Forbidden Passion
Chapter 533 Vanessa, Theodore Still Cares about You

After chugging down a big ol' bowl of medicine, Phoebe was tossing and turning in bed, totally unable to catch some Z's. Snowflakes were drifting outside, but her mind was all over the place, stressing about the hospital situation.

The second Phoebe bounced from the hospital, Vanessa hobbled downstairs.

Leaning on her crutch, she made her way to the ICU. The moment she saw Taylor, she broke down in tears before even saying a word. Taylor jumped up and hugged her tight.

Taylor, looking all worried, said, "Dang, you've lost so much weight."

Vanessa sniffled, "Taylor, I just found out Brandon's in the hospital. What's up with him? He's always been healthy; how'd he end up here?"

Seeing Vanessa still using a crutch, Taylor guided her to a bench. "Vanessa, chill. He'll be alright in a couple of days."

"Okay." Vanessa glanced at Taylor's puffy eyes and said, "You gotta take care of yourself too. Don't burn out; Theodore will freak out even more." Taylor nodded. "I know."

Vanessa peeked at the ICU and asked, "Taylor, where's Theodore?"

"The doc called him away. He'll be back soon." Taylor leaned back in the chair, staring at the ICU, and let out a soft sigh.

Vanessa's mind started racing with nasty thoughts when she noticed only Taylor was at the ICU entrance, meaning Phoebe hadn't shown up.

Her eyes gleamed. "Taylor, why haven't I seen Ms. Ziegler? With Brandon being so sick, shouldn't she be here with you?"

In the past, Taylor would've brushed off Vanessa's jabs, but lately, her home life had been a mess thanks to the mistress's meddling.

Taylor coldly pulled her hand away from Vanessa's grip and said, "Phoebe was busy all night. With us here, there's no need for everyone to be at the hospital."

Vanessa didn't expect Taylor to stick up for Phoebe. It felt like a slap in the face, and her cheeks burned.

Vanessa lightly clenched her fist and said softly, "I didn't mean anything by it, Taylor."

"Okay." Taylor closed her eyes, not wanting to chat with Vanessa anymore.

Taylor knew that being too nice to Vanessa would only fuel her ambitions. Vanessa thought if she could get rid of Phoebe, she could marry into the Reynolds family. No way was Taylor giving Vanessa that chance.

Vanessa looked at Taylor, who clearly didn't want to engage with her, feeling super uneasy. She wanted to go upstairs but didn't want to leave without seeing Theodore. After sitting for a bit, she heard footsteps in the hallway.

She turned to see Christopher and Madison helping Sarah over. She quickly stood up to greet Sarah.

Lately, the Reynolds family had been a hot mess, and Sarah looked noticeably older. She nodded at Vanessa and then rushed to Taylor.

Sarah asked, "Taylor, what's Brandon's condition now?"

Sarah's voice was sharp. Brandon had been fine when he left the house yesterday, but now he was suddenly sick. Plus, Sarah had heard Taylor had a fight with Marlowe and ended up at the police station. She was so mad she almost fainted. Taylor had already stood up and reached out to support Sarah, but Sarah shook off her hand, not letting Taylor touch her.

Taylor lowered her head and said, "He fell yesterday. The doc said it's a cerebral hemorrhage, but he's stable."

Sarah plopped down heavily on the bench. "Do you think we've had bad luck lately? Why is everything going wrong?"

Christopher quickly plopped down next to Sarah and said, "Grandma, you pray every day. Our family's bound to catch a break."

"Yeah, Grandma. Mom said Dad's stable. He'll be fine, so chill," Madison added.

Sarah pounded her chest in frustration.

Christopher and Madison took turns trying to calm her down, while Vanessa just stood there, not getting a word in. By the time Sarah finally noticed Vanessa, Theodore had already come back from the doc's office. Seeing the crowd outside the ICU, Theodore frowned.

Theodore shot a glare at Christopher. "Didn't I tell you not to tell Grandma? Why'd you bring her here?"

Before Christopher could answer, Sarah snapped, "How could you keep something this big from me?"

Theodore replied, "It's not about hiding it; we just didn't want you to stress. Dad's condition isn't that bad. The doc said he's still young, works out, and is in good health. A little bleeding might even lower his blood pressure." "This doctor is a joke. I want to file a complaint." Sarah fumed. She had almost fainted when she heard the news, and the doc dared to joke about it.

Theodore sighed. "Please, just rest."

Vanessa finally found her moment to speak up. She said, "Sarah, even if we don't trust the doc, we should trust Theodore. He said Brandon's getting better."

"If it's not serious, why's he in the ICU? I'm not a kid; don't lie to me." Sarah huffed.

Feeling totally dismissed, Vanessa shot a quick, pleading glance at Theodore before lowering her head in dejection.

Theodore finally noticed her. "Vanessa, Sophia probably needs someone with her. I'll have Madison take you back to your room. Madison, take Vanessa back." Madison reluctantly agreed and came over to help Vanessa.

Vanessa looked at Theodore with red, tearful eyes. "Theodore, if you need me for anything, just let me know."

"Go upstairs," Theodore said flatly.

Vanessa had no choice but to let Madison help her away from the ICU. Once they were in the elevator, Madison let go of Vanessa.

Madison spoke, "Vanessa, my dad's still in the ICU. Theodore's in a bad mood. Don't be mad at him."

Vanessa replied, "I know. I just hate myself for being useless. When my mom was sick, Theodore did everything for us. Now that Brandon's sick, I can't even stay with him. Why am I so useless?" Seeing Vanessa getting more and more down, Madison tried to comfort her. When the elevator arrived, Madison helped Vanessa out.

Madison said, "Vanessa, I think Theodore still cares about you, so don't give up, okay?"

Vanessa smiled and nodded. "Okay."

Madison took Vanessa back to her room and then headed back downstairs. The elevator stopped on a certain floor, and someone got in.

Madison was scrolling through her phone, but when she heard someone call her name, the familiar voice made her heart skip a beat. Her phone slipped from her fingers and hit the floor.

Madison looked up, staring at the disheveled Mason like she had seen a ghost. "Are you stalking me?" she asked, incredulous.

Mason hurriedly waved his hands, bent down to pick up the phone, and looked at Madison with a mix of surprise and anxiety. "Madison, are you here to see your mom?"

Madison snatched her phone back and glared at Mason. "My mom's name is Taylor. No one else has the right to be my mom!"