Chapter 22
Trank, Cynthia, and Adeline remained unconscious in the hospital for one week before slowly waking up. When Adeline saw the caregiver beside her, she instinctively tried to get up, but the caregiver stopped her and explained, “Mr. Carter hired me to look after you. Your parents are in the hospital room next door, and Mr. Carter hired caregivers to look after them, too, so you don’t need to worry about them. You’ve just woken up, and you’re still recovering from your injuries. So, it’s best if you avoid moving around too much.”
Adeline’s mind was still a little foggy. Everything was a blur. Still, after hearing what the caregiver said, she obliged and lay back down on the bed. The caregiver, certain Adeline wouldn’t move anytime soon, called Sullivan and reported, “Ms. Monroe has woken up, Mr. Carter.”
Inside Sullivan’s villa, there was a dark storage room. The window—its only source of light—had been sealed up, and all of the items that used to be stored there had been removed. All of this had been done to ensure that Isabel, who was currently held captive inside the room, had no means of escaping. Isabel herself had both her hands tied up and her mouth stuffed with a piece of cloth. Her lips were dry and cracked. Starved, she was barely conscious. She had been tossed in the corner and now lay there like a pathetic mess. What meager strength she could muster, she used to cast pleading looks and croaks in Sullivan’s direction.
Sullivan ended the call with the caregiver. Turning to Isabel, he smiled—a rare sight in the last few days—and said, “Isabel, count yourself lucky that Addie and the Emersons have woken up.” He left the storage room and watched as the household staff locked the door securely before he left for the hospital.
Inside the storage room, as the final sliver of light disappeared behind the locked door, Isabel’s tears wet her cheeks. She was filled with terror and resentment. She had grown up with Sullivan, and apart from Naomi, she was the only other person he allowed into his close circle. She always thought she was special to him, but later on, he became Madeleine’s boyfriend to pay for Naomi’s treatment. Even though he still cared far more about her than he did Madeleine, Isabel became mad with jealousy anyway. How could she accept that she had failed to become Sullivan’s girlfriend despite having known him for so many years, while Madeleine could be in a relationship with him for five whole years? Therefore, she repeatedly framed Madeleine in the hopes of making Sullivan scorn the latter. Everything was going according to plan, but Madeleine just had to die right then.
To Sullivan, Madeleine became the one who got away. He criticized Isabel for having framed Madeleine in the past. Even though Isabel still managed to remain in his life, most of the time, he treated her as though she was invisible. Isabel had waited for five years. Just when she thought she could finally get what she wanted, Madeleine came back into the picture. Well, Isabel wanted Madeleine dead, and she wanted the Emersons to die with Madeleine, too. Alas, Sullivan found out what she had done. She had been locked in this storage room for an entire week now. He tormented her daily, not even providing her with food and water on a regular basis. But now, she was the one suffering in this manner while Madeleine and the Emersons made it out alive!
Isabel had no way of venting the rage and resentment she felt. She ground her teeth and bit her lip so hard that soon, she could taste the blood in her mouth. Dazed and disoriented from her hunger, the blood only served to remind her of her agonizing thirst. She raised her hands and bit down on her wrist.
Meanwhile, Sullivan was driving to the hospital when he felt a stinging pain in his head. His grip on the steering wheel loosened, and the wheel suddenly spun wildly, sending the car into a tree on the side of the road. Once his head crashed against the steering wheel, the piercing sound of the horn blaring in his ears, accompanied by the sound of shrieks and glass shattering. Amid his daze, he even heard a beeping sound. Was he about to die?