Chapter 803
“The investigation cleared the hospital and Dr. Dale. She’s back, but…” Lena hesitated before continuing. “She’s been transferred to another hospital.”
No wonder I hadn’t seen her in the days I’d been here. “Because of the incident?”
“Even though they found no connection between her actions and the patient’s death, the public doesn’t care. All they see is someone died on her watch, so they blame her. The pressure was too much.” She shook her head, her tone bitter. “Public opinion? It’s a wrecking ball. It can destroy someone overnight.”
Her words hit differently—I knew this wasn’t just about Dr. Dale. Lena had dealt with her fair share of blame and accusations over the years, too.
I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “I’m sorry you’ve had to deal with that.”
Lena gave me a faint smile, but her eyes were sad. “Life’s not fair, Rea. Everyone faces their own kind of injustice.”
She wasn’t wrong. Everyone thinks their pain is the worst, never realizing just how many ways the world can break you. What we’ve been through is just one tiny piece of it all.
On the day of the funeral, rain drizzled like the sky was crying. Lena and I arrived at the Johnston residence to find cars lined up on both sides of the street. It wasn’t surprising—Matthew Johnston had been a powerhouse in business, and plenty of people showed up to pay their respects.
The mansion was heavy with grief.
“When you see Mrs. Johnston, stay calm,” Lena warned, her voice firm. “No letting emotions take over.”
I nodded, but we both knew emotions didn’t come with an off switch. If they were, the world wouldn’t be overflowing with joy, anger, heartbreak, and everything in between.
Inside the courtyard, I kept my head low—not just out of sadness but to avoid certain people. My history with the Johnstons, especially Jace, made things complicated.
“This feels… off,” Lena muttered, steadying me with a hand on my arm as her eyes darted around.
I didn’t look up—too many people I wanted to avoid—but Lena didn’t have the same hang-ups. She scanned the crowd openly.
She wasn’t one to make random comments, so my stomach tightened. “What is it?” I asked.
Taking a breath, I finally lifted my head and followed her gaze. That’s when I saw it, too. There were plenty of people milling around, but most were young—definitely not the kind of crowd I’d expect for someone like Matthew. His peers? Barely any.
After he handed the company to Jace, Matthew had pretty much withdrawn from public life. The few people he still kept close were older, like him. But this crowd? Their faces weren’t filled with grief. If anything, they looked restless, even wary, like they weren’t here to mourn at all.
“This isn’t right,” I muttered under my breath.
Lena’s worried eyes met mine. She knew everything about the Johnstons and my tangled-up history with them. “Do you think Wayne’s up to something?”
If anyone could twist a funeral into a power play, it was Wayne.
“It’s possible,” I said, my voice low. “We need to stay sharp.”
We moved cautiously toward the memorial hall, eyes scanning every corner. The second we stepped inside, my gaze locked on Wayne and Lindey.
Lindey looked like the grief had hollowed her out completely. Her face was pale and lined, her hair streaked with even more gray. She looked like she’d aged ten years in just a few days.
They say grief can turn your hair white overnight. Watching Lindey now, I believed it.
“Lindey,” I said softly, stepping toward her.
Her blank eyes drifted up to mine. For a second, I wasn’t even sure she recognized me. Then, without a word, she threw her arms around me and pulled me into a crushing hug.
She buried her face in my shoulder, her sobs muffled but heavy, raw. The weight of her pain seeped into me, dragging me under with her.
I held her tightly, my eyes stinging as I let her grief pour out.
Then, in a trembling whisper, she said, “Rea, Jace is in the underground garage. You need to save him.”
Her words hit me like ice water, freezing me in place.