As Mr. and Mrs. Sutton stared in shocked disbelief, Holly Rhodes added one last thing. "I guarantee every word I said is true. Whether you believe it or not is entirely up to you."

After dropping that bombshell, Holly Rhodes didn’t linger for a second. She turned and strode out of the hospital, putting all the chaos behind her.

’None of this has anything to do with me anymore,’ Holly Rhodes thought. ’I don’t want to get tangled up with the Lancasters again.’

After watching Holly Rhodes leave, Mr. and Mrs. Sutton exchanged a look, their expressions complex and unreadable.

It was true—Simon Lancaster and Sylvia Lancaster had always been close since they were children. If they found out they weren’t biological siblings...

The more they thought about it, the more panicked they became. Mr. Sutton whispered to his wife, "We have to keep a sample from the miscarried baby. We need to have Ethan take a paternity test with it!"

******

Ethan Sutton hadn’t been home for two days, and his phone was unreachable. By the time he returned to the Sutton residence, it was the following day.

When he learned what had happened to Sylvia Lancaster and their baby, he rushed to the hospital. But before he could even see her, his parents dragged him to the hospital’s testing center to provide a sample for a paternity test.

Ethan Sutton asked, utterly confused, "Mom, Dad, what’s this all about?"

Mr. Sutton shot Ethan a glare and snorted. "Never you mind!"

Mrs. Sutton hesitated for a moment before telling Ethan what Holly Rhodes had told them.

Ethan Sutton was utterly shocked. He shook his head in disbelief. "Impossible! Mom, Dad, how could that be? They’re siblings! They grew up together!"

Seeing the complicated looks on his parents’ faces, Ethan added anxiously, "Besides, Sylvia has always been completely devoted to me. She’s such a pure, gentle girl. How could she ever do anything to betray me?"

In Ethan Sutton’s eyes, Sylvia was so gentle and considerate toward him. He believed she was madly in love with him, that her feelings ran deep. How could she possibly betray him?

Besides, he simply couldn’t accept the idea that he’d been cuckolded.

With a complicated expression, Mrs. Sutton patted Ethan’s back reassuringly. "Son, calm down. We’re just getting a paternity test done first. It’ll give us some peace of mind."

Hearing this, Ethan could only nod helplessly.

Just then, a doctor came out and spoke to the three of them. "The paternity test results will be ready in seven business days. Please leave an address, and the hospital will mail them to you directly."

The three Suttons left their address and departed, heading to the ward to see Sylvia Lancaster.

Without any concrete proof, they couldn’t risk a full-blown confrontation. If they wrongly accused Sylvia, it would be an impossible situation to walk back from.

Seeing the three Suttons leave, a few nurses huddled together, whispering. "The baby is already gone, and they’re still doing a paternity test?"

"Yeah. They said she miscarried yesterday. The mother has been unconscious the whole time, and the first thing the man’s family did was request a tissue sample for testing."

"Tsk, tsk. I wonder how she miscarried. Don’t tell me she was caught in the act?"

"Who knows. Anyone who can still afford to come to our hospital these days is rich. And you know how messy the lives of rich people can be."

Just then, Yuri Walsh happened to walk by. Hearing their chatter, he frowned and cut them off. "You all need to stop gossiping about patients’ private matters."

The young nurses turned, saw Yuri Walsh, and quickly mumbled their apologies before scattering.

Yuri Walsh sighed in resignation. He walked into the testing lab and glanced at the registration information for the tissue sample. To his surprise, he saw Ethan Sutton’s name.

Surprised, he checked the information for the other sample and saw that it had come from the hospital’s OB/GYN department.

He pulled out his phone, logged into the hospital’s internal system, and cross-referenced the registration information. Unexpectedly, he found Sylvia Lancaster’s name.

Yuri Walsh was taken aback. He knew about the history between the Lancaster and Sutton families.

He had originally assumed Ethan Sutton had fathered an illegitimate child and was here for a paternity test. He never expected that it was Sylvia Lancaster, his wife, who had miscarried.

’But he couldn’t figure it out,’ he thought. ’Why would Ethan’s family want a paternity test for the child she miscarried?’

******

When Yuri Walsh got home from work, he happened to run into Melody Summers, who was just walking back from the emergency response office.

Melody Summers was cradling her white cat, Albus, her face obscured by a mask and goggles. She was scrolling through her phone as she walked, her expression grave.

Just a moment ago, a resident from Building 2 had jumped from the roof and died instantly.

According to the property management’s investigation, the resident had suffered from a chronic illness that required long-term medication.

After the disaster, the price of medicine skyrocketed and supplies became scarce. The unbearable pain, combined with the anxiety and depression brought on by the prolonged darkness, had driven him to take his own life.

The incident was taken very seriously by the emergency response office. After recovering the resident’s body, the team members discussed studying psychology so they could help other residents who were struggling with depression and anxiety.

The news of the suicide dropped like a bombshell in the community group chat, which was now filled with discussion about the incident:

"12-1803 Lawson (Building Supplies - Closed): Why? We survived the heat last year. Now that it’s finally cooled down, why would he kill himself?"

"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: I know. Maybe things will go back to normal when the sun finally comes out. If only he could have held on a little longer."

"2-1908 Coco: He jumped from my building, just a few floors above me. Sigh... now I keep thinking I see shadows moving outside my window. It’s really starting to mess with me..."

"4-1209 GoofingOff: It’d be better if ghosts were real. I’d want to be one. You wouldn’t get hungry. Just float around and live on air."

"2-1408 Bella Grant: @GoofingOff Don’t say scary things like that! Everyone in our complex needs to stay alive and hang in there!"

"4-2009 Nina: Yeah, hang in there, everyone. We survived the extreme heat last year. It would be such a waste to die now!"

"6-702 The Lover: Everyone, I need help. I think I have an infection from inhaling volcanic ash. I started running a fever after I got home today. I don’t have any fever medicine. Does anyone have any I can buy?"

"3-1007 Kiki, Mom of Two: Oh, we don’t have any either. Medicine is scarce everywhere now. I wish I’d stocked up when the disaster first began."

"6-801 Stagchaser: @The Lover I do, I do! I’ll give it to you, no charge, beautiful."

"6-702 The Lover: @Stagchaser Thank you, but I insist on paying. Please DM me."

"7-901 Adventurous Lawson: Does anyone have cough medicine? I’ve been coughing so much I can’t sleep, and my throat is constantly irritated."

"2-1908 Coco: @Adventurous Lawson You can get cough medicine and anti-inflammatories from the property management office or Crystal Mart. They have the government-distributed medical supplies."

"4-2009 Nina: Ugh, that cough medicine and the anti-inflammatories don’t even work. I already picked up a few boxes, but I’m still coughing after finishing them. I knew I shouldn’t have gone outside the other day."

"..."

More and more messages asking for medicine had been popping up in the group chat lately. Melody Summers sighed.

Power consumption had dropped recently, so a few streetlights in the complex had been turned on. After being cooped up at home for so long, many people couldn’t resist going downstairs for a walk.

But because they forgot or simply didn’t bother to wear masks, a growing number of people were developing respiratory issues, some even getting pneumonia.

Property management constantly reminded everyone to wear masks, but many people didn’t think it was necessary and refused to listen.

As she reached her front door, Melody Summers put her phone away, deciding she would clean her air purifier once she got inside. Just then, a man’s voice called out from behind her:

"Miss Summers."

Melody Summers turned and saw Yuri Walsh getting out of his car.

Melody’s family didn’t interact much with their neighbors, so she didn’t know why Yuri Walsh was calling out to her. Still, she offered a kind reminder, "Dr. Walsh, why aren’t you wearing a mask? The air pollution is severe. It’s best to wear a mask and goggles."

Yuri Walsh smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Summers."

Melody then asked, a little puzzled, "Dr. Walsh, did you need something?"

Yuri himself wasn’t sure why he had impulsively called out to her. He had simply seen her standing there and acted on instinct.

Yuri didn’t know what to say. To avoid an awkward silence, he thought for a moment and said, "Do you remember your biological parents’ adopted daughter? She came to our hospital today."

Melody looked at him, confused. "Huh?"

As Melody stared at him in confusion, Yuri continued, "She had a miscarriage. And Ethan Sutton’s parents used a tissue sample from the miscarried baby to run a paternity test on him and the child."

Albus, the white cat in Melody’s arms, instantly opened his eyes.

Melody: "What?!"