Before Erica could see what had happened, the grip on her hand loosened, and Phoebe fell backward. A scream escaped her lips as she landed on the ground.
Eric's hand was still frozen in midair.
It happened so fast that she was dumbfounded.
Camille snapped her phone shut and ran toward Phoebe. She squatted on the ground, gently grabbed her sister by the shoulders, and asked, "Phoebe, what happened? Are you okay?"
"Sister... my belly... hurts..." Phoebe clutched her abdomen and writhed in pain as she spoke.
Incensed, Camille stood from the ground, turned to Erica, and coldly demanded, "What did you do to my sister? Didn't you know that she is pregnant? That is Matthew Huo's child. Can you afford the consequences should anything happen to the baby?"
Erica was shaken from her astonishment at the reminder that Phoebe was carrying Matthew's child. She glanced at the woman on the ground and said, "I didn't do anything. It's her fault. But if I were you, I would be calling an ambulance."
Camille was rendered speechless at the reminder of her thoughtlessness. She grabbed her phone and warned Erica as she dialed the number, "Don't you dare go anywhere. I'm going to tell the police what you did and have you arrested!"
The exchange between the women caught Watkins' attention. He ended his call and jogged to Erica. "What happened?"
Erica didn't respond. Instead, her eyes widened with shock when she saw the rapidly growing bloodstain on Phoebe's clothes. She grasped Watkins' sleeve and yanked hard several times. "Blood... Blood..."
Watkins seized Camille's arm to stop her. "It's too late to call for help. I'll drive her to the hospital," he offered.
Without waiting for a response, he gathered Phoebe in his arms and rushed toward the car. Camille, who was close behind, opened the car door for him. A brief moment later, Phoebe was placed in the back seat, and Camille settled next to her.
Watkins returned to Erica, who seemed frozen. He patted her on the shoulder and said, "Erica, get in the car. We need to get to the hospital."
Erica took several deep breaths. She still couldn't believe what she had witnessed. Never before had she seen so much blood! Weak-kneed, she followed Watkins to the car and climbed into the passenger seat.
Watkins reversed his damaged car, bypassed Camille's parked vehicle, and pressed hard on the accelerator.
Phoebe screamed the whole way. Erica's hands turned white as her grip on the seat belt became tighter and tighter. She tried to recall what had led to the accident. How did Phoebe fall?
A little over ten minutes later, Watkins rushed into the hospital's outpatient department with the bleeding pregnant woman in his arms. Mindless of the blood covering her, Camille followed closely.
Erica didn't get out of the car. She pulled out her phone and dialed Matthew's number. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "Matthew, Phoebe had an accident... "
Half an hour later, Matthew and Owen arrived at the hospital.
The light above the emergency room was still on, and in the corridor, stood the bloodstained Watkins and Camille.
When Matthew searched the room, he found Erica leaning against a wall far from the emergency room. She appeared so distraught and lost in thought that she didn't even notice that Matthew had stepped out of the elevator.
Concern laced his voice as he asked, "Are you all right?"
Her eyes blinked rapidly, as though seeing the man for the first time. It was only then that Erica snapped out of shock. A tear slid down her cheek, and her red lips quivered. "She...the baby... is gone..."
This was what the doctor had said when he asked Camille to sign the surgery risk notice.
Matthew frowned. "What happened?"
Erica shook her head. She was still trying to process the news that Phoebe had miscarried.
Not wanting to pressure her, Matthew approached the other two people in the room. When he saw Watkins, his frown deepened. He asked Camille first, "Tell me what led to this!"
Camille's eyes narrowed as she turned to where Erica was standing. Hatred glimmered in her eyes as she spat out, "It's her fault! She pushed Phoebe to the ground. Her actions caused my sister to lose her child!"
Erica was shocked by her sudden accusation. She hadn't done anything to Phoebe!
Matthew's expression morphed from concern to ominous. His tone was cold as he warned, "Camille, if you can't support your claims, you will be responsible for slandering an innocent person. That is a crime!"
Camille intensified her gaze on Erica and replied in a calm tone, "I am not maligning her. I saw her arguing with Phoebe and pushing her. By the time I tried to stop her, it was too late..."
Erica rushed forward with clenched fists. As soon as she neared the woman, she raised her hand, intending to slap Camille.
However, a firm grip on her wrist stopped her.
He persuaded her gently, "Erica, calm down. It's not appropriate to hit someone."
Matthew pried Watkins' fingers loose from Erica's wrist and pulled her into his arms. His glare was so cold that it pierced through Watkins like a knife. "Mr. Chai, if my wife wants to hit someone, she can. What's it to you?"
"I just don't think it's acceptable..." Watkins replied.
Erica ignored the men and stared at Camille. "Miss Su, I have no enmity with you. Why do you blame me like this?"
Half an hour later, they were in the ward.
Erica listened with a frosty expression as the pale-faced woman on the bed sobbed weakly to the man sitting beside her. "I didn't want her to touch my belly. But she placed her hand on it regardless of my objections. I tried to pull her hand away, but she pushed me down..." Phoebe sobbed.
Erica peered at Matthew only to find that he was listening to Phoebe's accusations expressionlessly.
"Matthew, I know Tessie has wronged her, but the child was innocent! I've been trying to avoid her recently, but I didn't expect that... Boo... Hoo..." Phoebe couldn't contain her emotions anymore and began to wail so much that she seemed out of breath.
As Camille had gone home to change and Watkins was dealing with the car accident, the three were alone in the ward. The woman's weeping grew louder and louder.
After a while, Matthew asked Erica to accompany him outside. He looked at his watch and instructed, "Owen, take Mrs. Huo home."
Owen, who had been waiting for orders near the ward, hurried forward. "Yes, Mr. Huo."
But Erica stood still stubbornly. "So, you believe her?"
The man was silent for a moment. "I have sent someone to collect the vehicle recorder and the surveillance recordings from the scene of the accident. I'll trust the evidence that I see with my eyes." 'But, I believe you more than anyone or anything, ' he thought.
Erica crossed her arms and questioned, "Why haven't you been coming home these past few days?"
Matthew's eyes searched her face for evidence of emotions as he replied, "Give me a reason to come home."
"You..." Erica bit her lower lip in exasperation. 'No one needs a reason to go home. He's just making things difficult for me!'
Ignoring the anger reflecting on her face, Matthew said indifferently, "I thought that after these three months together, you would know how I feel about you, but..."