Chapter 111

If it weren't for William, Joseph wouldn't have shown up, even if Christina had invited him herself.

"I'm not sick," Christina snapped, her face flushed with anger.

Joseph didn't buy it for a second. "You won't know until you get checked out. I'm a doctor; I know better than you."

"I said I'm not sick. Do you think I can't tell if something's wrong with me?" Christina struggled to keep her temper in check.

These two really didn't understand the meaning of "respect."

The more defiant she was, the more Joseph felt he was right to come today.

He sat down on the couch, ready to give her some psychological counseling.

The next second, Christina grabbed a fruit knife from the table and held it to her wrist. "Both of you, get out."

"Ms. Windsor, don't do anything rash," the housekeeper rushed over, trying to stop her.

William was also afraid she might actually hurt herself.

Only Joseph remained unmoved.

He just sat there, looking at Christina with a playful glint in his eyes. "If you have the guts, go ahead and cut. Stop trying to scare us. This isn't the old days; that trick doesn't work anymore."

Even if you beat him to death, Joseph wouldn't believe Christina was really going to commit suicide.

In the end, Christina was just trying to force William to give in to her demands.

"Christina, stop this nonsense. Joseph is an excellent doctor. Having him counsel you won't do you any harm," William said, half-convinced she wouldn't actually go through with it, but still a bit scared.

Christina's hatred for him wasn't fake. If she got too emotional and really cut herself, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"You just want to say I'm crazy, right? It's ridiculous. When I wanted to be close to you, you pushed me away. Now that I want to stay away, you want to lock me up and call my refusal a mental breakdown," Christina said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Why did she ever get involved with someone like William in the first place?

It wasn't just William and Joseph who had hurt Harper; she had too. If she had been more clear-headed, Harper wouldn't have suffered so much.

"Then what?" Joseph recalled their first meeting.

He was still angry. "I don't even know how I offended you, but you were so hostile towards me. In medical terms, that's called paranoia."

"Let me examine you first, see how bad it is, and then I'll prescribe some medication. Slowly, your emotions will stabilize."

Every word he said was a blow to Christina.

She had completely given up on communicating with these two. She slashed her wrist, and blood gushed out.

Joseph was stunned.

He couldn't believe his eyes. How could this be happening?

"Call an ambulance! Ms. Windsor is bleeding a lot. Where are the bandages?" The housekeeper was the first to react, rushing to support Christina while shouting.

William immediately called for an ambulance.

Joseph found some bandages in the medical kit and tried to dress Christina's wound, but she refused to cooperate.

She told William, "Just because other women like you doesn't mean I do. I will never marry you. I'd rather die than be tied to someone like you for life."

To her, that was worse than death.

Joseph was even more shocked. He had always thought Christina was the one forcing William into marriage, but it turned out to be the other way around.

As a doctor, he hadn't noticed the patient's distress and had even aggravated it. He felt he had failed his profession.

At that moment, it felt like a mountain was pressing down on him, making him feel suffocated and miserable.

"Let's get you to the hospital first. We can talk about everything else later," William said, just wanting her to stay alive.

Christina was adamant.

"Later? When exactly is later? What if you change your mind once I'm better? Then wouldn't I have cut myself for nothing?"

She was resolute. "I won't go to the hospital unless you promise never to bother me again."

"I promise. Once you're better, you can stay or leave as you wish. I won't interfere," William conceded.

She had lost so much blood that if they didn't stop the bleeding soon, he feared she wouldn't make it until the ambulance arrived.

As Christina began to lose consciousness from the blood loss, Joseph quickly bandaged her wound.

When the ambulance arrived, they all went to the hospital together.

Christina was rushed to the emergency room, while William and Joseph waited in the hallway.

"What the hell is going on between you two? William, you told me Christina was sick, but she just said you were forcing her into marriage. Even if you love her to death, this is too much," Joseph said, utterly confused.

And Christina too.

She didn't act like she loved William. What had happened to make her change so drastically?

"That's exactly what I can't figure out," William said with a bitter smile. "She hates me now, really hates me. And she seems to have a child named Harper with someone else, but I don't know who the man is or where the child is."

"What are you thinking? She has a child with someone else, and you still want to marry her?" Joseph wasn't prejudiced against her.

But Christina was so young, not even graduated, and already had an illegitimate child. What was going on?

And William.

He couldn't possibly marry a woman with a child.

William shook his head. "I don't have that thought now. I just want to understand what happened. And that child, when was it born?"

Having a child isn't something that happens overnight; it takes at least ten months. Christina hiding this from the entire Cavendish family wasn't easy.

"Are you sure the child exists?" Joseph thought for a moment and offered a reasonable guess. "Given her drastic change and paranoia, is it possible the child is a figment of her imagination?"

If that were the case, everything would make sense.

The child didn't exist, so William couldn't find any trace of it. And Christina's hostility towards him was because of this imaginary child.

William thought carefully. "You might be right. So what do you think I should do now?"