Unmasking the Heiress

After the car crash scare, Evangeline was not taking any chances. She and Snow Wolf hit up a diner, and she borrowed his phone to check in with Yale. Yale's voice was rough, tinged with a thrill he could not quite mask.

"Evie, thank goodness you're safe."

Evangeline figured he was just worried about her, not reading into it too much.

However, a beat later...

"Don't bother with the old house; head straight to the hospital. It's your grandfather. He..."

Yale sounded utterly spent.

He had no idea that Evangeline had only been safe and sound for less than eight hours since her disappearance.

The Fosters could not keep a lid on it for even that short a time.

Outside the operating room, the red light flicked on, and Yale's heart sank.

Holden was a statue, his fists clenched, eyes glued to the operating room doors, not looking away for even a split second.

Yale could not hold back his emotions any longer when he saw Holden's state. His eyes welled up as he quickly moved closer and gave Holden's shoulder a reassuring pat. Holden clung to Yale's hand like it was his only hope. "Yale, Dad is going to be okay this time, right? And Evie too, all of us Fosters are going to be just fine..."

"I was about to tell you," Yale cut in, "that Evie is safe. She's with her friends, so no worries there. She'll probably be here any minute."

"For real?" Holden, hardly daring to believe, wiped his eyes, only to hear an even more excited voice.

"Mr. Yale Foster, Mr. Holden Foster, is Ms. Evangeline really okay?" @ Celina, overwhelmed with emotion, started crying right then and there. Seeing their firm nod, her tears

flowed even harder.

"Oh, thank goodness! It's all my fault, I didn't realize Mr. Foster was listening when David called me. Otherwise, it wouldn't have gotten to this point..." Her eyes, red as a rabbit's, were fixed on the operating room door.

Holden quickly tried to comfort her, "Ms. Morris, don't be too hard on yourself. We know our father better than anyone. He might seem a little out of the loop sometimes, but he's actually got it all figured out. He can't be fooled if there's even the tiniest clue."

Cole was just like that, his health failing but his mind sharp as ever, always able to piece things together from the smallest details.

Celina really did not need to feel so guilty.

Evangeline raced to the hospital with her heart pounding, and found three people huddled at the entrance.

The tension was palpable as the red light above the operating room door finally clicked off. Conrad emerged in his scrubs, his mask pulled down to reveal a face full of regret. "Cole's in a bad way," he said, his voice heavy. "He's weak, and his will to live... it's not strong. We've pulled him back this time, but I can't promise anything more."

Hope plummeted like a stone in everyone's chest, mirroring the despair in Conrad's eyes. Evangeline's throat tightened, tears streaming down her face. This was all her fault!

If she had not insisted on taking David to the hospital herself, Julia would not have had her chance. If only she had stayed by her grandfather's side, his condition would not have worsened. She had let him down.

Because of her, Cole was in the ICU.This is from NôvelDrama.Org.

Yale stood outside the glass, watching over him, and quietly said to Holden, "Call Jack and the rest."

Evangeline caught every word, her heart sinking further. "Uncle Yale, you mean..."

It was clear. They were calling the family in for what might be goodbye.