Forbidden Passion
Chapter 595 Heartless

Evelyn had never seen Theodore this hyped before, and she was caught off guard. "Theodore, what's up?"

Theodore grabbed the phone with shaky hands, eyes glued to a pic of Phoebe grinning ear to ear. She'd been the star of all his teenage dreams.

Every time he dreamed of Phoebe, she'd be smiling at him, running away, looking back, and shouting, "My name is Mia."

Phoebe had always been in his dreams, so that day in the courtyard, when Vanessa showed up in a flowy white dress, smiling brighter than the sun, and someone called her Mia from behind, he thought Vanessa was the girl who saved him as a kid.

One slip-up led to a lifetime of regret.

Turned out, the girl he'd been searching for had been in his life all along. Phoebe's radiant smile had healed him, but he didn't recognize her.

That mistake was unforgivable.

Theodore called out, "Mia."

Evelyn heard him call Phoebe by her nickname and looked at him, surprised. "How do you know Phoebe's nickname is Mia?"

"She told me," Theodore said, his voice rough.

He gently stroked the screen with his fingers. Teenage Phoebe, in her white princess dress, looked like a little fairy who'd stepped into the human world. Her smile alone could fix everything.

Phoebe's smile was so unique; how did he mix her up with someone else?

That day, at the employee meeting when he joined the Reynolds Group, everyone looked serious, except Phoebe, who smiled so brightly and captivatingly.

He had met Phoebe long ago; why didn't he recognize her?

Evelyn sighed. "Her nickname was given by my dad. After he passed away, she wouldn't let us call her Mia anymore. I asked her why, but she wouldn't say, just insisted we stop."

Theodore closed his eyes. No wonder he never heard anyone in the Ziegler family call Phoebe by her nickname. His heart ached. "I went looking for her."

In the first two years, he went to that village every summer, but he never saw Phoebe again.

Evelyn looked at him, puzzled. "Where did you go looking for her?"

"The village where I met her. I went every year at first, asking around for her, but no one had seen her. Later, I stopped going. I didn't know she was always by my side," Theo's voice cracked. Evelyn got the gist. "You knew each other a long time ago?"

"Yeah," Theodore sighed deeply. "I just found out we knew each other ages ago. No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw her again."

Emotions didn't just pop up out of nowhere; they had got roots. He just hadn't noticed.

Evelyn asked, "It's really amazing, isn't it, Theodore?"

He looked down at the photo on the screen. After a while, he nodded. "Mom, can you send me this photo?"

"Of course." Evelyn took the phone, fiddled with it for a bit, and sent the photo to him. She looked at the photo, feeling all sorts of emotions.

Evelyn said, "Phoebe was so cute when she was little, very likable. But after Harper's accident, she seemed to grow up overnight and became more sensible."

Theodore had lived with Phoebe for four years but had never understood her as much as he did tonight. He had always been distant, refusing to communicate with her, resisting any attempt to enter her heart, and unwilling to let her into his

own.

Because of his damn pride, they'd wasted so many years. He swore that if Phoebe made it out of the ICU, he'd make it all up to her, love her like crazy, and make her the happiest woman alive.

Two days later, Phoebe woke up. Except for the whip marks on her back, she was pretty much back to normal.

The nurse wheeled Phoebe into a regular room, treated her again, and then left the family alone.

Theodore stood by the bed, looking at Phoebe's thin cheeks. His heart ached, and he wanted to hug her but didn't dare.

"Phoebe, you're awake. You hungry?" He asked.

Phoebe leaned on the soft pillow, her back aching and itching, but her face was as calm as a still pond, like nothing could shake her.

Seeing her like this, he felt a weird emptiness and pain in his heart.

Phoebe was too calm, like she had no emotions at all.

He didn't want to see her like this. He'd rather she scream, hit him, curse him, anything but this calm.

"Phoebe, why aren't you talking?" Theodore was super anxious, gently holding her hand and pressing his face against her cool palm. "Are you mad at me for not saving you first? I'm sorry, it's all my fault."

Phoebe stayed indifferent to his apology, showing no reaction.

He pleaded, "I promise you, I'll never let you face danger again. Please forgive me this time, okay?"

Phoebe stared ahead, her eyes empty and emotionless, like she couldn't hear his voice or feel his pain.

Evelyn pushed the door open and came in. "I heard Phoebe woke up. Theodore, you..."

Hearing Evelyn's voice, Theodore quickly raised his head, hastily wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes, not wanting Evelyn to see.

"I'll go ask the doc about Phoebe's condition. You two talk," Theodore said and hurriedly left the room.

Evelyn, carrying a thermos, walked to the bedside table. Seeing Phoebe's pale face, her heart ached.

But she still said, "Phoebe, you finally got out of the ICU. Do you know how much it costs to stay in the ICU for a day?"

If Phoebe had any reaction, she would've snapped back that Evelyn was heartless.

Evelyn waited for a while but didn't hear Phoebe speak. She felt something was off, put down the thermos, and sat on the chair by the bed.

"Phoebe, are you sulking? Theodore had a hard time too. He originally decided to save you first, but Vanessa's parents arrived, knelt, and begged him to save Vanessa first. Sophia even had a heart attack and died right in front of Theodore. You know they were teacher and student; this was Sophia's last wish. How could he refuse?" Evelyn said.

Phoebe's eyes remained emotionless, ignoring Evelyn's words, like nothing could get through to her anymore.

Evelyn knew what Phoebe was thinking. She held Phoebe's hand and said gently, "Phoebe, you've always been sensible. You need to understand Theodore's difficulties. He eventually found you and saved you. As for who he saved first, don't take it to heart, okay?"

Phoebe's eyes trembled slightly as she silently withdrew her hand from Evelyn's grasp and tucked it under the covers, closing her eyes to shut out Evelyn's words.