Forbidden Passion
Chapter 549 Involvement

The car rolled into the hospital lot, and Phoebe and Evelyn made a beeline for the ICU to check on Brandon.

Surprisingly, Brandon looked pretty good. He was in high spirits, his face glowing like he had just come back from a vacation. Not your typical patient vibe at all. But Taylor? She looked like she'd been through the wringer.

The Reynolds family had been dealing with a ton of drama lately, especially with the whole switched-at-birth mess. Taylor looked worn out, like she'd aged a decade in just a few days. When Evelyn saw Taylor, she almost didn't recognize her.

In just a couple of days, Taylor had aged ten years. Time had left its marks on her mercilessly, making her look quite pitiable.

"Evelyn is here, come in and have a seat," Taylor stood up to greet her.

Evelyn quickly walked over, placing the fruit she brought on the table. Approaching the bed, she couldn't help but feel the strong aura of authority that Brandon exuded, even in his illness, making it hard to look him in the eye. Evelyn exchanged a few pleasantries, but talking to Brandon made her feel very uneasy. She didn't stay in the ward for long before coming out.

Taylor saw her out, "Evelyn, let Phoebe take you home. Phoebe, make sure Evelyn gets home safely, okay?"

"I got it, Mom. I'll be back in a bit," Phoebe nodded.

Taylor patted her hand, "No need, you have work tomorrow. There are caregivers on night duty here, so you don't need to worry. Go home and rest."

Phoebe didn't insist further, reminding Taylor to take care of herself, and then she and Evelyn got into the elevator.

The elevator descended to the floor where Grace's ward was located. Phoebe said, "Mom, I'm going to see a friend. It'll just take a few minutes, then I'll take you home."

"Which friend? Is it Cindy? I'll go with you," Evelyn asked.

When Phoebe was in school, she liked to be alone. She was busy with several tutoring jobs and earning scholarships, leaving no time to make friends.

Cindy was Phoebe's only friend, so when Evelyn heard Phoebe say she was visiting a friend, she instinctively thought it was Cindy. Phoebe replied, "No, it's a new friend. You wait here for a bit."

Evelyn understood that Phoebe didn't want her to come along, probably fearing her friend would feel awkward in front of an elder.

Evelyn waited by the nurse's station, feeling like a whirlwind had passed by. She looked again and saw a figure that resembled Madison. Madison kicked open the door to the ward Phoebe had just entered and rushed in. Phoebe had barely said a few words to Grace when the door behind her was kicked open. She turned around sharply to see Madison storming in angrily.

Phoebe instinctively stood in front of Grace, watching Madison warily, "Madison, what are you doing?"

Seeing Phoebe in Grace's ward made Madison even angrier. She lunged forward, throwing a punch at Phoebe's face.

Madison yelled, "Phoebe, you ruined me! Are you satisfied?"

Phoebe didn't have time to dodge and could only raise her hand to shield her face. Madison's punch landed on her arm, numbing it. She pushed Madison away forcefully.

Madison stumbled back a few steps but lunged again.

Phoebe spoke, "Madison, what are you crazy about?"

Grace lay in bed, unable to move. She wanted to get up and help Phoebe but was in so much pain that she was drenched in sweat.

Madison, totally wasted and out of her mind, lunged at Phoebe, knocking her onto the hospital bed and gripping her neck like a maniac. "I'm gonna kill you. If I can't live, neither can you," she screamed, eyes blazing with fury. Phoebe's waist slammed into the bed rail, and Madison's chokehold made it hard to breathe.

Grace watched in horror as Madison strangled Phoebe. She fumbled to press the call button by the bed.

Just then, Phoebe felt the pressure on her neck ease up. The hands choking her loosened, and she gulped in fresh air. Then she heard Evelyn's voice.

Phoebe opened her eyes to see Evelyn yanking Madison's hair, dragging her back while cursing up a storm. Madison turned and started scrapping with Evelyn.

Phoebe took a few deep breaths and hurried to pull them apart. A cold, stern voice came from the doorway, "Madison, knock it off."

Everyone in the room froze, staring at Theodore standing at the door.

Evelyn quickly let go of Madison and shrank back to Phoebe's side, anxiously checking the finger marks on Phoebe's neck, "Phoebe, you okay?"

Phoebe held her neck, her throat still sore, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Theodore glanced at Phoebe, then locked eyes with Madison, "Look at yourself. Come out with me."

Madison was pissed but didn't dare defy Theodore. She grabbed her bag and followed him out.

Phoebe coughed heavily a few times, then turned to look at Grace, whose face was drenched in cold sweat. She quickly pressed the call button to get a nurse to check on Grace. After the nurse left, it was just Grace, Phoebe, and Evelyn in the room.

Grace looked at Phoebe with guilt, "Phoebe, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. Even if she lost it, she shouldn't have taken it out on you."

Phoebe had smelled the strong scent of alcohol on Madison. She frowned, "Don't say that. You don't owe her anything."

Evelyn was still confused, "Phoebe, Madison said you ruined her. What's going on?"

"It's a long story. I'll fill you in later. Grace, don't stress about it. Just focus on getting better. We're gonna head out now," Phoebe said.

Grace felt anxious. She wanted Phoebe to stay with her but was too embarrassed to say so. She could only watch as Evelyn and Phoebe left.

As soon as Phoebe left the ward, she saw Theodore and Madison at the end of the hallway. She walked over quickly.

Theodore spoke sternly, "Did you ignore everything I said in the office this morning? If you don't want to listen to me, you might as well go back to the Sullivan family."

Phoebe paused.

Madison looked up at Theodore, her eyes brimming with hurt. "Theodore, how can you treat me like this? We've grown up together. Just because of a DNA report, you want to kick me out? Was our sibling bond all these years fake?" Theodore's face was grim, "You know why I'm kicking you out. Madison, when did you become so ruthless?"

"I became this way because you all forced me to," Madison shouted, her eyes red.

Theodore stared at Madison for a few seconds, his tone still harsh, "I suggest you see a therapist and stop doing such extreme things."

With that, Theodore brushed past Madison and walked straight to Phoebe, putting his arm around her shoulder as they left.