Chapter 622

But from what he'd observed, the two didn’t seem especially close. In fact, they’d kept a safe distance the whole time. And who would elope together and end up at a hospital?

Before the driver could question it further, Tessa and Julian had already vanished from sight. With nothing else to do, the driver pocketed the fare and drove off, leaving the strange scene behind.

Whatever. He was just the driver. It was all idle chatter on the road–no point getting involved in other people’s business.

With that thought, he felt much more at ease, the tension from earlier completely gone.

Meanwhile, Tessa and Julian stayed tightly on Megan and Leonard’s trail, keeping a close watch and trying not to fall behind for even a second. The receptionist eyed the strange group of four with a mix of curiosity and confusion. She wasn’t sure what to say, especially about the two in the back, who were clearly sneaking after the pair in front. Were the four of them even together?

Tessa kept hold of Julian’s arm, worried he might get lost or wander off. If that happened, she’d be stuck handling everything on her own. She gave his shoulder a quick pat and shot him a look, silently asking if he had the vial.

Julian caught on right away and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve got it.”

Only then did Tessa relax. Ever since Lucas had taken Aurora abroad, everything had felt off–balance–just beyond her control. Not being able to keep tabs on her in person made Tessa uneasy in ways she couldn’t shake. Maybe it was because too much had slipped beyond her grasp. The thought alone made her impatient. Who the hell did Lucas think he was, transferring Aurora to another hospital without telling anyone? Did he really not care whether she ever woke up again?

What Tessa didn’t know was that Lucas wasn’t afraid of Aurora never waking up. He was far more terrified of waking up to a world where she no longer existed. Lucas knew Aurora’s pride too well–that was exactly why he’d made this decision. He understood deeply that lying in a hospital bed like this was worse than death for her. She had once seen the best the world had to offer, had once held a brilliant future in her hands. Now, trapped in darkness with no end in sight, it was as if that future had been erased.

In the hospital room, Lucas sat quietly by Aurora’s bedside, watching her connected to an oxygen tank, her body covered in tubes and monitors. His heart ached. He couldn’t even understand how it had come to this. He had only stepped away briefly to deal with that man, and when he returned, everything had fallen apart. Holding Aurora’s hand, Lucas was overwhelmed with sorrow and a crushing sense of helplessness.

Jason Holmes, Aurora’s doctor, had been researching tirelessly these past few days. By all accounts, Aurora’s vitals were perfectly stable. There was no medical reason for her not to wake up. Even more puzzling, her vitals hadn’t dropped at all during her coma, which meant this wasn’t a coma brought on by her physical condition. Something external had caused it. But no one knew what the cause was. In all his years, Jason had never seen a case like this.