Chapter 6

Summer’s POV

By that afternoon, the cramps in my stomach tightened into a violent vice.

A shooting pain radiated upward from my lower back. I curled my legs up, clutching the bedsheets, my fingers turning bruised and pale from the strain.

At first, I ground my teeth and bore it in silence, but when black spots began dancing across my vision, I finally reached out and pressed the bedside call button.

As my finger hit the button, I rehearsed what I would say: I wouldn't bring up the past few days, and I wouldn't mention the transfer. I would only say it hurt. I just begged for a doctor to come take one look at me.

A nurse walked in.

Without a word of greeting, she immediately began clearing off the bedside table, her hands moving briskly. "Dr. Chloe's mother had a sudden medical emergency, and there are no empty rooms in the VIP wing. You need to vacate this suite. Pack your things."

"I'm in severe pain," I wheezed, grabbing the bed rail, my forehead soaked in cold sweat. "I need to see a doctor."

"Your bed is under Dr. Chloe's management," the nurse said flatly without looking up. "The order to clear the room came directly from Dr. Chloe herself."

"I'm really hurting..." I tried to climb out of bed, but my knees buckled, sending me crashing back down. "Please, just call a doctor. Just one look is all I need."

"All the doctors are busy treating Dr. Chloe's mother. Who has time to deal with you?" The nurse cast an irritated glance at me. "Dr. Chloe said it's just your old chronic issue flaring up. Hurry up and pack your things. Don't hold up the department."

I opened my mouth to plead, but before I could find my footing, Sean and Chloe appeared at the doorway, wheeling a wheelchair inside.

I lunged forward, grabbing Sean's coat sleeve in desperation.

"I'm pregnant," I gasped, looking up at him, tears mixing with sweat streaming down my face. "Sean, I'm pregnant! Just let me endure this wave of pain... After this, I promise I'll never appear in front of you again, okay? Please!"

I had gritted my teeth and kept this secret hidden for days, only to lay it bare in this desperate moment.

All I was asking in exchange was so little: half an hour, and a single doctor to check on me.

Sean looked down at me coldly.

"What kind of performance are you putting on now?" he said, his voice dripping with disgust. "Summer, I've seen this routine way too many times."

"I'm not acting!" My voice shook violently. "I'm really in pain, Sean! I'm really hurting... Just get someone to check on me, just one look... please..."

Beside him, Chloe cried out, her voice shrill and panicked: "My mom is crashing! Dr. Sean, hurry and come inside!"

Sean yanked his arm back, shaking me off ruthlessly, and shoved the bag I was clutching back into my arms.

"Drag yourself down to the end of the hall and wait for a bed," he said coldly. Turning around, he pushed the wheelchair into the room.

"Sean—!"

My desperate scream was cut short as the door slammed shut.

Bracing one hand against the wall and clutching my bag with the other, I dragged myself forward, step by agonizing step, toward the end of the corridor.

I moved slower than a toddler learning to walk.

With every single step, a sharp cramp tore through my abdomen, but I didn't dare stop.

Halfway down, the bag slipped from my trembling grasp, hitting the floor and sending my toothbrush rolling across the linoleum. I didn't even bend down to pick it up. I just leaned against the wall and kept shuffling forward.

A nurse passed by, gave me a fleeting glance, hesitated for a split second, and ultimately looked away, not daring to step forward.

The beds here answered to Dr. Chloe. Nobody wanted to touch a patient Dr. Chloe had targeted.

I stopped begging for help.

Halfway down the hall, warm blood began trickling down my pant leg.

Looking down, I saw a streak of crimson dragging a smeared trail across the pristine white floor.

I tried to scream, but my vocal cords failed me completely. Darkness swallowed my sight, and my entire body collapsed heavily onto the floor.

When I opened my eyes again, I was lying back in a hospital bed, and my stomach felt hollow.

I later learned that the nurse who walked past had followed the trail of blood, found me lying unconscious in a pool of red, and called orderlies to carry me back.

I lay in that bed for most of the day, waiting until my limbs regained a fraction of their strength, before using the wall for support to drag myself back toward my former private room.

My stomach was empty.

I didn't dare let my mind wander down that path. The mere thought suffocated me.

The door was left ajar.

Inside, Sean was speaking with Chloe's mother, Patricia.

Patricia's sudden illness had flared up violently, but it had resolved just as quickly. Leaning comfortably against the headboard, her voice was full of energy.

"You've taken such good care of Chloe all these years," Patricia said warmly. "Our family owes you a debt we can never repay in this lifetime."

"Please, don't say that," Sean paused briefly. "Chloe is a kind-hearted girl."

"What good is being kind-hearted?" Patricia sighed. "Thank goodness you protected her during that incident back then. Otherwise, how could she have the career she has today?"

Sean fell silent for a moment.

"My son was born with autism," he said softly. "Even if that incident hadn't happened, he wouldn't have grown up properly. Keeping him around was just a burden. Leaving this world early was a relief for the child, and for the adults too."

"You're truly sensible," Patricia agreed smoothly. "You see things clearly."

"It's all in the past," Sean said. "Just focus on resting. You don't need to worry about anything else."

Outside the door, my fingers gripped the wall, paralyzed. Every ounce of strength left my body, and I slid down the wall to the floor.