Forbidden Passion

Christopher dropped Phoebe and the kids back at Lakeview Estates. Phoebe invited him in, but he shook his head. "Next time, Phoebe. I still need to go to the hospital."

Phoebe remembered Madison falling down the stairs and said, "Alright, I won't keep you."

Christopher nodded at her and then bent down to say goodbye to the kids.

As the car drove away, Hubert, Boris, and Noomi tilted their heads and looked at Phoebe. "Mom, let's go home."

"Alright, let's go home. Come on, Ethan." Phoebe withdrew her gaze, opened the door, and walked inside. Evelyn hadn't returned yet, and Pamela and Elijah came out to greet them.

"The house felt so empty without you all. Now that you're back, it feels full again," Pamela said with a smile, picking up Noomi. "Did you have fun with Theodore today?"noveldrama

"Yes, we watched Mr. Reynolds fish," Noomi replied.

Pamela looked down at Noomi's flushed cheeks. "Look at your little face, all red from the sun. Why didn't you find a shady spot to fish?"

Phoebe glanced at Noomi's face. She had noticed it at the estate but hadn't paid much attention. "A little sun is good for kids."

"That's true, as long as they didn't intentionally keep them in the sun," Pamela said lightly.

Phoebe turned to look at Pamela. She assumed Pamela was just worried about the kids, so she didn't think much of it.

"It'll be fine in a couple of days," Phoebe said.

Pamela gave her a look. "Phoebe, don't take it lightly. If kids get sunburned, their skin can be damaged later. It's not a big deal for boys, but girls might worry about their appearance when they grow up."

Hearing that she might not look good, Noomi burst into tears. "I don't want to be ugly.

I don't want to be ugly."

After a lot of comforting, Noomi finally stopped crying, leaving Phoebe feeling exhausted.

Since Theodore moved in, Pamela seemed to have changed. If this continued, there would be problems. Phoebe needed to find time to talk to Pamela.

In fact, Pamela had been very attentive to the triplets over the past few months. Phoebe had noticed and felt reassured by Pamela's diligence.

Honestly, she hoped Pamela could stay with them. It was hard to find a meticulous and caring nanny.

While Phoebe was thinking about talking to Pamela, Madison was being wheeled out of the emergency room at the hospital.

When she fell down the stairs, her head hit the steps first, twisting her neck and injuring her cervical spine. She was wearing a neck brace, her hand was twisted, and she had multiple soft tissue injuries. The most serious injuries were to the back of her head and her forehead.

Everyone followed the medical staff back to the room. After settling Madison in, the doctor and nurse explained her condition to Taylor and the others.

Taylor covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. "Is her cervical spine injury serious? Will it cause paralysis?"

"No, the most serious injury right now is to the back of her head. We need to monitor her for a while in case of a concussion, which could be troublesome," the doctor said.

Taylor sighed in relief. "Thank you, doctor. You've worked hard."

"No problem, Mrs. Reynolds. If you need anything, just press the call button. We'll be going now," the doctor said, leaving with the nurse.

In the room, Theodore and Grace stood at the foot of the bed, while Edward stood on the other side, looking worriedly at Madison. "How did she suddenly fall down the stairs?"

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Taylor gritted her teeth and looked at Grace. "Come out with me."

Grace bit her lip, and Theodore frowned at Taylor. "Mom, no matter what, Grace is still your biological daughter."

Edward, standing nearby, said sarcastically, "So, Mr. Reynolds, are you saying that because Grace is the Reynolds family's biological daughter, she can push Madison down the stairs without any responsibility?"

Theodore glared at Edward. "Since when did the Reynolds family's matters concern you, Mr. Vanderbilt?"

Edward's breath caught, and he frowned. "I'm Madison's boyfriend. She was pushed down the stairs by Grace. Can't I say something on her behalf?"

Theodore sneered. "Mr. Vanderbilt, you sure changed your mind quickly. You were just rejected after proposing, and now you're interested in Madison? Do you have some ulterior motive?"

Edward raised an eyebrow. "Madison has waited for me for so many years. Can't I have a change of heart?"

"Mr. Vanderbilt, your change of heart is quite timely. Anyone who doesn't know might think you're using her to cause trouble. I guess I misunderstood you," Theodore mocked.

"Enough, stop arguing. Grace, come out with me," Taylor interrupted impatiently, turning to leave the room.

Grace glanced at Theodore and then followed Taylor out.

After a few steps, Taylor turned and slapped Grace across the face. Grace didn't even have time to react and was hit so hard that her head turned.

Her mind buzzed, and it took a while for her to turn back, looking at Taylor in disbelief.

"Grace, do you know why I hit you?" Taylor's face was filled with anger and disappointment.

Grace bit her lower lip, tasting a hint of blood. She stood up straight, her cheek burning. "If I had fallen down the stairs today, would you have hit her?"

Taylor frowned. "What do you mean? Are you accusing me of favoritism?"

"Yes, ever since I came back to this family, all you care about is Madison. She's the one who stole everything from me. Why is it that when I returned, I became the outsider?" Grace demanded.

Taylor was at a loss for words. "Your father gave you all the shares that were originally meant for her. Isn't that enough? What more do you want?"

"Those were mine to begin with. I'm your biological daughter," Grace shouted, tears streaming down her face.

Seeing the hatred in Grace's eyes, Taylor was shocked. Even though she knew Grace was her daughter, she felt only a sense of unfamiliarity towards her.

This unfamiliarity made it hard for her to be close to Grace, so she transferred all her maternal affection to Madison, treating her even better.

It was as if this could ease her conscience.

She knew she was selfish, unable to face Grace, so she hid in the illusion of her relationship with Madison. Even though she knew Grace was suffering, she remained indifferent, rejecting Grace from the bottom of her heart and feeling hostile towards her.

She even wished the daughter-switching incident had never happened, but Grace's presence forced her to confront this reality.

The Sullivan parents, who had rushed over after receiving a phone call, already knew that Madison had fallen down the stairs. Seeing Taylor and Grace arguing, they could easily guess the reason behind Madison's fall.

Alva, not caring about the reason, rushed over and started hitting Grace with her bag. "You ungrateful person! I raised you, and this is how you repay me? How could you do this to Madison?"

Alva screamed and hit Grace, who could only shield her face, unable to dodge.