illegitimate," the woman said arrogantly.

Phoebe lost her temper. This woman could insult her, but not her children.

She slapped the woman, knocking her to the ground. The woman, who had lived a pampered life, had never been hit like this. She suddenly sprang up and went for Phoebe's hair.

Keith quickly grabbed her hand and pinned her against the wall. "Don't move, or I won't be responsible if your hand gets broken."

The woman, never having been treated like this, started screaming. "Help! I'm being attacked by these shameless lovers!"

It was late, and the hospital wasn't crowded, but people gathered around, pointing and whispering.

Phoebe heard the nasty comments about her and Ruby and gritted her teeth. "If you slander us one more time, you'll regret it."

"Listen to her! She's threatening me! They're going to kill me! Call the police!" the woman continued to incite the crowd.

Someone in the crowd, sensing trouble, actually called the police.

Keith looked at Phoebe. "Ms. Ziegler, there are too many people watching. This isn't the way to handle it. What should we do?"

Phoebe slowly walked up to the woman. "Keep making a scene, and I promise you, even if we go to the police station, you won't get away with pushing someone and causing injury."

The woman, still defiant, said, "You think I'm afraid of you? Get your lover to help you. I want to see which big shot is supporting you two."

Phoebe, furious, didn't care how many people were recording with their phones. She grabbed the woman's hair and pulled her close. "You push someone and don't apologize? Do you think we're easy to bully because we're women and children?" The crowd gasped.

Ruby quickly blocked the cameras, trying to stop them from filming. "Stop recording. This woman pushed her mother first."noveldrama

But no one listened, continuing to film over her.

At that moment, someone rushed out of the crowd, grabbed Phoebe by the collar, and threw her. The person was strong, and Phoebe was about to hit the ground hard. Keith reached out to catch her but missed.

The crowd watched as Phoebe fell. In the next second, a pair of arms caught her securely.

Phoebe fell into a warm, solid embrace.