Not His Type Of Mate
Chapter 138

Nora's POV

It had been four years since I left Madison, and I had been taking care of my son alone since then. I continued writing, and I had improved a lot over the years. It was fun, but also suffocating as complicated thoughts wouldn't leave my mind. I had been invited to an event where awards would be given to top writers, and I was looking forward to being called because I could boldly tell anyone that I had worked hard throughout the years, and my writing was enough to earn me rewards. My readers had increased exponentially, and I was one of the best writers internationally. I was sitting in my seat, watching the host crack jokes while showing some of the best-selling books from other authors and mine, causing loud laughter from all of us. "Now, the Best Author of the Year award goes to Author Nora Edwin Watt!" the host announced, and my eyes widened. I had expected an award, but not the Best Author of the Year, and I was in disbelief. I looked around me, seeing the way people were applauding me, and I was moved to tears. I stood up from my seat and walked toward the stage, where I was handed the award. I was invited to give a speech and advised other authors while also sharing my experience as an author. "It wasn't easy at all, and there were times I wanted to give up, but the passion kept me going. The passion I have for creating new lives and making them live the life I had so much anticipated is fun, and I just can't afford to stop. If you can have this same belief too, I'm sure you will be able to improve in your writing and be proud of yourselves too," I said politely to the new writers in the hall and appreciated those who cheered me up all through the years.

I looked at the crowd, and I felt teary. It had been my lifelong dream to have such a time like this - a time when I would be awarded in front of so many people. But most of the time, I had wished the man I love would be with me and be the first to congratulate me. Seeing that he wasn't there, I felt sad, but I shrugged it off and smiled at the crowd.

I dedicated the award to all writers in the whole world and promised to keep improving to make the world of writers bigger and broader. After which, I took some pictures with the host and returned to my seat. Others were awarded too, and I cheered for them with a sincere heart.

Hours later, the event came to an end, and I stood up. I was about to leave the hall when some writers walked toward me and greeted me. "Hi, Miss Nora, can I have your autograph?" One of them asked, and I nodded. "Sure," I said to them, and they all cheered. They gave me the things they wanted me to sign, and I started signing them. It took me a lot of time to attend to the fans as they all kept coming, asking for autographs and pictures. By the time I was done with them, I breathed in relief. I carried my bag and turned my back to leave the hall when I felt a soft embrace on my legs, and I looked down only to see my son hugging my legs. "My baby, Darling Julius!" I cheered as I bent and hugged him back.

He smiled at me as he broke the hug. "Congratulations, Mum. I'm proud of you." His unclear soft babyish voice warmed my heart and made me teary. I pulled him in for another hug and kissed his cheeks lightly. "Oh, my darling! Thank you so much." I appreciated it as I broke the hug and cupped his cheeks. "Why are you here? You are supposed to be in school by this time." I asked him. The last time I remembered, he was supposed to leave school later in the day, and he wouldn't leave school until I picked him up. Who could have brought him here? He looked at me and smiled. "Yes, Mum. It was Uncle Maxwell that brought me here. He came to take me from school." He explained, and my eyes widened. Uncle Maxwell? How come?

But more than the question, I wanted to see my brother. I raised my head and looked ahead, only to see Maxwell standing a little far away from us. I stood up and wiped my eyes to be sure I wasn't seeing wrong before I ran toward him. "Maxwell?" I called, and he smiled warmly at me. I threw myself into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, thank you so much for coming, Maxwell. You don't know how happy I am to see you here like this!" I said to him, and he hugged me back. I broke the hug and looked at him. It had been two years since I last saw him, and I had missed him a lot.

Seeing his face again made me excited, and I did not want to look away from him, but then I noticed something. Maxwell was pretending. He was pretending to be fine while he wasn't fine. Something was wrong, and I could feel it. I held his hand and looked into his

eyes.

"What's going on, Maxwell? You don't look fine. What's happening?" I questioned, and he sighed. He looked at Julius, who had moved toward us, and looked at me again. "This is not the right time for this, Nora." He replied, and my heart palpitated. I wondered what could have happened to my brother, and I was a little scared.

"You can just tell me now. I'm all ears." I replied, but he shook his head. "You are celebrating right now, Nora. I shouldn't tell you something that might worry you." He tried to convince me, but it wasn't working, and he knew it. He looked at the hall and sucked in a deep breath. "Let's leave here then. We can go and talk in your house." He suggested, and I agreed. The hall was too noisy anyway.

He came with his car, so it was easier for us to get into his car. Many fans were outside waiting for me to come out, but with the help of Maxwell, I was able to leave there without being delayed, and we entered his car. "To your house now." He said as he started the car and drove down to my house. The journey seemed longer than usual as I was curious to know what was up with him, and my mind wasn't at rest.

Julius kept telling me stories about his school and his friends, but I wasn't concentrating at all, and I couldn't wait to reach home on time. I didn't want to speculate things at all. We got to my house, and I came out of his car. "We are home, Mum," Julius said to me, and I revealed a forced smile as I led both him and Maxwell into the house, and dropped my bag. I turned to face Julius. "Julius, darling. Go and wait for mommy upstairs. I will come and meet you when I'm done speaking with Uncle." I said to him, and fortunately, he was obedient.

He looked at Maxwell and smiled. "Make sure to see me before you leave, Uncle Maxwell," he pleaded, and Maxwell nodded.

The two were quite close, and they would play together most times when they saw each other. Seeing that Julius had left, I turned to Maxwell. "What should I offer you?" I asked him, and he looked around the house for a while before he opened his mouth to talk. "Water should be okay," he said, and I frowned. "How could you visit your sister and demand only water? You should at least eat something," I tried convincing him. Truthfully, I was curious to know what he wanted to tell me, but I felt like it was only right for me to offer him something first. He had come from Francisco to see me here, and I shouldn't stress him out with talk first.

Maxwell was quiet. His expression changed, and worry appeared on his face. He could no longer hide his sadness, and it was obvious that he was worried. He walked to a seat and sat down, while I followed him. I was about to sit when I shook my head. "I should get you some water to calm you down first," I said to him and left to get him water, which I returned seconds later and handed to him.

"Thank you," he said, and collected the water from me. He drank it in one go and dropped the cup on the table before telling me to sit beside him. "What happened?" I asked again, and he sucked in a deep breath. He was quiet for a while, and it seemed he was hesitating to tell me or not, but I was curious. "I'm your sister, Maxwell. You shouldn't keep things away from me, and the fact that you came here means that you were planning to tell me. Why are you changing your mind again?" I questioned when I realized that he seemed to be considering whether to talk or not.

He nodded his head and looked at me. "Yes. I came to tell you anyway, and I might as well say it now," he said with bitterness in his voice. "Dad is sick, Nora. He is very sick, and he was diagnosed with cancer," he revealed, and my heart stopped. I looked at him with disbelief in my eyes as I waited for him to tell me he was joking, but he was dead serious! My heart sank, and I gasped. "Why don't you take him to the hospital or maybe to a healer who can heal him?" I asked, but he shook his head.

"No, Nora. We've tried all we could. We've called many healers, and we've taken him to different hospitals, but none of it is working. Maybe we haven't found a competent healer like you because it's so hard to find, Nora," he explained, and my eyes widened. I was pained and scared, but no, I did not want to return to Francisco. I had kept myself away from Maddison for so long, and I did not want to see him again. Maxwell fell on his knees when he realized I was hesitating. He knew how much I did not want to return to that country, and he knew it was a big decision for me to make. "I can't go there, Maxwell. I don't want to return to that place," I said to him, but he started crying. "Nora, please save our father. We can't let him die like this. Please, save him. You are the only one that can save him now, please save him," he begged, and I was confused.

I didn't know what to do. I wanted to save my dad, and I wanted to stay here too. There was no way I could save my dad here, and I couldn't watch him die either. I looked at the sobbing Maxwell, and my heart ached. "What do I do now?" I asked, and he wiped his tears. "Come with me, Nora. You can come to Francisco with me," he said, and my head hung low. I looked around the house in confusion and sighed, "Okay then. I will pack my things and leave with you," I assured him, and he was glad.

He stood up and sat back in the seat. "Thank you very much, Nora," he said sincerely. "I should go and get my things," I said to him and left him there while I went to pack both my things and Julius' things so we could go with him.