Chapter 5

While Lionel was stunned, I remained surprisingly calm.

He glanced at me cautiously, his voice trembling. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Did Hope's condition worsen because she couldn't find Toto?"

The image of Hope in her final moments flashed in my mind.

Her frail wrists were covered in scars, and she lay in a pool of blood, her face as pale as paper.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I countered, "What do you think? It's been three months—three months since Maisie came back. Have you even bothered to check on Hope? You knew how much Toto meant to her, but you just didn't care!"

Lionel had no words to respond, his head hanging low in silence.

I couldn't help but feel disgusted.

The doctor, sensing the tension, waved for Lionel to step outside.

I turned away, overwhelmed by an exhaustion that seemed to weigh on my every bone.

It wasn't until nightfall that Lionel returned to the hospital room.

When he saw me standing by the window, he rushed over and embraced me from b