Chapter 72: Because You're Crying

She brought the phone to her car, surprised he had answered. Before she could gather her thoughts, a brief silence followed. Tears streamed down her face; she frantically wiped them away, fearing someone might see her.

Her uncontrollable sobs carried through the phone to Dominic. His voice was steady as he asked, "Where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital," Bella replied softly.

The call disconnected, leaving her staring at the phone in a daze. A deep sense of loss washed over her; she realized she shouldn't have called him.

She had no intention of going home. After what had happened, she was too scared to be alone. Simon was still unconscious under anesthesia, and she had no way to contact his family. She felt responsible for staying, especially since he'd been injured trying to save her.

The corridor was empty except for the occasional family member visiting a patient. They all gave her strange looks. Perhaps her disheveled appearance was so different from her usual neat and tidy image in her white coat that no one recognized her. Just as she was about to resign herself to spending the night, someone walked up and blocked the light above her.

She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. It was Dominic!

"What happened?" he asked, frowning.

Bella suppressed the turmoil in her heart and explained the situation, avoiding mention of her relationship with Simon. She was already enough of a burden; she didn't need to add to his annoyance.

After listening, Dominic's frown deepened. "Let's go home," he said.

Bella glanced at Simon's room with unease, but with the nurses there, she felt he would be okay. She needed to go home and clean up anyway.

When they reached the car, Dominic got in first. She hesitated to follow; her clothes were still damp and muddy, and she didn't want to dirty the seat. Seeing her hesitate, Dominic rolled down the window. "Don't waste time," he said. "Do you think I enjoy running around in the middle of the night?"

Bella, afraid of upsetting him, awkwardly got into the car, head bowed. "Why did you come here?"

He retorted impatiently, "Then why did you call me?"

Bella was speechless. Had he come because of her call? She hadn't said anything that would have prompted him to come.

After a moment of silence, Dominic spoke again. "You wouldn't call unless something was wrong. And… I heard you crying."

Bella was startled. Had she been so obvious? She thought she'd been suppressing her sobs.

After calming down, she looked up and said softly, "Thank you for coming to pick me up."

He was never gentle, and even now, he couldn't resist lecturing her. "Why do you keep my number if you're not going to use it? When something happens, why don't you call me right away? You just cause me trouble! How have you managed to live this long being so careless?"

Bella felt wronged, but he had come. It was late, and she'd made him make a round trip. She admitted her mistake and apologized softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

Dominic glanced at her coldly. "Next time, call me right away."

Bella nodded cautiously. His words brought her immense comfort, as if they held a magical power to lift the gloom from her heart.

When they returned to Miller Manor, she showered, changed into clean clothes, and finally felt like herself again. Exhausted after the long night, she fell asleep almost instantly. The next morning, she woke early, anxious to check on Simon at the hospital.

To her surprise, Dominic was already awake.

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