Too Late to Love Her: When She Divorced, He Fell Apart-Chapter 140: Why Are You Crying Here Alone?

The Lockwood Matriarch glared at him and said with dissatisfaction, "I’m just an old lady, it’s no surprise that my health is deteriorating. But you, a young man, haven’t you caught a fever often throughout the year?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Claire couldn’t help but be stunned.

She had heard similar words from Clarence Finch before.

Tristan, however, didn’t react much and asked The Lockwood Matriarch a few more questions about whether she had any other discomfort.

Seeing his dismissive attitude toward Claire, The Lockwood Matriarch said irritably, "Haven’t you already done a full-body examination for me? Why are you still asking me?"

Tristan paused and said, "The examination didn’t show any major issues, just an abnormal white blood cell count."

"Abnormal white blood cell count?" Claire’s heart sank as she looked at him with concern. "It’s not anything serious, is it?"

Her round, jet-black almond eyes were full of concern and unease.

Tristan’s eyes flickered as he said, "A high fever can cause an increase in white blood cells; it’s the body’s defensive mechanism."

Claire relaxed upon hearing this.

Tristan said, "There’s a prescription for Grandma on my office desk. Are you free to get it now?"

Claire nodded, and after exchanging a few words with The Lockwood Matriarch, she got up and left to pick up the medicine.

When the ward door closed again, Tristan’s face looked much heavier than before.

The Lockwood Matriarch’s expression remained unchanged as she calmly asked, "You don’t need to hide it from this old lady. Tell me, what is really going on?"

"Acute myeloid leukemia."

Tristan’s face was grim.

The Lockwood Matriarch was momentarily stunned, then quickly smiled with resignation, "Looks like this old woman of mine won’t live much longer."

"No, you won’t." Tristan’s voice was very firm, "I will arrange the best treatment team for you, don’t worry."

The Lockwood Matriarch looked at him seriously and said, "My mother—your great-grandmother—passed away from this disease. I’ve been very fortunate to live until this age when I should have accepted fate long ago."

Tristan pressed his lips tightly together without speaking.

His hand at his side clenched into a fist.

The Lockwood Matriarch continued, "Earlier, Claire was here, and there were some things I couldn’t say. Your father has been gone for so many years without any news. I’ve given up hope on that scoundrel. Sean is just a result of your grandfather’s affair. For the Lockwood Family’s legitimate succession, I’m counting on you."

Tristan replied, "Then you need to properly treat your illness and see your great-grandson grow up and start a family."

He paused and said, "For the matter of succession, it’s not just me; there’s also Uncle."

Tristan’s uncle is Byron Lockwood’s eldest son, Dominic Lockwood, who is Tristan’s father’s older brother.

Dominic also has a son, but he has always been abroad with Dominic and hasn’t returned.

Mentioning Dominic made The Lockwood Matriarch bitterly disappointed, "You know your uncle is an eternal romantic. He doesn’t want anything to do with the family’s business; he only wants to have fun with women abroad!"

This is also one of the reasons Byron Lockwood is entrusting the family’s business to Sean.

The Lockwood Matriarch’s two sons, one running off with a woman and the other abandoning his wife and child, ironically make Sean, the illegitimate child, the most similar to Byron.

In the past, The Lockwood Matriarch couldn’t accept Sean’s existence, so she forced Byron to send Sean overseas, never to return.

But as the years went by, she and Byron grew old, and someone had to continue supporting the Lockwood family’s business.

"We had originally entrusted the matter of inheriting the family business to you." The Lockwood Matriarch said slowly, "But the impact of your mother’s death on you was too great. We saw how you suffered those two years, so we didn’t want to stop you from pursuing your dream of becoming a doctor. But Tristan, we’ve allowed you to follow your heart with your career; you can’t indulge your whims with marriage anymore."

Tristan said emotionlessly, "Marrying and divorcing Claire Hale, haven’t I already followed your wishes?"

His tone was very calm, but The Lockwood Matriarch heard the slight dissatisfaction in his voice.

So she said no more, just waved her hand and lay down, saying, "I’m tired. You go ahead with your business, and if anyone comes to see me, please kindly refuse them."

"Okay, if you feel any discomfort, call me anytime."

After saying that, Tristan turned and left the ward.

As he opened the door, a familiar scent of perfume wafted past his nose.

He was slightly stunned, and his gaze fell into the distance—Claire’s slender back hurriedly disappeared at the end of the corridor.

...

Claire had noticed The Lockwood Matriarch intentionally sending her away, so she stopped by the ward door to eavesdrop on their conversation.

This time, with The Lockwood Matriarch falling ill, Claire was already quite uneasy, and she couldn’t help but engage in the act of eavesdropping.

Unexpectedly, the ominous premonition in her heart turned out to be true.

On the way to the pharmacy, her steps were chaotic, her chest felt tight, and even breathing seemed difficult.

It wasn’t until she picked up the medicine, her hands uncontrollably trembling, that she finally couldn’t hold back and quickly made her way to the little path with few people outside the hospital’s back entrance, where she crouched down and buried her face deep into her knees.

People occasionally passed along the little path, but in a place like a hospital, where life and death are so entrenched, those who collapse alone aren’t few.

Even if someone saw her, they would only glance briefly without concern.

Not far away, a tall figure emerged from the hospital’s back entrance, stopping at the door with a gaze fixed on Claire.

Tristan watched Claire for a long time.

His gaze was quite indifferent, but there was an unreadable undercurrent swirling in the dark eyes.

It wasn’t until he saw her slowly lift her head with very red eyes that his frozen legs finally moved towards her.

As he took the first step forward and saw another man reach out toward Claire, Tristan halted again.

He neither moved forward nor left.

The hospital’s underground parking lot was full, so Sean circled around before finding a parking space.

He hadn’t expected to see Claire crouched on the ground with red eyes as soon as he got out of the car.

The woman’s slender body was curled up into a tiny ball, her usual cool demeanor gone, her eyes filled with brokenness and sadness.

Sean walked over to Claire.

He stopped in front of her, looking down at her and asking, "Why are you here crying alone?"

Claire looked up at him, her eyes very red.

There were tear tracks on her face.

Sean paused slightly and reached out to her, "Get up."

Claire lowered her eyes and took his hand, using it to stand up.

Sean’s palm was broad, dry, and his grasp was precise, giving a great sense of security.

After Claire steadied herself, she withdrew her hand and said softly, "Thank you."

Sean glanced at the medicine in her hand, "Is it for Auntie Heather?"

"Yes."

She wiped away the remaining tears at the corner of her eye, and when she looked at him again, her gaze was again a cool calm.

Sean’s gaze flickered past her as he said, "Let’s go."

He turned and headed toward the hospital’s inpatient building.