The bodyguard maintained his formal smile. "Mrs. Carter, Mr. Carter is waiting for you. You should go now."
Rosalie stood up, ready to leave, but just then, a weak voice came from the bed.
"Mommy."
"Nana." Rosalie immediately sat back down and held Nana's hand tightly.
Nana slowly opened her eyes. "Mommy, it hurts."
Sensing something, Nana felt tears well up in her eyes and stream down her face.
"Nana, everything will be alright." Rosalie's heart ached.
"Mrs. Carter," the bodyguard reminded from behind, "you should go now. If Mr. Carter becomes impatient, he might blame Nana."
He deliberately said this.
Rosalie leaned closer to Nana and whispered, "Nana, I'll be back soon. Don't be afraid. There are people here to protect you."
Rosalie didn't believe her own words, but she had to go. She feared Sebastian would lose his temper and take it out on Nana. He was capable of anything. He had even abandoned Nana when danger struck—how could he possibly see her as his daughter? To him, Nana was just a tool.
"If we lose a child, we can always adopt another."
He had actually said such words.
Rosalie wasn't surprised. Nana wasn't his biological child, so he could be heartless. But even if Nana were his own, who was to say he wouldn't be just as indifferent?
Rosalie gently released Nana's hand and tucked her in. "Mommy will be back soon."
Tears streaming down her face, Nana put her hands under the blanket.
If one were to say he was heartless, then why had he shielded her in that critical moment? She believed Sebastian truly had feelings for her, but to her, those feelings were twisted.
"What about Nana? Don't you worry about her at all? Even if she's just an adopted child, you're still her father."
Sebastian let out a soft sigh. "She's alive. Isn't that good enough?"
"Good enough?" Rosalie sneered. "Her leg was amputated. Would you say that if you were in her situation?"
"Her leg was amputated, but that wasn't my doing. It was an earthquake—who could have predicted that? The way you're speaking, it's as if you're blaming me. Did I cause the earthquake? I don't have that kind of power."
"Shouldn't you be blamed?" Rosalie demanded. "As a father, why didn't you protect your daughter? If you weren't going to protect her, why didn't you let me? I was going to save her! If I had reached her in time, maybe this wouldn't have happened."
"If I had allowed you to go, you would have been buried too. You would have been hurt, and maybe you would have been the one to lose a limb!"
Sebastian's face darkened. "You accuse me of not protecting her, but I only have a pair of arms. Between the two of you, I could only choose one. Was it wrong for me to choose you? Just because Nana is a child, does that mean I had to abandon you instead?"
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