Chapter 8

Waking up, a coolness lingered on my face. “Jacqueline, you were so lovestruck you were burning up, even calling out your boyfriend’s name in a daze. Tsk tsk tsk.”

I asked Zayden how he’d ended up at the hospital. “You suddenly fainted during a meeting, so I called the police. An ambulance brought you here.” He glanced at me oddly. “Why didn’t you tell me you still had a fever? I could have found someone else to handle the plan.”

The nurse interrupted. “Family members should accompany the patient for a CT scan at bed 35. Report back afterward and find the doctor.” I asked Zayden to go, but guilt-ridden, he refused to leave. I had to call Alvin. Sighing in disappointment, this couldn’t get worse. He was leaving for Belldale that afternoon. I asked if he could postpone his work for a day and accompany me to the hospital, or if I could at least find friends to go with me. At that moment, I felt as if I were in an ice cellar. Even if love was gone, I thought, surely friendship remained. In the end, Zayden accompanied me for the CT scan, then I rushed him back to the company. He made sure to tell me to call anytime. I smiled.

The doctor examined the X-ray, furrowing his brow. “Come back tomorrow for a puncture.”

Chapter 8

I sat in the hospital corridor for a long time, staring blankly at the endless stream of patients and their families. Loneliness washed over me, engulfing me. It was just another instance of being alone again. I didn’t sleep well that night. I woke in the early morning, moonlight filtering through a gap in the curtains and illuminating the empty half of the bed. How long would it take to get used to being alone? I decided not to sleep. I opened my phone and saw another updated photo. A woman held a piece of strawberry cake, smiling at the camera, while a clearly visible finger bone emerged from behind her, reaching for another slice. The caption read: “Netizens guessed it right! The birthday was celebrated with public funding!”

I stared at the photo for a long time, then suddenly remembered. I’d seen her a month ago, driving Alvin home after a company social gathering where he'd been drinking. That day, I was focused on helping Alvin, only glancing briefly at the woman in the driver’s seat. A quick glance, dismissed without a second thought; I didn't even register who she was. I trusted him implicitly. So, when he stabbed me in the back, I was completely unprepared. The pain was unbearable; my heart and soul were shattered.