The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 880

Jamison paused his conversation with his parents and took the phone. "Hello?"

"Uncle," Boyd's voice came from the other end, hesitant and stammering. "Um, I found out…"

Jamison's brow furrowed slightly. "Yes? Who was it?"

There was more hemming and hawing. "It was… I think it was my mom who said something."

Boyd's mother? Jamison thought of the distant relative, May, with some surprise. "How did she find out?"

"Well, my grandmother is also in the hospital, and my mom was here visiting her when she somehow found out. She asked me about it, wondering what was wrong with you and why I hadn't mentioned it. I immediately told her not to tell anyone, but I guess she couldn't help herself and told some family members when she got home…"

Boyd finished his explanation, his voice tight with anxiety. "I didn't tell you because I knew you needed to rest after your surgery. I thought telling her to keep quiet would be enough, but… well…"

"Uncle, I'm so sorry. My mom is on her way over to apologize to you in person."

Boyd was still sweating bullets. The old Jamison would have certainly lost his temper. But having gone through a major illness and now with his wife carrying twins, he had mellowed considerably, his emotions remarkably stable.

"Forget it. Tell her not to come. I'm not going to pursue it."

What was done was done. Fortunately, his parents hadn't been too severely affected by the news, so he couldn't be bothered to make a fuss. It was a stroke of luck, really. If they hadn't found out about the twins right at that moment to distract them, the impact would have been far more severe.

The call hadn't even ended when there was a knock on the door. Ivy looked up to see a middle-aged, well-dressed woman slipping into the room. Jamison glanced over, his brow tightening. *That was fast.*

Boyd was still talking on the other end, but Jamison wasn't listening. He muttered a quick dismissal and hung up.

"Uncle Danny, Auntie, you're here!" the woman said cheerfully, greeting the Ludwig elders with a warm smile. As Boyd's parent, she was from the nephew's generation, hence addressing Danny as ‘Uncle.'

Seeing his younger son's lack of basic courtesy, Danny's face darkened, and he was about to reprimand him when Adela quickly put a hand on his arm. "Let it go. He's sick, why are you arguing with him?"

May felt a knot of fear in her stomach, worried that her big mouth would cause trouble for her son. After all, her own reckless son had been nothing but a troublemaker in his younger years. If it weren't for Jamison, the boy might not even be alive, let alone on the right path with a promising career. She was deeply grateful to Jamison and the entire Ludwig family.

Seeing Danny's anger, she quickly intervened. "Uncle Danny, it's not Jamison's fault. It's mine… Boyd told me over and over not to say anything, but I just couldn't keep it to myself…"

"It's not your fault either," the old man grumbled, still fuming, though his anger was rooted in worry. "He's so sick, and he hid it even from his own parents! We should be thanking you for finding out, otherwise we'd still be in the dark."

He understood that as children grow up, they tend to share good news and hide the bad. His youngest son, who had been coddled and spoiled his whole life, was now thirty and had finally matured. But the thought brought a strange ache to his heart; he even missed the arrogant, rebellious son of the past.

His thoughts were a jumble, his heart heavy. Though his son spoke lightly of a successful surgery and a full recovery, he knew the recurrence rate for cancer, especially liver cancer, was terrifyingly high.

They say a father's love is as solid and silent as a mountain. He didn't say much, and he still felt the urge to scold, but the pain in his heart was just as sharp. If he could, he would gladly take his son's place. He was an old man who had lived a full life. But his son was so young, his life just beginning. He hadn't even had the chance to be a father yet.