Trash Husband, I'm the Top novel Chapter 221

Nora insisted on staying at the hospital, but both Daniel and Louis were firmly against it.

“You’re pregnant. You can’t stay up all night,” Daniel said gently, trying to reason with her.

Louis chimed in, “Go home and get some rest. I’ll keep watch here. If anything comes up, I’ll call you right away.”

Just as they were talking, footsteps echoed down the corridor.

An elderly woman with a mane of silver hair walked toward them, her posture upright and her stride surprisingly energetic for someone her age.

Louis hurried over to greet her. “Grandmother.”

Mrs. Winters, well into her eighties, still moved with remarkable vigor and her sharp eyes missed nothing.

She waved off Louis’s attempt to steady her and made her way directly to Nora, giving her a once-over from head to toe.

“So, you’re Nora?”

Nora had already guessed who she was, and greeted her respectfully. “Mrs. Winters.”

This was the mother of her mentor.

Nora knew she should show deference.

Mrs. Winters nodded. “If you have a moment, would you mind talking with an old lady for a bit?”

“Of course,” Nora agreed without hesitation.

Louis and Daniel, understanding, excused themselves quietly.

Nora helped Mrs. Winters to a seat, then sat beside her, folding her hands neatly in her lap, the picture of composure.

Mrs. Winters began slowly, “Louis showed me the photos.”

She paused, her voice tinged with longing. “Can you tell me about her?”

Nora recounted everything she’d experienced since meeting Susan, and even spoke of the complicated history between Aurora and Louis.

She truly wanted to know what had happened back then—whether Louis had really betrayed Aurora.

But Mrs. Winters didn’t bring up the past between Louis and Aurora.

“She was a stubborn one,” Mrs. Winters said, her voice heavy. “After breaking with the family, she went twenty years without so much as a word.”

“Thank you, Nora, for being by her side.”

Nora didn’t refuse; it was, after all, the Winters family’s duty.

But she had her own plans.

“Three years,” she said, meeting Mrs. Winters’s gaze. “Please protect him for three years. After that, I’ll change his name and take him away from the Winters family myself.”

She needed their strength to shield Payne now, to ensure she had no vulnerabilities.

Mrs. Winters agreed.

“When the time comes, it’s up to him,” she said. “If Payne wants to leave, I won’t stop him. If he wants to stay, he’ll always have a place at my side.”

Nora’s eyes grew misty. Mrs. Winters’s promise gave her courage.

A little ways down the hall, Louis glanced at Daniel, whose face was still pale, and spoke quietly, “Mr. Chambers, I’ll never forget what you did to save Payne. If you ever need anything from me, I’ll be there.”

Daniel considered telling him to stay away from Nora, but realized how pointless that would be.

“I did it for Aurora,” he replied.

Louis understood, but some debts still needed to be acknowledged.