New beginning: Billionaire love story

Chapter 393 Hidden Truth

Andrea stood outside the hospital, staring up at the big, sterile building with a twist in his stomach. Eligos's words kept echoing in his head, telling him that Claire Peterson was his half-sister. She's your half-sister. The whole idea was beyond strange.

It didn't add up, not a single bit. Why hadn't his mom ever mentioned it? And how did she get involved in something like this? He shook his head, trying to wrap his brain around it, but the answer was zero to none.

He took a deep breath, clenching the small bag of apples he'd brought her. He'd just have to push all those questions aside for now. Today was about his mom, not about secrets he wasn't ready to face. Nodding politely at the nurse behind the desk, Andrea took the elevator up and made his way down the quiet, dim hallway. He paused outside her door, his hand resting on the handle as he gathered himself. Then, he knocked softly and stepped inside.

There she was, his mom, lying still on the bed with tubes around her, the beeping machines a constant reminder of her need for treatment. The sight of her looking so frail hit him hard. She was always such a strong, lively person-seeing her like this felt surreal, wrong

even.

His heart ached, both because of her state and because he knew the treatment she needed was something he still couldn't afford.

He closed the door behind him gently, trying to push down the lump in his throat. With a small smile, he placed the fruit bag on the side table, then walked over to her bedside. As if sensing his presence, her eyes fluttered open, and a soft smile crept across her face. His mother's eyes fluttered open, a faint smile tugging at her lips when she saw him. "Andrea, sweetheart," she said, her voice soft. "How are you?"

Andrea forced a smile, though his heart felt heavy. "I'm fine, Mom. Just missed you, that's all."

She reached out a hand, and he took it, sitting down in the chair beside her bed. Her fingers felt cold in his warm grip, but her eyes were as kind and gentle as ever. "I missed you too, honey. Thank you for coming."

He squeezed her hand, hoping the worry wasn't showing on his face. "Of course, Mom. I even brought you some apples, your favorite." He gestured to the bag on the table with a little grin.

She chuckled weakly. "Oh, you remembered! I don't think I could stomach one right now, but it's nice to know you thought of me."

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, just holding hands. Then she looked at him, her gaze sharper than he expected. "You look troubled, Andrea. Is there something on your mind?"

smile faltered. He hadn't meant to bring up anything serious, but she always had a way of seeing through him. "Well... sort of. I've been... learning some things. About

his lap, unsure of how to start. "Mom, someone

eyes widened a little, and he could see a mix of emotions flicker across her face. She opened

keeping his voice gentle. "Do I

at the ceiling as though searching for the right words.

beat, but he tried to keep calm. "Why didn't you ever

she sighed. "I didn't want to

sink in. "But why, Mom?

took a moment to absorb this. Part of him understood her intentions, but another part of him still felt hurt, left out

you to feel like I was hiding something from you. I just wanted to protect you." Andrea squeezed her hand. "It's

"Thank you, Andrea. It means a

is she my

hang in the air, heavy and

finally managed to swallow and looked away, her fingers twitching against the blanket. "How... how

just yet. "It came up. I was... talking to someone who knew a bit about our family." "Andrea, I

it's true then. Claire Peterson is my

she finally answered. "Yes, she is

letting her gather her thoughts. He could tell it wasn't easy for her to talk about this, and

absorbed this

strange mix of emotions-surprise, sadness, maybe even a hint of anger, though he wasn't quite sure where to direct it. "And she

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