Forbidden Passion
Chapter 707 I Must Give Birth to This Child

After a bit, Phoebe glanced at the steps, but Ruby was nowhere in sight. Phoebe shook her head; Ruby really didn't trust her. Theodore noticed Phoebe's look and said softly, "If you want to find her, I can give you her address tomorrow."

Phoebe let out a deep sigh, "Forget it."

If she pushed too hard, Ruby would think she was trying to take Ethan away. It was better to leave things as they were. If Ruby really needed help, she'd come to the Empire State Building to find Phoebe. As Phoebe and Theodore made their way down the mountain, the sky suddenly darkened, and it looked like a heavy rain was coming. The wind whipped their clothes around.

Phoebe's hair was all over the place from the wind. She turned to see Theodore still strolling along. She stopped and said, "Mr. Reynolds, stop dragging your feet. It can rain any minute in the summer." Before she could finish, a cool raindrop hit her face, and soon it was pouring. Neither of them had brought an umbrella.

Theodore grabbed her wrist and started pulling her down the mountain.

Phoebe was startled and tried to pull away, but his grip was too strong. Instead, he held on tighter. Theodore's voice was wild and carefree in the wind and rain. He said softly, "Phoebe, want to run away with me?" Phoebe looked at Theodore's back with a mix of emotions, thinking she had a family and a successful career; she'd have to be crazy to run away with him.

But running in the rain felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. The guilt and self-blame she'd been carrying were left behind. She just needed to keep moving forward. Theodore's hand slid from her wrist to interlock their fingers tightly. He grinned.

"Phoebe, let's run away together!"

Phoebe glared at the back of his head. The heavy rain blurred her vision. If he'd said this to her two years ago, she would've followed him without a second thought.

They ran down the steps and out of the cemetery. The rain was coming down harder, and the damp chill hit them.

They made it to the car. Theodore opened the door and was about to push Phoebe inside when she stopped and looked back at the rows of tombstones on the hillside, shrouded in mist. She couldn't see clearly. When Phoebe turned back, she saw a slender figure running towards them, carrying something. As the figure got closer, she saw it was Ruby, carrying a kid on her back.

Phoebe quickly ran to Ruby, taking off her small jacket to cover Ruby and Ethan from the rain.

"Ruby, what's wrong?"

"Ethan has a sudden high fever." Ruby was breathing heavily, partly from running and partly from anxiety.

Phoebe shielded Ruby and Ethan as they ran to the car. Theodore had already opened the back seat for them. Phoebe got in with them.

She was soaked, her white tank top becoming semi-transparent. Theodore, sitting in the driver's seat, handed her a dry towel. "Dry off the rainwater."

Phoebe took it and quickly wiped the water off Ethan, who was leaning against Ruby. Seeing Ethan's flushed cheeks, she could vaguely see Donovan's childhood face. She touched Ethan's forehead. "Ethan probably has a fever. Mr. Reynolds, please turn off the air conditioning. He got wet in the rain, and his condition could worsen." Phoebe said anxiously.

Theodore had already turned off the air conditioning when he got in. Seeing Phoebe so focused on Ethan, he said, "Phoebe, dry yourself off too."

Phoebe waved him off. "Just drive, get them to the hospital first."

Theodore sighed and tossed his jacket into her lap. "Put it on, or you'll catch a cold."

Phoebe pursed her lips but didn't argue. She slipped on the jacket.

Wiping the rain from her face, Phoebe glanced at Ruby's pale profile. "Are you living near the cemetery with Ethan?"

Ruby looked down at Ethan's flushed cheeks and said softly, "My dad's blacklisted me in the city. No matter where I work, he sends people to cause trouble. I get fired within days, and landlords won't rent to me." "How can Mr. Adams be like this? Doesn't anyone in your family help you?" Phoebe asked, noticing how much Ruby had changed. She'd grown up pampered, probably never suffering like this before. "They don't dare go against my dad."

At first, Nancy tried to persuade Ruby to abort the child and marry the playboy Charles had chosen for her, not to ruin herself.

But Ruby refused. Donovan was dead, and the child in her womb was his only bloodline. No matter how difficult the road ahead, she wanted to give birth to this child.

Ruby's stubbornness broke Nancy's heart, and she gave up on her. After that, no matter how much Charles oppressed Ruby, Nancy never helped her again.

"Since you're having such a hard time, why do you still..."

"Phoebe!" Ruby cut her off, glaring warningly while covering Ethan's ears, afraid he would hear something he shouldn't.

Phoebe pursed her lips and looked up at the rearview mirror, meeting Theodore's gaze for a moment before lowering her eyes.

"Don't hold him like that. His body temperature is very high. Put him on the seat to cool down," Phoebe said.

Ruby looked at her skeptically. "Will that work? Won't he catch a cold?"

Phoebe moved towards the car door to make space. "Trust me. Holding him will only raise his temperature. Put him down."

For some reason, Ruby believed her. She placed Ethan on the seat, and Phoebe unbuttoned his shirt.

Ruby asked, "What's this for?"

"To cool him down," Phoebe said, placing her cold hand on Ethan's neck. Ethan shivered from the cold, and Ruby immediately pushed Phoebe's hand away. "Why are you using your cold hand to touch him?" Phoebe explained, "I read in a parenting book that putting a cooling patch on a child's neck helps reduce fever. We don't have a cooling patch, but my hand is cold, so it should work. Trust me." Ruby frowned. "Don't lie to me."

Phoebe wanted to roll her eyes but held back. She'd done this to her kids before.

Ruby was still skeptical, but soon Ethan, who had been groaning from the fever, gradually quieted down, and his cheeks weren't as red as when they first got in the car.

Ruby looked at Phoebe in disbelief. "It really works. Where did you learn this?"

"From a parenting book," Phoebe said, feeling a bit guilty as she turned her face away.