“It’s about Luzia,” Vivian hesitated for a moment, then decided to speak, “She has been taken by Joseph and has returned to Los Angeles.”


    This day woulde sooner orter. As Joseph’s wife, Luzia couldn’t stay in Houston forever. But as a friend, they all hoped this day woulde a littleter, just a bitter. However, no matter howte, this day arrived.


    Shelley was somewhat taken aback, her expression dazed, “So suddenly? Why?”


    Vivian shook her head, “Luzia didn’t give details, just said Joseph received an urgent mission and needed to return to Los Angeles immediately. When Luzia called me, she was already on her way to the airport.”


    Calcting the time, they should be almost at the airport by now, right?


    “An urgent mission?” Shelley keenly caught something, she looked towards Mare behind Vivian, her inquiring gaze so evident.


    Mare pursed her lips and shook her head.


    Mare didn’t know either?


    Shelley instinctively felt it was unlikely, but Mare’s genuinely puzzled expression didn’t seem fake.


    “Is the time for Hawaii set?” Shelley asked.


    “It should be in the next couple of days,” jos mentioned it to her when they left in the morning.


    But now, with Joseph preparing to return to Los Angeles, and Richard gone, the crisis seemed to have passed. Did she still need to go to Hawaii?


    Vivian had doubts. If it were up to her, she wouldn’t want to leave Houston, wouldn’t want to leave jos. But unfortunately, she wasn’t the decision-maker.


    Shelley could sense Vivian’s helplessness, but her own mood was equally grim. She couldn’t offer any useful help orfort to Vivian.


    The two sat quietly, pondering the direction of the future and worrying about the unknown fate of their mutual friend.


    “Vivian, do you want an apple?” Mrs. Celinda cut an apple. Her voice broke the silence in the ward.


    “Just give me half, thank you.” Vivian took half an apple from Mrs. Celinda’s hand, took a bite, the sweet and sour crispness, the texture she liked, “Delicious.”


    Mrs. Celinda, seeing her enjoying it, also smiled happily, “As long as you like it, Shelley is quite picky.”


    Shelley was eating an apple and couldn’t help but retort upon hearing her mother’s words, “As if your cooking is so delicious.”


    Mrs. Celinda blushed and scolded Shelley with a re.


    Vivianughed, a tinge of envy showing in her eyes unintentionally. Despite being a Mafia family, Shelley and her mother got along very well.


    If only her mother were here.


    She lowered her head and touched her growing belly. Would her father tell her mother about her pregnancy? Would her mother be happy for her? When would she be able to see her mother again?


    As if sensing Vivian’s sadness, the baby sleeping inside her belly suddenly kicked her gently, like a silentfort, making Vivian feel an indescribable warmth.


    “Did you just go to see Festus?” Vivian asked Shelley.


    At the mention of Festus, Shelley’s mood plummeted again. She nodded.


    “Is he okay? Has he woken up?”


    “Not yet,” Shelley said, “But the doctor said his vital signs are still stable, which is barely good news, right?”


    “I know you’re worried, Shelley. But worrying won’t solve the current predicament. Festus can’t just get better right away,” Vivianforted her.


    “I know. You can rest assured, I’ll obediently follow the doctor’s orders, take my medicine, injections, and rest. I’ll get better soon, and when Festus is out of danger and transferred to a regr ward, I still need to take care of him.”


    “It’s great that you can think like that,” Vivian breathed a sigh of relief.


    After chatting with Shelley for a while, it was evident her spirits were strained. Vivian got up and said goodbye, returning to her ward.


    In the corridor, Mare was on the phone. As she saw Vivianing out, she hung up.


    At that moment, when their eyes met, Vivian had a certain spection in her heart, “What’s wrong?”


    “The preparations for Hawaii are ready. jos has prepared a private ne for you. We need to leave for the airport now.”


    Vivian said to herself “As expected” in her mind. She contained her surprise and quickly figured out what she needed to do now in her head-she needed to pack her things and say goodbye to her friends.


    But in Houston, she didn’t really have any friends to say goodbye to. Luzia should be on the ne to Los Angeles by now, leaving only Shelley.


    As Vivian regained her senses, she wanted to go knock on Shelley’s door again, but Mare stopped her, “She’ll knowter. Don’t let anyone know the specific time the ne takes off now. Come with me.”


    “But I…”


    Vivian wanted to say she needed to pack her things, but Mare interrupted her, saying, “Your things have already been packed for you, and preparations have been made in Hawaii. Juste with me.”


    At that moment, Vivian sensed that something was amiss. She looked deeply at Mare and asked, “Has something happened?”


    Vivian’s sudden acuteness made Mare unable to help but look away, but he also wasn’t fully informed. He only mentioned what he knew, “Bratva is assembling their troops. jos suspects they willunch an attack in the near future. He will be busier and won’t be able to ensure your safety.”


    “Sending you to Hawaii now for protection is the safest option,” Mare said as he led Vivian into the elevator and pressed the button for the basement floor.


    As the elevator doors slowly closed, taking them down to the basement, Diego was waiting at the exit.


    As she was being pushed into the car, Vivian struggled to ask, “Is jos in danger?”


    “Don’t worry, as long as you are safe, jos won’t be distracted. If he’s not distracted, he’ll be safe,” Mare assured her.


    Mare’s statement had a strong basis in reality, and Vivian couldn’t argue. She stopped resisting the fact that she was about to leave for Hawaii immediately. She obediently sat in her seat, waiting for Mare to close the passenger door and for Diego to slowly drive them to the airport.


    Half a year ago, Vivian had flown from Los Angeles to Houston with her parents and two brothers to attend the funeral of jos’s father, Kamden. Then her father, Bryson, had given her as a gift to jos, and she had been left in Houston.


    Vivian had countless fantasies, hoping to return to Houston’s airport, board a flight to Los Angeles, and escape from this despairing marriage.Content held by N?velDrama.Org.


    Now, she was still jos’s wife, and soon to be the mother of jos’s child. Her wish came true half a yearter as she arrived at the airport again, boarding the private ne jos had prepared for her. However, her destination was no longer her dreamy Los Angeles; it was Hawaii, a city even more foreign to her.


    There, she had no family, no friends, no Vilem, and certainly no jos. She was utterly alone.