Delayed Regrets: He Regretted Only After Her Death-Chapter 78: Pain! Daisy Cries for Help (A Tearjerker Must-Read)
"Doctor, how is Tiana?"
Leo Sutton strode forward, eyes red, staring at the doctor who had just come out.
The doctor handed him a critical condition notice.
Covered densely in writing.
Leo Sutton had no patience to read it all.
When he looked up, his eyes were burning with anxiety.
"Is it... almost over?"
The doctor nodded heavily.
"The patient’s tumor is blocking her airway, causing severe respiratory failure."
"Combined with intracranial hypertension from brain metastasis, it’s extremely dangerous."
"Even if we save her, it doesn’t mean much."
"Survival rate is less than one percent."
"Prepare for the worst at any time."
As the two talked, Daisy had already followed from the corner.
She heard it all, clear as day.
The doctor was telling Daddy Leo to get ready for Mommy’s funeral.
Just like when Aunt Kiera died, they’d take Mommy to the crematorium, burn her to ashes, put her in that small little box, and then bury her in the ground?
No!
No way.
Mommy had just told her the other night that the doctor would prescribe her a new drug.
Once Mommy took the new pills, she’d get better.
The little figure froze right there.
She was like a small, dim-eyed statue.
As if she might shatter at any moment.
She didn’t dare cry.
She was afraid if she cried, Mommy would hear and feel even worse.
Mommy had always said, when things get tough we don’t cry, bite down and be strong.
Daisy won’t cry.
But Daisy misses Mommy so much.
Leo Sutton’s hand trembled as he signed his name. Nearby, Gabriel Chaucer and Catherine Armstrong were already sobbing uncontrollably.
Laura cried too.
Laura looked at Daisy clenching her teeth, thinking she’d soon be without a mother too, and Laura hugged Daisy tightly in sympathy.
"Daisy, don’t be afraid, big sister is here with you."
Daisy was like a marionette.
Standing blankly outside the emergency room door.
That big door hadn’t opened once in hours.
Daisy waited quietly—yet so broken—outside.
Gabriel Chaucer and Catherine Armstrong refused to leave, of course.
Leo Sutton tried many times to persuade them to take the child home.
But Daisy refused to go, and the old couple could never bear to leave her.
Laura vowed to stay by Daisy’s side, too.
In the deep of the night, Gabriel Chaucer and Catherine Armstrong, exhausted, dozed off on the chairs.
Laura in their arms slept restlessly.
When they opened their eyes, Daisy was still standing there, motionless.
Daisy stared at the tightly closed door.
Behind her, Leo Sutton watched the small, huddled figure with aching heart.
"Leo, talk to that child..." Catherine Armstrong said, eyes brimming with tears again.
Leo Sutton had tried before.
But Daisy refused to leave the operating room door for anywhere.
He squatted down and gently hugged her, "Daisy, why don’t we sit on the chairs and wait, okay?"
Daisy shook her head.
Leo Sutton tried again, "Then Daddy will hold you."
Daisy shook her head again.
"Daddy, you go rest. You’re tired too. Daisy’s not tired."
Daisy wanted Mommy to come out safe and sound.
Mommy had promised her.
Then Gabriel Chaucer, Catherine Armstrong, and Laura took turns trying to persuade her.
Daisy still didn’t move, standing her ground.
Until sunrise.
A chill wind blew down the corridor.
Daisy lifted her little head, looking into Leo Sutton’s reddened eyes.
"Daddy Leo, can you see The Reapers?"
Leo Sutton didn’t understand.
He glanced around, then looked at Daisy.
Daisy said, "The wind just blew through."
That wind was freezing.
Like a wind from the Underworld.
Daisy had seen it in cartoons.
When people die, the Reapers from the Underworld arrive with a gust of wind.
Then take the soul away.
She was afraid the Reapers would take Mommy.
She said again, "Daddy Leo, if you see the Reapers, could you talk to them and let me go to the Underworld instead of Mommy?"
In that moment, the passionate blood in Leo Sutton boiled over—his tears couldn’t be stopped.
He hugged Daisy tight.
All the words to comfort her felt like giant boulders stuck in his throat.
All he could do was hold Daisy close.
...
Star River Bay, Serenity Villa.
Christopher Grant stood behind Aiden Grant.
Aiden Grant was on the phone.
He was discussing the wedding details with the planning company.
Christopher waited anxiously.
Upstairs, Vivian Linden watched the pair below.
She had no idea why Christopher was here to see Aiden.
In any case, Vivian didn’t much like Christopher.
He always stood up for Tiana, intervening again and again with Aiden.
Today, Vivian had a bad feeling.
But all she could do was watch from afar. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Finally, Aiden finished the phone call.
When he turned around, Christopher got straight to the point:
"Aiden, you can’t be this heartless."
"It’s just a box of anti-cancer medicine—open the vault and give a finished box to Tiana, please."
Aiden put his phone down, sat on the sofa by the glass wall.
"Tiana went to see you again?"
"She didn’t."
Christopher had been worrying about this for days.
"Aiden, listen to me once—help Tiana."
Linden-Grant Pharmaceuticals had a password vault.
Inside were various R&D secrets.
There was only one way to open the vault:
All three shareholders must enter their fingerprint passwords at the same time.
Christopher was as frantic as ants on a hot pan.
Aiden, however, took the coffee Mrs. Walsh brought, sipping calmly.
"What are you still sipping coffee for?" Christopher snatched his cup away.
Spilled coffee stained Aiden’s pale pink shirt.
He frowned immediately, "Christopher, you’re losing your mind over Tiana—does Jane Summers know?"
Christopher’s voice rose: "I’m telling the truth. Not only is Tiana really sick with cancer, but Daisy really is your daughter. Surely you don’t want to see Daisy lose her mother. How long are you going to ignore me? Are you waiting for Tiana to die in front of you to finally wake up?"
Aiden didn’t want to discuss these two things anymore.
He got up to change his shirt.
Christopher grabbed his collar, "Aiden, you don’t want me to beat you up again today, do you?"
"Last time, I went easy on you," Aiden said, face dark.
Christopher’s face was even darker, "...How about you go check on Tiana? Leo Sutton said her situation is getting worse every day."
Aiden pushed him away, "Sorry, I saw her just yesterday—she was fine."
Leaving those words, Aiden went upstairs to change.
Christopher glanced up.
Vivian was standing on the spiral staircase, nodding and smiling at him.
His expression instantly turned cold.
When Aiden headed to his room, Vivian tried to follow.
Christopher called out to her.
"Vivian, come down here. I have something to ask you."
That day, Hector Chaucer had clearly told him Daisy wasn’t his daughter.
Christopher was certain Vivian had messed with the DNA test results.
Vivian froze.
Christopher repeated, "Come down."
Vivian came down, polite: "Christopher, did you need something?"
Christopher’s face was grim, "You tampered with both DNA tests?"
Vivian was on the verge of tears:
"Christopher, I have no grudge with you—why accuse me?"
"Aiden wanted to adopt Daisy, and I supported him."
"Big sister never wanted Daisy—if Daisy could live with me and Aiden, I’d take good care of her."
"Why do you think I’m so evil?"
Christopher snorted, "You know very well whether you did it or not."
Vivian sobbed, "Christopher, what did I ever do to you?"
...
Second floor.
Inside Aiden’s dressing room.
To this day, he and Vivian still slept in separate rooms.
Even their dressing rooms were apart.
He changed his shirt, tossed the pink one into the dirty basket.
For some reason, he felt a vague sense of unease.
Very unsettled.
Restlessness filled his chest.
Even breathing felt blocked.
When he went downstairs, Christopher was gone.
Aiden didn’t notice Vivian had been crying, and went straight to the art studio.
"Vivian, don’t let anyone interrupt me."
Aiden had a bad temper about painting.
If he didn’t open the art studio door, no one dared knock.
Even Vivian was afraid.
Vivian, burdened with thoughts, returned to Tranquil Villa at Star River Bay.
At that moment, James Linden and Daniel Linden sat making tea in the tea room.
Daniel poured a cup for James, but James thought it tasted off.
"Is this tea spoiled?"
"Not at all," Daniel frowned, "It’s your favorite pre-rain new tea, just picked."
James set down the teacup. "Daniel, do you ever feel uneasy inside?"
He continued, "My mind is all a mess. I can’t explain it, but it’s like..."
A feeling both familiar and distant.
James struggled to recall, and then remembered.
"When your mother died, I felt just like this."
"Daniel, could something go wrong at Vivian’s wedding?"
Daniel paused in the middle of his brewing.
"Dad, funny you mention—I’ve felt this same uneasy feeling since last night."
"Maybe Tiana’s about to stir something up again?"
"What if she makes some big move?"
James thought about how he’d secretly raised Vivian outside since she was little.
He owed Vivian far too much.
Brow furrowed, he made up his mind, "Daniel, three days until Vivian’s wedding. Stop Tiana at the airport—don’t let her go to Solara Isle for the wedding."
Daniel nodded, "That’s the only way."
At the tea room door, Vivian paused, overheard a few lines.
Behind her, Sharon Sullivan listened too.
She patted Vivian’s shoulder, startling her.
"Shhh!" Sharon whispered, "Come to my room."
Back in Sharon’s room, the mother and daughter closed the door.
"Both of those men feeling uneasy—is it because Tiana is about to die?"
Sharon sat down to ask.
Vivian sat too.
"Tiana had cancer anyway."
"I just hope she’s not actually going to die..."
The talk of death made Vivian briefly lose focus.
She didn’t even catch what Sharon said next.
"Vivian, did you even hear what I asked?"
Vivian snapped back, "Ah, Mom, what did you say?"
"The stolen batch of M901 finished anti-cancer drug—did you give it to the Chaucers?"
Vivian nodded, "Yeah, I handed it over."
Sharon followed up, "The Chaucer family changed hands. That convict is now Patriarch Chaucer—who knows if he’ll mess with our partnership now."
Vivian: "But our contact is still the sixth Chaucer."
Sharon: "The second and fourth Chaucers are dead, the third and fifth are all in jail. Only the sixth is left."
Vivian: "Mom, I think Hector Chaucer won’t be so easy to deal with."
Sharon: "You’ve met him?"
Vivian: "No, but all those things the Chaucer family made us do—they pinned it all on Hector and Tiana. If he figures it out..."
Hector Chaucer was ruthless.
He’d escaped death row, overturned his conviction, and was released in court.
He’d literally clawed his way to the family head position over his siblings’ dead bodies.
A man like that—if he ever found out what happened before, would they have any hope of surviving?
Vivian was genuinely worried.
Sharon comforted her.
"Don’t worry, this was all by orders of Mr. Chaucer."
"Besides, the Chaucer family has always been mortal enemies with Linden-Grant Pharmaceuticals."
"Even if we’re exposed, as long as we stay hidden in the Linden Family, the partnership can go on."
...
Hospital, ICU.
Tiana, just rescued, lay there quietly.
Daisy, eyes swollen with tears, tiptoed, clutching the windowsill, looking at her mother covered in tubes.
Even as she cried, Daisy was holding it in.
She didn’t dare to cry out loud.
The little figure sobbing, trembling.
Behind her Gabriel Chaucer and Catherine Armstrong, and Leo Sutton, hearts breaking.
Leo Sutton picked Daisy up.
He saw how sad Daisy was, his heart breaking over and over.
"Daisy, Mommy isn’t in danger anymore."
Daisy said nothing.
She’d heard the doctor in the morning after rescue.
Mommy was only temporarily safe.
Mommy might only last two or three more days.
The doctor had said they might as well give up now; the intubation was torture.
Mommy lay there motionless.
That huge tube stuck into her lungs.
Mommy must hurt so much!
Daisy, eyes brimming with tears, stared at Leo Sutton.
"Daddy Leo, I—I just want to hug Mommy."
She sobbed uncontrollably.
Her words got tangled up.
Leo Sutton wiped her tears, whispering, "We can’t go in just yet."
Daisy felt so wronged, "But I want want want to hug Mommy so much."
Was it true she’d never get to hug Mommy again?
She missed Mommy’s hugs so much.
Choking, Leo Sutton couldn’t stop crying either.
Daisy in his arms cried out of control.
She cried and cried, that small figure passed out.
...
The Sovereign.
Daisy woke up in her princess bedroom.
Ms. Quinn and the other maids at The Sovereign were all talking in a heavy mood.
"Daisy’s real father is ruthless."
"How so?"
"You know, the Linden-Grant Pharmaceutical Group President is Daisy’s real dad."
"Didn’t they just invent that anti-cancer medicine that cures cancer?"
"Exactly. That President Grant clearly has the medicine, but refuses to save Daisy’s mom."
"Truly heartless."
"Sigh, after Miss Linden dies, Daisy is the saddest of all."
Hiding in the corner, Daisy heard it all.
That man actually had the cancer drug.
But why wouldn’t he save Mommy?
...
Star River Bay, Serenity Villa.
Aiden Grant locked himself in the art studio, painting all night.
On Vivian’s side, she’d already packed her luggage.
They were flying to Solara tonight.
Vivian had looked forward to the wedding for so long.
But Aiden was still locked away, painting all night long.
Vivian was terrified something might go wrong before the wedding.
In his studio, Aiden finished an abstract painting.
But even with the painting done, his anxiety and agitation only grew worse.
He couldn’t explain why he felt such restlessness.
Vivian knew no one should disturb Aiden while he painted.
But she still carefully knocked at the door.
"Aiden, are you in there?"
"Breakfast is ready. Do you want to come eat?"
"Or should I bring it in...Aiden?"
Aiden opened the door and stood at the entrance.
Vivian quickly said, "Sorry to interrupt you."
Then she glanced inside the studio.
The painting on the easel—paint still wet—was abstract.
Vivian couldn’t make sense of it.
At least it wasn’t a portrait of Tiana.
Vivian’s uneasy heart finally settled a little.
She said softly, "Breakfast is ready. I made soup for you myself."
"I’ll shower and change. Wait for me, I’ll come down for breakfast with you." Aiden ruffled Vivian’s hair.
Vivian smiled, "Okay."
Twenty minutes later, Aiden came down in fresh home clothes.
Vivian had the breakfast all set.
When Aiden entered the dining room, she was just arranging his favorite blue and white porcelain tableware.
She never knew why he liked that set.
But all these years, he’d never used anything else.
Aiden sat down.
His eyes lingered on the blue and white porcelain, lost in thought.
They were made years ago, personally crafted by Tiana in Klayburg.
Should have tossed them long ago.
He frowned, "Uncle Carter, throw these dishes out."
Uncle Carter was an old-timer.
He knew Miss Linden had made these herself in Klayburg back in the day.
Uncle Carter asked, "Really throw them out?"
Aiden: "...Maybe not. Just put them away in the storage room."
"Vivian, let’s eat." Then he took Vivian’s hand, "We’re flying to Solara Isle tonight."
Vivian joyfully nodded, "Mm-hmm."
He squeezed her hand tightly.
From now on, he’d make a good life with Vivian.
Suddenly, the phone on the dining table rang.
An unknown landline flashed on screen.
Aiden let go of Vivian’s hand, picked up the phone.
A child’s sobbing, broken voice came through.
"Daddy...it’s me, Daisy..."
"Daddy, could you come to the hospital?"
