William’s POV:As I silently eavesdropped on the two doctors, I heard them drop startling words such as “gastric cancer” and “Doctor Martin”. I felt a sinking feeling in my gut telling me that the patient they were referring to was none other than Caroline.I revealed myself, stopping the two before they got away with that vital information for good. “Excuse me,” I interrupted, ignoring their confused glances. “Who are you talking about?”A wary look sparked in one doctor’s eyes and he discretely covered the clipboard in his hands. My instincts told me that it had to be Caroline's report. “Sir, we have no idea what you’re talking about. May we help you?” he asked forcefully, clearly on edge.These idiots really thought they could trick me by playing dumb. Did they think I was a fool? “You better tell me what I want to know or I’ll get you fired!” I demanded.The doctor with the report tensed up greatly, an unsure look crossing over his face. In the end, he replied, “I’m sorry, sir, bu
Caroline’s POV:I was so clouded with worry for my father that I could hardly keep myself from leaping out of the bed to go find him. Who could have taken him? It’s not like he could get up and waltz out on his own. He was in a near vegetative state!Martin readily helped me out of the building and into his car, speedily driving me to the hospital where my father was supposed to be. I hurriedly confronted the lady at the front desk, and as soon as I told her my name, she immediately sent me to talk to one of the staff: an older woman was relieved when I told her who I was.“What happened to my father?” I asked, my voice demanding. “Wasn’t there anyone who saw him leave?”“Don’t worry, ma’am, I’ll explain everything,” she replied in an attempt to keep me calm. “It turns out that your father was transferred to a private hospital by a family member.”I cried out in shock. “Another hospital?” My brian was a complete mess of confusion. Who would have the authority to transfer my father ot
Caroline’s POV:One of William’s worst traits was how he always had a need to be dominant. It was as if he expected everyone in the world to be subservient to him. It made me angry to think about just how much he had gotten away with because his very name made people afraid of saying a critical word around him.I wasn’t an idiot; going to see him was definitely a trap, but I had no choice. What kind of daughter would I be if I just abandoned my father? Martin clearly felt awful for me. Sympathy rang in his voice as he tried his best to come up with a solution to my problem. “I can help,” he told me. “I can get someone on the case we’ll get your father back.”“There’s no need,” I replied, my voice weak but determined. “You’ve already helped me so much as it is. I can’t bear the thought of owing you any more than I already do.”A deep frown settled into his features. “Caroline, you don’t owe me anything,” he tried to tell me, but my mind was already made up.“It’s going to be okay,” I
Caroline’s POV:In my unconscious state, I was plagued by an awful nightmare.In my nightmare, I was adrift in a neverending stormy sea. A thunderstorm raged around me, tossing and turning my raft. I clung on for dear life, trying desperately to stay afloat, but that’s when I heard a tragic noise: the sound of a baby crying. I looked around frantically, trying to find the source of the crying. Then, I saw him: my baby, struggling in the wild tides of the ocean. He was sobbing, calling out for me. “Mommy,” he screamed, fruitlessly splashing his arms in the ocean just to keep his head above the water. I screamed in horror and dove into the chaotic waters, fighting the waves to get to him in time. No matter how hard I swam, though, it was like the tides were always keeping us apart. I tried so hard to reach him, calling out his name as the waves carried us away.My heart sank when his head disappeared beneath the waves and he didn’t come back up. No, no! It couldn’t be! I couldn’t lose
Caroline’s POV:When I jumped, I knew at that moment that I truly wanted to die. The world was just too horrible. It wasn’t fair to my father because he needed me now more than ever, but I couldn’t live my life full of shame and void of my dignity. There was a terrifying chance that I might survive and live with a disability for the rest of my life, but it made no difference to me. I was a cancer patient, after all, so I was doomed from the start.The tragic splat of my body hitting the ground never came. In fact, I wasn’t falling at all. My wrist was held in a death grip as I dangled five stories above the rain-spattered ground. Looking up in confusion, I saw William’s face at the window, grasping my wrist with a pained expression. Why was he trying to save me? Why did he look so terrified at the thought of my death? Isn’t that what he wanted: for me to die?“Hold on,” he rasped in a scared voice, struggling to pull me back into his arms. “I’ll pull you up!” The rain was rapidly l
Caroline’s POV:I stared at the report with wide eyes, my lips parted in awe. Someone had clearly changed the diagnosis for me, but who could have done that? Who would have had the power to do so?Stunned, I briefly thought back to the few suspects who could have had a reason to hide the results from William. My first thought was Martin, but would even be able to access the results if they came from a private sanatorium? Perhaps it was someone who refused to let William know for nefarious reasons. Could it be my father's attacker, perhaps? Even Sophia’s name crossed my mind at some point. Did she know that I’ve been with William?Whatever the reason, I took the lab results as a godsend. My secret was safe! “See?” I said with a scoff. “It’s just you being paranoid. Can I see my father now?”William dared to look furious despite having gotten the results he’d asked for. What right did he have to be angry at me now? “We agreed to a week,” he scowled, backing up towards the door with Geo
William’s POV:The second I was done with Martin, I snatched up the phone and called my assistant to get the location of Caroline’s deadbeat father. It turned out he was in another hospital, pathetically lying there in a deep coma. Regardless of my feelings about him, he was my key to finally figuring out the mystery that was Caroline’s diagnosis. Thankfully I still had our old marriage certificate in the glove compartment of our vehicle. I slipped it out and strolled inside the hospital that Thomas West was currently staying at.I smoothly laid down the certificate in front of the attendant and put on my most charming voice. “Hey, I need to get a patient transferred.”The woman gave me a polite smile. “Transferred? Who?”“My father-in-law, Thomas West,” I replied, watching her type away at her computer. I donned a somber face, pretending to be in mourning. “My wife, Caroline, has been grief-stricken since he was admitted, so I’m here in her stead.”The attendant’s eyes were tinted w
Caroline’s POV:My world was spinning out of control. I could feel myself fading in and out of consciousness as it felt like my whole body was on fire. I couldn’t even muster up the strength to flush the toilet and wash away all that blood. I didn’t fight William when he carefully lifted me into his arms and ran out of the room with me. My body was ablaze with pain to where I was blocking out the world around me.With the blood in the toilet, there was no hiding the disease ravaging my body. Laden was a smart man who would be able to tell that throwing up such an obscene amount of blood was a sign of something much more dire than just common stomach irritation.Now laid out on the bed, I endeavored to fall into blissful sleep. I would need plenty of rest when I had to face William’s ensuing anger. I let my eyes slip shut, freely ignoring all of William’s panicked shouting so that I could rest peacefully.Another dream came to me, but this time, everything was perfect.In this perfect