Mabel began to plead, "Please, Mr. Freeman! I'm already so old. Where else could I go if I leave the Freeman family? And what about my sons and-"

She was about to say something more, but Hendrix shot an impatient glance at the person standing in the doorway. The security guard immediately stepped forward and escorted Mabel out.

Mabel had planned to make more of a scene, but with the guard dragging her away, she couldn't get a word out. In the end, all she could do was shoot Noelle a pleading look, but Noelle remained almost entirely expressionless.

When she first saw Hendrix, she was taken aback, but she regained her composure. Even with everything that had just unfolded before her, she watched it all quietly, as if she were nothing more than a bystander. The other onlookers in the room were also sent away. The caregiver glanced at Hendrix timidly before making an excuse to go buy lunch and quickly turned to leave. Before she left, she made sure to close the door behind her.

Once the sound of the door clicking shut faded, Noelle finally said, "Mr. Freeman, you can let go of my hand now."

It seemed that Hendrix hadn't even realized he was still holding her hand. Only when Noelle reminded him did he seem to snap out of it and proceed to quickly release her hand.

But soon, he fixed her with a stern look. "So, when it comes to others, you're this weak? How could you let her curse at you like that? I don't see you acting like this when it comes to me!"

Noelle first flexed her stiff wrist before finally looking up at him. "It's not the first time she's insulted me like that. I've gotten used to it."

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Her response caught Hendrix off guard. He was clearly taken aback.

Noelle continued, "When I was living at Nivis Villa, she often gave me the cold shoulder and talked behind my back. Didn't you know that?"

Hendrix fell silent. Of course, he didn't know.

Noelle then turned her gaze toward the person on the hospital bed. "And what she said today... She wasn't entirely wrong. It's partly my fault that your mother ended up like this. Didn't you think the same way before?"

Noelle didn't mean to mock him. She was simply stating the truth. But Hendrix's expression darkened even further. He turned to look at her, but it wasn't the sharp, intense stare he usually had. Instead, he simply looked at her quietly.

Yet it was exactly this kind of gaze that made Noelle suddenly unable to meet his eyes. She looked away and said, Forget it. I've already visited her today, and there probably won't be a next time.

"As for what happened just now, Mabel's your household staff, so I don't have any right to interfere. But I hope you won't escalate the situation, and please don't drag me into it."

With that, Noelle began walking out of the room.

But the next moment, Hendrix's voice came from behind her, "Why didn't you tell me what you were going through back then? If you didn't like living in Nivis Villa, you should have told me instead of-" "What was I supposed to tell a husband who only calls me to his room when he needs something?"

Noelle cut him off, then added, "I came here today out of a sense of guilt for your mother. I hope you don't take this the wrong way."

Once again, Noelle turned to walk away. As she stepped out of the hospital room, she couldn't help but feel regret and frustration, thinking she shouldn't have come today.noveldrama