CHAPTER 25: CHAPTER 25: A FAMILIAR FEELING

Hospital ward.

The faint smell of disinfectant filled her nostrils as the scene before the car accident flashed through her mind like a revolving lantern. Ruby Sullivan suddenly opened her eyes, greeted by a pair of large, dark eyes.

"Mommy, you’re finally awake!"

Honey’s voice was filled with delight, her small legs quickly jumping down from the bed. She grabbed the boy’s hand excitedly, "Brother Sterling, you really didn’t lie to me, Mommy is awake!"

In contrast to Honey’s excitement, Seth Sterling appeared much calmer. He slowly moved with Honey to Ruby Sullivan’s bedside, his demeanor and actions not matching his age.

Ruby Sullivan struggled to sit up, but a boy’s earnest voice reached her ears, "Auntie, your head and leg are injured, don’t move too much." Although his voice still carried the innocence of a boy, his statement was quite assertive.

She was startled and instinctively looked at Seth Sterling, only to see a face that bore a seven-point resemblance to Ethan Sterling, faintly filled with concern.

"The doctor said it’s a mild concussion, and your left leg has a torn ligament that’s been put in a cast. It’s best to rest in bed." Ruby Sullivan was somewhat surprised, as Seth Sterling’s calm demeanor was entirely unlike that of a five-year-old child.

He must have inherited Ethan Sterling’s virtues, being steady and orderly in his actions.

If that incident hadn’t happened all those years ago, that child would be about the same age as him.

Ruby Sullivan lowered her head, feeling a pang of bitterness in her heart.

Just as she was about to speak, the door of the ward was easily pushed open. "Awake?" A tall, handsome figure walked in carrying a lunch box.

Ruby Sullivan was stunned and offered a polite smile, "Mr. Sterling?" She had no recollection of anything after the car accident. Ethan Sterling didn’t say anything, his eyes showing surprise when he saw the usually indifferent Seth Sterling silently guarding the side of the bed.

He knew Seth Sterling’s temperament well. Rhonda Sullivan had stayed by his side for five years, yet didn’t earn even a single kind glance from him. And this woman, after only meeting twice, was able to bring him so close to her.

The doubt in his heart deepened, yet his face remained expressionless.

Setting the lunch box aside on a table, he spoke calmly, "I brought black fish soup; I’ll call the doctor over first, and you can have it later."

Ruby Sullivan had been unconscious for over six hours, neither too long nor too short. Fortunately, after a series of tests, there were no significant issues, but the doctor still recommended staying for observation for a day, with further brain checks tomorrow to be more secure.

Ethan Sterling thanked the doctor and turned to open the lunch box, the rich aroma of the fish soup wafting out. "Drink it while it’s hot."

Ruby Sullivan’s expression darkened slightly as she looked down at the lunch box, unmoved.

"Mommy doesn’t eat ginger." Next to her, Honey stepped forward, furrowing her brows at the ginger slices in the black fish soup, and said innocently.

Ethan Sterling was momentarily halted while holding the lunch box. The person in his memory and the person before him oddly overlapped; that woman would feel nauseous at even the smell of ginger.

Except...

The scene flashed by, causing a slight blockage in Ethan Sterling’s chest. He quickly covered the lunch box and asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"It’s fine; I just don’t like it, I’m not allergic. Occasionally eating it is good for the body." Ruby Sullivan smiled faintly. Her head felt muddled, and she wanted to know how her father was, why Ethan Sterling was there, and her missing phone, wondering if it was still left in the car.

"I also don’t like ginger," Seth Sterling said faintly. Even though he didn’t know what he wanted to express, he found it coincidental and instinctively wanted to say it.

Upon hearing this, Honey’s face instantly lit up with a sweet smile, and she exclaimed excitedly, "Brother Sterling, we both hate ginger!"

Honey’s chatter suddenly made the ward noisy. Seth Sterling glanced at Ruby Sullivan, then looked down and said to Honey, "Since Auntie is already awake, I will take you outside to play. Staying here will disturb her rest, and inadequate rest will hinder recovery."

Upon hearing that recovery could be affected, Honey immediately quieted down, obediently placing her small hand into Seth Sterling’s hand.

"Don’t go too far," Ruby Sullivan advised with a hint of worry. No matter how well-behaved they were, they were still children, always leaving a trace of unease. She had some things she wanted to ask Ethan Sterling.

"Don’t worry, Howard is waiting outside," Ethan Sterling added.

Seth Sterling led Honey out, and the room was instantly quiet again.

Ruby Sullivan looked toward the door at the two small disappearing silhouettes, her lips curling into a slight smile. "Mr. Sterling certainly teaches well, raising such an outstanding child."

The tone carried sarcasm.

Yet at the moment, Ethan Sterling seemed unaware of the woman’s tone.

"How did Mr. Sterling know I had a car accident?" Ruby Sullivan shifted the topic.

"The product department couldn’t get a hold of you, so they found your emergency contact through human resources."

Ruby Sullivan instinctively looked away. Her emergency contact was Sasha Shaw, just like Faye Truman, they were her closest friends. If Ethan Sterling hadn’t lost his memory, he wouldn’t be unaware.

Ethan Sterling had already met Sasha Shaw at the airport, so he wasn’t too surprised, but considering everything that had happened today, he couldn’t help but feel it was all too coincidental.

He laughed, "Sasha Shaw happens to be a good friend of my ex-wife. Could it be that Miss Wenny also knows my ex-wife?"

Ruby Sullivan’s face flashed a hint of stiffness, but ever since the unexpected encounter at the airport, she had somewhat prepared mentally for this, so she smiled as she looked up, "What a coincidence? What’s the name of Mr. Sterling’s ex-wife? Maybe I’ve actually met her."

Ethan Sterling scrutinized her expression and slowly uttered three words, "Ruby Sullivan."

Ruby Sullivan pretended to think long and hard, "Seems like... I haven’t."

Ethan Sterling raised an eyebrow, "That’s not surprising, my ex-wife is somewhat of a homebody. How did you and Sasha get to know each other?"

Ruby Sullivan thought of her past self and felt that Ethan Sterling’s expression was clearly mocking. She took a breath before speaking, "Sasha Shaw is somewhat of a celebrity in the fashion circle. I’ve always admired her talent, and over time, we became friends. In The Lawson Group’s last season’s new product launch, Sasha was my specially invited designer."

Ethan Sterling nodded, suddenly feeling an inexplicable sense of loss, "I see." He fell silent, seeming a bit distracted.

Ruby Sullivan glanced at him occasionally, unsure of what he was thinking, somewhat anxious, and dared not ask the questions in her heart.

Thankfully, the awkward solitude between them didn’t last long before Sasha Shaw arrived at the hospital in a whirlwind.

She didn’t even glance properly at Ethan Sterling and rushed to the bedside, "How are you? Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Ruby Sullivan shook her head, "The doctor said it’s nothing serious."

Sasha Shaw breathed a sigh of relief, "That’s good. I’ve already reported the car accident for insurance." She said as she took out her phone and handed it to Ruby Sullivan, "The car has been sent to the repair shop as well. Are you hungry? What do you want to eat?"

"I’m not hungry yet." Ruby Sullivan replied, then looked at Ethan Sterling, "Mr. Sterling, thank you for coming to see me. Now that Sasha is here, I won’t take up more of your time."

Sasha Shaw rolled her eyes, sarcastically said, "Yes, isn’t the big CEO always busy every day? No time to take care of his wife, but time to visit an employee, how strange."

Ethan Sterling smiled, "Wenny is not just any employee; I’m here to show The Sterling Group’s regard for her." As he said this, he stood up, "Take good care of yourself."

After he left, Seth Sterling brought Honey back. Before leaving, he hesitated for a moment but under Honey’s encouragement, he stepped forward and gave Ruby Sullivan a hug, wishing her a speedy recovery.

Ruby Sullivan smiled and said goodbye to him, but her heart felt a mix of emotions. If he wasn’t Rhonda Sullivan and Ethan Sterling’s son, would she like him more?

Sasha Shaw, looking somewhat puzzled, whispered, "If Rhonda Sullivan knew her son liked you so much, wouldn’t she be furious?"

"Never mind that, first tell me about today, why was Ethan Sterling here?"

Sasha Shaw poured her a glass of water, sat down, and began speaking, "Mr. Sullivan is already on a plane to Meridia."

After Nathaniel picked up Brandon Sullivan, he received a call from a client. Once he dealt with this difficult customer, he got a call from the hospital. On her phone, Nathaniel was the most recent contact. Because he had to arrange for Brandon Sullivan to go abroad, Nathaniel could only call Sasha Shaw for help.

After settling her in the hospital, Sasha Shaw received a call from the company’s HR for inquiries, then rushed to handle the car accident’s follow-up matters, until more than an hour ago when she received a call from Ethan Sterling, saying he was picking up his son from school and would take Honey to the hospital.

Ruby Sullivan’s heart, hanging anxiously, finally settled, "It’s good that my dad is okay."

Beside her, Honey asked curiously, "Is Mommy’s dad my grandpa? How come I’ve never met him?"

Ruby Sullivan smiled and patted her head, "When there’s time, Mommy will take you to meet grandpa."

"That’s great!" Honey smiled, but soon felt downcast, "So Mommy also has a dad..."

Seeing her daughter’s expression, Ruby Sullivan felt a bit sour, so she changed the topic, "What does Honey want to eat tonight?"

Sasha Shaw quickly chimed in, "Yes, yes, what do you want? Auntie will go buy it."

"Brother Sterling said, since Mommy is sick, I should behave. Whatever Mommy wants to eat, Honey wants to eat too."

"Then I’ll go out and see what’s available." Sasha Shaw said and went out. As she opened the door, she was startled by the figure standing there, "Ethan Sterling? Why haven’t you left? It seems Mr. Sterling really values his beautiful female employees!"

Ethan Sterling didn’t want to argue about this, "Where is Ruby Sullivan?"

Sasha Shaw’s face of mockery turned to anger, "I also want to know, why did Ruby only live three short years after marrying you!"

She deliberately raised her voice, wanting Ruby Sullivan inside to hear, then strode off.

This was Nathaniel’s advice, if they encountered Ethan Sterling, there was only one answer, Ruby Sullivan was dead.

Ethan Sterling’s expression twisted slightly. He had already obtained a precise result, the handwriting on the hospital deposit slip completely matched Ruby Sullivan’s.

He didn’t believe Ruby Sullivan could be dead!

In the ward, Ruby Sullivan heard Sasha Shaw’s voice and felt somewhat dazed. Now, hearing this answer, could his heart finally be at ease?