Meanwhile, at the hospital, Nathan had Evelyn undergo a full set of tests.

When the doctor finally came back with the results, he frowned and said with a hint of helplessness, "Mr. Caldwell, Ms. Mercer's test results came back fine. There's nothing physically wrong with her."

Nathan's expression darkened instantly. His voice turned icy. "If she's fine, then why hasn't she woken up yet?"

The doctor flinched slightly under Nathan's piercing gaze. After a moment of hesitation, he carefully worded his response. "Medically speaking, Ms. Mercer is in perfect health. As for why she hasn't woken up yet… it could be psychological. Or perhaps… she's simply resting."

"Resting?" Nathan let out a sharp laugh, his patience wearing thin. "Are you saying she's faking it?"

The doctor felt suffocated by Nathan's aggressive demeanor and quickly waved his hands. "No, no, that's not what I meant. I'm ju

Nathan felt a wave of unease surge through him, as if something important was slipping through his fingers and he was powerless to stop it.

"What's wrong, Nate?" Evelyn's voice came from behind him, tinged with concern.

Nathan snapped out of his daze. He quickly put his phone away and forced a smile. "It's nothing. Just some work matters I need to handle."

Evelyn nodded, her eyes filled with trust. "Then go quickly. Don't let your work pile up because of me."

Nathan hummed in acknowledgment and turned to leave the ward.

But he didn't head to the office. Instead, he drove straight to the club he frequented.

The dim lighting and deafening music made for a suffocating atmosphere. Nathan sat at the bar, downing drink after drink.

Before long, his friends surrounded him, grinning as they teased, "Hey, Nate, what brings you here? Weren't you supposed to be at the hospital with Evie?"

N

Annabelle spent her last five days in Vexford in a hospital bed.

During that time, Nathan didn't send her a single message. It wasn't until the day she was going to be discharged that he finally showed up, having somehow found out she'd been hospitalized.

When he saw the bandage wrapped around her head, guilt and worry flickered across his face. He immediately started explaining.

"I left in a hurry at that time. I didn't know you were in the hospital. What happened to you?"

Annabelle didn't feel like going into detail. She said curtly, "Someone was out for revenge. Smashed a bottle over my head."

Nathan froze for a second before anger flared in his eyes. "Who the hell did that to you? I'll kill them!"

Annabelle lowered her gaze. She was about to tell him what had happened after he'd left that night when Evelyn suddenly came into her ward.

"Annabelle, I heard you were sick again. Are you okay?"

The moment Evelyn walked in, Annabelle swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. Her voice sounded distant as she said, "It's just a small injury. I'm getting discharged soon."

They exchanged a few pleasantries, then the nurse came in to rush things along, so Nathan went to handle the discharge paperwork.

Annabelle was packing up her belongings when she noticed Evelyn's smile had disappeared. She was now looking at her with a cold, cutting expression.

"Alright, Nate's not here, so you can drop the whole damsel-in-distress act. I came here today to make one thing clear. Nate has liked me for years, from the time we were in high school. No matter what you do, you'll never win against me, so stop wasting your time."

Seeing Evelyn finally drop the fake kindness and show her true colors, Annabelle actually felt relieved.

Her voice was calm as she said, "I already know. And I was never trying to compete with you."

"Oh, please. If that's true, then why are you still clinging to him? Don't tell me you actually think he has feelings for you? I've seen plenty of gold diggers like you, throwing themselves into men's beds with that seductive little act. He's probably already bored of you."

Hearing those venomous words, Annabelle frowned. Instead of getting angry, she simply shot back with a question of her own.

"And what about you? You slept around in Velmora, then came back here acting all innocent. So tell me, are you an innocent little sweetheart or just a scheming bitch?"

Evelyn's face twisted in an instant. "What does that have to do with you?"

"So it's true, then?"

Evelyn finally snapped. She raised her hand and slapped Annabelle across the face. "So what if it is? It's none of your damn business. You're already old news. You might as well find some nice, boring guy to marry before you hit menopause and end up alone for the rest of your miserable life."

The burning pain on her cheek made Annabelle let out a sharp breath.

She touched her swollen face before flexing her fingers. Then, without hesitation, she slapped Evelyn right back with all the strength she had.

Evelyn couldn't handle the humiliation. Just as she was about to lunge forward and grab Annabelle's hair, the door suddenly swung open.

The moment Evelyn saw Nathan, her entire demeanor changed. She forced out a few tears and threw herself into his arms.

"Nate, after you left, Annabelle told me you two are dating. I didn't believe her and wanted to ask you myself. But when she heard that, she got mad and slapped me!"

When Nathan saw the clear, red imprint of a hand on Evelyn's face, fury surged through him.

He pulled her closer, shielding her protectively as he turned to Annabelle. His voice was filled with anger as he demanded, "Annabelle, can you stop being so unreasonable?"

In their five years together, Annabelle had never once seen Nathan lose his temper at her. Now, he'd done it for the first time, and it was for Evelyn. 

Maybe she'd seen him throw himself into the fire for Evelyn too many times, because she no longer felt disappointment, pain, or even rage.

Her voice was icy, drained of all emotion as she replied, "I did slap her. But she slapped me first. So, I'd say we're even. Why don't you ask what actually happened?"

It was only then that Nathan finally noticed the redness on Annabelle's cheek.

Realizing something was off, he opened his mouth to ask. But before he could, Evelyn suddenly collapsed in his arms.

Panic flashed across his face. Without hesitation, he scooped her up and rushed toward the examination room. As he ran out the door, he threw one last sentence over his shoulder. 

"Go home first. We'll talk about this later."

"There won't be a later." 

Watching his retreating figure, Annabelle let out a soft chuckle. 

She returned to her apartment and handed her keys to the rental agent. "Please pack up the remaining items in the apartment and ship them to Bungalow 4015 in Evermere. Payment will be made on delivery."

The agent glanced at the suitcases beside her and asked in surprise, "Ms. Winslow, are you leaving Vexford? Are you not coming back?"

"Yeah."

There was nothing left in this city worth staying for.

She took one last look around, then turned and walked away. After hailing a cab, she headed straight for the airport.

By the time she boarded her flight, the flight attendants were already reminding passengers to turn off their phones.

Annabelle opened her chat with Nathan and sent him one last message.

"Nathan, I heard everything you said that night at the club. They say hate comes from love. I don't think I hate you anymore. Probably because I don't love you anymore. The best thing about being older is that I know when to walk away. Best of luck winning over the woman of your dreams. We're done."

Then, she deleted his number.

The moment she turned off her phone, the plane took off.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Nathan had Evelyn undergo a full set of tests.

When the doctor finally came back with the results, he frowned and said with a hint of helplessness, "Mr. Caldwell, Ms. Mercer's test results came back fine. There's nothing physically wrong with her."

Nathan's expression darkened instantly. His voice turned icy. "If she's fine, then why hasn't she woken up yet?"

The doctor flinched slightly under Nathan's piercing gaze. After a moment of hesitation, he carefully worded his response. "Medically speaking, Ms. Mercer is in perfect health. As for why she hasn't woken up yet… it could be psychological. Or perhaps… she's simply resting."

"Resting?" Nathan let out a sharp laugh, his patience wearing thin. "Are you saying she's faking it?"

The doctor felt suffocated by Nathan's aggressive demeanor and quickly waved his hands. "No, no, that's not what I meant. I'm just saying that there's no medical explanation for her unconsciousness."

Nathan no longer paid him a

Chapter 9