Chapter 9
Meanwhile, Carl had been waiting outside the emergency room.
A small pile of cigarette butts was by his feet. Even though he wasn’t a smoker, the uncertainty of Whitney’s condition left him restless, and smoking was the only thing that helped distract him.
Whitney hadn’t been inside for long before the red light above the emergency room turned off. The doctor walked out, and Carl rushed over. “So soon? Has she been rescued?
The doctor seemed a little surprised. “Dr. Sinclair, she’s fine. She most likely fainted from the shock.”
The doctor chose his words carefully. Whitney only had a small cut on her wrist. Even if she hadn’t been rushed to the hospital right away, she
would have been fine.
Still, the doctor didn’t press the issue, thinking Carl was simply worried.
Soon after, Whitney was moved to a general ward. When she opened her eyes and saw Carl beside her, she immediately broke into tears and hugged him. “Carl, I thought I’d never see you again.”
He had seen her cry before. No matter the reason, it always made him. feel so heartbroken that he wished he could take her pain instead. But now, a strange frustration filled him, as something important had slipped away.
Carl gently moved Whitney aside. “I’m glad you’re alright. I have
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17
another surgery with you.”
to handle. I’ll head out now. I’ll call your friend to stay
Whitney felt a little uncomfortable after hearing that. In the past, even. when Carl was busy or exhausted, he always made time for her. But seeing that he was distracted, she forced a weak smile.
“Okay, Carl. Go ahead. I’ll be fine.”
Carl left the ward without looking back.
He didn’t have any appointments that evening. But for some reason, he wanted to go home. As he stopped by the office to change, he overheard a mocking voice from inside.
“I bet Carl only got his ‘genius‘ reputation by throwing money around.
“That girl from earlier only had a small cut. Using medical resources for that? I’ve never seen anything so ridiculous.”
Carl’s expression darkened. He opened the door and said solemnly, “She lost a lot of blood. That wasn’t just a little cut.”
One of his colleagues sneered. “Did you even look properly? Everyone. in the operating room saw it. The whole thing was over in under five minutes.”
The were in the room nodded in agreement.
nurses.
“Yes, Dr. Sinclair. We also saw it. It was minor.
Carl frowned, but he still stood by what he saw. When he got there, Whitney had been lying in a pool of blood. Her clothes were soaked.
So, he figured the others were just gossiping behind his back.
Chapter 9
After taking off his white coat, Carl drove straight to the Sinclair’s
manor.
On the way, he passed a flower shop and instantly thought of Jasmine.
He’d been harsh with her earlier–even hung up on her. She must’ve been hurt.
Remembering all the wrongs she’d endured recently, Carl pulled over and stepped into the shop, thinking he’d bring her some flowers to cheer her up. But as he stared at the colorful bouquets, he froze.
He realized he didn’t even know what kind of flowers Jasmine liked.
After five years of marriage, he still didn’t know his wife well.
Gritting his teeth, Carl asked for jasmine flowers, but the shopkeeper said they didn’t have any and told him to check the flower market nearby.
In the end, he bought a bouquet of roses and headed home.
By the time he arrived, it was already 9:00 p.m., and the sky had turned dark. Usually, there’d be a warm light glowing from the second- floor balcony. Jasmine once said she’d always leave the bedroom light. on until he got back.
But tonight, the house sat in silence and darkness.
Carl flipped on a wall lamp and called out, “Jasmine? Jasmine… ”
No one answered.
A strange worry crept into his chest. He rushed upstairs and headed straight for Jasmine’s room, only to find it empty. The dolls and
Chapter 9
decorations she loved were gone, and even her clothes had vanished from the closet.
It looked like she had never lived in the Sinclair’s manor at all.
That was when Carl realized that Jasmine had wiped away every part of her presence.
Panic crept in. His hands trembled as he pulled out his phone. Trying to stay calm, he scrolled through his contacts until he finally found her number. He hit the call button, but a soft robotic voice replied, “Sorry, the number you dialed…”
Refusing to give up, he opened WhatsApp and sent her a message.
As soon as he sent it, his eyes widened in shock. A bright red exclamation point appeared beside the message.
Jasmine had blocked him on everything.
