Chapter 42
A shiver ran down Calista’s spine. When she turned around, she immediately saw Alexander standing there. She still owed him money. Naturally, she felt a little embarrassed.
“Dr. Lester.”
Alexander grinned and nodded before he started talking about the recruitment notice on the wall.
“What’s the matter? Are you thinking about applying? Actually, you only have to be my assistant and help monitor the VIP patients staying on the top floor of the hospital. No extensive nursing expertise is required.”
As Alexander explained the job, he kept a close eye on Calista’s expression. The last thing he wanted was to offend her. Strangely, her face was pale and lifeless, her features drained of all emotion.
She was the wife of a successful CEO. So, why would she look this lost?
The hospital bill for Room 705 popped into his mind, and he became more curious about her.
“Ms. Marchand? Are you listening to me?” For once, Alexander spoke at length, but he could tell she wasn’t paying attention at all.
“Oh. Sure I am. You’ll have to excuse me, Dr. Lester. I need to leave right now.” As Calista spoke, she turned around and took the receipt from the hospital staff. Then, she hurried away from the counter,
Alexander fell into deep thought as he watched her retreating figure. It would seem that things were more intense and convoluted at the Fenwick family than he had imagined.
Earlier, he had pictured Calista being dragged deeper and deeper into a whirlpool, utterly powerless to resist.
Meanwhile, Calista didn’t know what was on his mind. All she wanted was to get back to the hospital room as soon as possible. To her surprise, everyone in the ward looked ashen and defeated, especially Rebecca.
Rebecca had always been a tough, tenacious lady. Yet, she was wiping her tears at the corner of the ward.
“Mom, Anthony, what’s going on?” Calista didn’t tell them about the medical bill. When she saw the miserable state they were in, her heart sank, and it became difficult for her to catch her breath.
She pressed, “Say something, guys. What on earth happened? Where did Clarice run off to?”
“I want you to stop listening to her. Don’t say another word about her!” Rebecca snarled, her voice low and broken. Then, she fell apart and clutched Calista’s arm tightly.
“Cali, Clarice hid Justin in her hometown in the countryside. Her brother just called us and said that Justin was scalded by hot water. They rambled on about who knows what, and she left.
“By the time I ran to the hallway, she was already gone. Justin is just a young boy, but I’m not even sure if they’ll take him to the hospital for treatment.” Rebecca was so heartbroken that she was almost incoherent.
“The countryside?” Calista’s vision dimmed for a moment, but she forced herself to stay composed when she saw the entire ward in
tears.
“Maybe you can try finding out where they are.” At that moment, the familiar voice from earlier echoed in the ward once more.
Calista whipped around and looked toward the door. She saw Alexander confidently walk over.
“I didn’t mean anything by it, but many of my college friends are doing medical aid missions all over the country, especially in the remote mountainous regions. If you need help, I can probably ask around,”
“Really? I know where Clarice’s hometown is!” Anthony said urgently. He was Justin’s father, yet he was completely helpless. Now that a solution had appeared, he had no choice but to seize the lifeline.
“Okay. Give me the address, and I’ll immediately contact my friends.” Alexander didn’t waste any time. Once he got the information he needed, he contacted the friend stationed in that area.
Half an hour later, the medical team stationed in the area knocked on the door of the Morgan residence, using medical assistance as their pretext.
On the same night, Calista and the others received the good news. Fortunately, the medical team arrived just in time to treat Justin. Moreover, the burn was minor. After their professional treatment, he was in stable condition.
Unfortunately, the medical equipment and resources in mountainous regions were often scarce and limited. Justin would undoubtedly have a scar.
Chapter 4
“Oh, dear. We are in no place to complain about such a thing. What matters is that Justin is safe. For that alone, I’m eternally grateful. Dr. Lester, you are our lifesaver. I’m not even sure how I can ever repay you.”
Rebecca was so distressed that her hair seemed to turn gray. As she spoke, she made to get down on her knees.
However, Alexander hurriedly stopped her and helped her up to her feet, the smile on his face as warm and graceful as ever. “That’s too kind of you. It’s a doctor’s duty to save lives.”
He offered more comforting words before he gave the medical team’s phone number to Anthony. With this small gesture, he gave Justin a way to contact his father if the adults at the Morgan residence neglected him.
It was late at night. Despite being large and tall, Anthony curled up on the hospital bed and spoke into his phone, gently talking Justin
to sleep.
Calista watched him, her heart weighed down by a heavy gloom. She had had no one to rely on in her whole life, and she understood how despairing and sorrowful it felt. That was why she wouldn’t wish it on Justin if she could help it.
After much pondering, she decided that she had to figure out a way to take Justin back and rejoin their family. Just thinking about it
made her chest ache with bitterness.
A tearing pain flared again in her abdomen, sharp and merciless. Just as Calista stepped through the gate of the Juniville estate, she gasped out of sheer pain.
The luxurious mansion was lit brightly, but every corner of it was weighed down by cold, unfeeling air. Everything might have seemed glamorous and elegant, but only God knew the kind of brutal sacrifices it was built on.
After Calista entered the mansion, she sensed something amiss and instinctively rubbed her arms. She swept her gaze across the living room and found herself looking at Lucien, who was sitting on the couch.
That said, she showed little reaction. Instead, she went straight to the kitchen for a glass of water. Perhaps it was late at night, but the mansion felt empty. The only sound that echoed through the place was the running water, as if slicing into her heart.
Meanwhile, Lucien was fiddling with a decorative piece he grabbed from the table, his erratic motions reflecting his mood.
Both of them had nothing to say to each other, and the tension in the air became so thick that it could’ve been cut with a knife, oppressive and suffocating.
“Have you had dinner?” Calista asked awkwardly after she cleared her throat, unable to stand the tense silence anymore.
It was only then that Lucien glanced her way, wearing the same distant, indifferent expression she had grown so painfully used to.
