A wash of relief settled inside of Selina, drifting away the grief that almost took her. She was glad that somehow she found him alive.
Selina sniffled and swiftly called Clarissa's number. After a few rings, Clarissa picked up.
"Selina, where have you been?" Clarissa's panicked voice burst through the line.
"Something terrible happened," Selina replied. Her voice trembled with overwhelmed emotions despite her effort to stay calm.
"What happened? You and Father weren't involved in any bad incidents, were you?" Clarissa interrogated.
"I'm in the hospital now with Father," Selina responded.
"Oh my god! How could he be in the hospital?" Clarissa exclaimed. "I hope he isn't seriously injured. Which hospital is it? I need to get there."
Selina paused, overwhelmed by Clarissa's too many questions. She quickly recalled the hospital's name that was on the consent form she had filled out a while ago.
"Polar Hospital. We're in Polar Hospital."
"Okay. I will let Mother and Grandfather know about this."
Just as the call ended, Selina ran towards the operation room to see her father, but the nurses there stopped her and told her to wait in the lobby.
With her hands clasped together, Selina paced back and forth in the lobby as she silently prayed for her father's successful surgery. Her life with him and her late mother had been so blissful that she couldn't bear to imagine a life without him now.
"Please, God, don't let him slip away from me," Selina mumbled, her eyes closed in desperation.
As time dragged on, with the doctor and nurses still in the operating room for the past twenty minutes, Selina's mind whirled with anticipation for good news. The cool air from the air conditioner enveloped her like a comforting cloak, but it did nothing to soothe her spiraling emotions. She needed to know he was out of danger before she could be at ease.
Just then, her attention snapped to the sharp sound of heels clicking against the tiled floor from the hospital entrance. It was Clarissa stepping into the hospital while running toward her.
Clarissa's face contorted with nervousness, and it deepened the moment she spotted Selina waiting in the lobby.
"Selina!" Clarissa called out, hurrying toward her.
Selina stood up from the soft couch, her finger curled around her phone.
When Clarissa drew closer, she fired off her questions in a breathless rush. "Where is he? Is he still in surgery?"
Selina tried to steady her voice. "The doctors took him in for an emergency operation. They promised to do their best."
Clarissa took a deep breath, trying to calm her fear while grasping the news Selina shared with her. "What happened? How did he get harmed?" Her tone was gentle in an attempt not to worsen the anxious atmosphere.
"He was shot," Selina replied.
A gasp escaped Clarissa's lips as she covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes widening with tears that gradually welled there.
"Why was Father shot? Were you guys attacked or what?" Clarissa sounded confused while she scanned Selina's body for signs of a bruise.
Selina locked her complicated eyes onto Clarissa's who was desperate for answers. She wouldn't reveal the truth of the incident yet.
"Father and I were attacked by a group of bad people," Selina whispered. "I begged them to spare him, but he didn't."
Clarissa felt her heart quiver at the sight of her sister's distress, which was evident. She moved closer to Selina, lifting a hand to her face and cupping her cheeks in a comforting gesture. Her chest tightened, seeing Selina's burst lips, and she wondered what her sister had endured from what happened.
"I hope they didn't hurt you beyond this bruise. You're completely fine?" Clarissa's voice trembled with genuine concern.
"I'm fine, Clarissa, but he's hurt. I'm sorry I failed to protect him. I didn't mean for this to happen," Selina muttered.
Clarissa pulled Selina into a gentle embrace, rubbing her back, which sent ease to Selina's lingering guilt. "Shush…whatever happened was not your fault, and I know you did best to fight it. Father will be fine because he's a strong man. Let's believe he'd get through this," her voice leaked with uncertainty and fear despite her reassurance.
Selina sniffled onto Clarissa's shoulder, clutching her tightly with her eyes closed. "He will be fine."
After a brief comforting embrace, she pulled away from her sister's arms. Since she had been an outcast from Everett for the past nine years, she didn't know much about her father and the family's connection with others. She guessed her sister would know better.
"Clarissa," she called out her name softly.
"Yes, Selina,"
"What do you think of Father? Do you believe he's a bad person? Has he done anything wrong, either in the past or now?" Selina asked, knowing Clarissa had always been closer to him.
The question hit Clarissa like a jolt, her confusion deepening. "What are you talking about, Selina? Since when have you started doubting our father?"
"I'm not doubting him," Selina replied. "I just wanted to know what kind of man he's been… since I left. I'm just curious."
Clarissa relaxed slightly, her voice carrying a trace of pride. "Father isn't a bad person. He's never hurt anyone—except maybe what he did in the past, leaving my mother to be with yours. But even then, he was happy. Content with what little we had. He's always been the best father, and he's trying to be a good husband, too."
She smiled faintly, but it faded as she noticed sensed something unusual with Selina's inquiry. "Why are you suddenly so interested in his past? You spent time with him, too," she asked, her voice tinged with suspicion.
"I know he's not a bad person," Selina said softly. "He did everything he could to take care of me after Mother died. Even if it meant going to bed hungry himself."
"Then…?" Clarissa trailed off her words with squinted eyes on Selina.
Selina lowered her gaze. "I just… I've heard people say that those who've done wrong suffer in the afterlife. And I was afraid he might have done something that I never knew about."
She hoped her explanation would ease Clarissa's growing curiosity and suspicion.
"How can you think like that right now? He's not dying. Don't be so pessimistic." Clarissa's voice sharpened with disappointment.
Selina nodded in acknowledgement, recalling something.
"Earlier, I saw you, Father, and Mother talking with Zane as if you were close. How do you all know him? How does Father know him?" Selina asked, careful not to sound too obvious or mention anything that could lead back to the incident.
"Our family has been on good terms with Zane's for decades now, and our companies have been running business together," Clarissa replied, leaving Selina to marvel at their warm and lively conversation from earlier at the party.
Staring into Clarissa's eyes, Selina could see her sister shared the same firm belief—that their father had been a modest man and was incapable of murder. But after learning about their close ties with Zane, Selina could tell they would never believe her if she claimed Hudson had once been cruel and responsible for someone's tragedy. They wouldn't be able to handle such a harsh truth.
"If Hudson had come home with us last night, he wouldn't be in this condition!" Leah's stern and furious voice echoed behind them, disrupting their quiet atmosphere.
Selina and Clarissa's bodies quivered in their position as they turned their attention to Leah, who was approaching. Seeing her stern stepmother made Selina's palms begin to feel sweaty.
"Mother, this isn't Selina's fault," Clarissa defended.
Leah scoffed incredulously. "Is it not her fault?" She repeated, storming towards Selina with anger blazing in her gaze.
When Leah came closer, she grabbed Selina's arm with her polished nails jabbed tightly around the skin, squeezing so tight.
"Ahh." Selina winced at the rough grip that crashed her skin furiously. "You're hurting me, Madame Leah. Let go,"
Leah tightened her grip more, looking infuriated like an angry bird. "Why must you always bring misery into our lives? Can't you stay away from him even forever?"
"He's my father. I can't be away from him forever. I can't." replied Selina.
"He's not your father." Leah rebuked. "I warned you never to appear before Hudson,"
"Calm down, Mother. We should be concerned about Father's condition instead of blaming Selina for it," Clarissa hoped her mother's rage wouldn't boil over.
Leah didn't waver with empathy which locked onto Selina's remorseful gaze.
Instead, she commanded dismissively through gritted teeth. "I will only be at ease once Selina is out of here before I do something she'll regret,"