Inside the moving car weaving through the bustling city, Selina fixed her eyes on the phone screen in her hand, ignoring the calls and texts flooding in. Her fingers subconsciously scrolled through the call log—twenty missed calls from Clarissa, ten from Annabelle. Opening her inbox, she found it filled with concerned messages from both.
[Best, how did the party go? I hope you had fun!]
[Are you coming to work today? The boss is furious about your absence.]
[I hope nothing bad happened at the party. Are you okay?]
Selina paused on Annabelle's message, her thumb hovering as she hesitated, checking Clarissa's next. She knew the family was worried about her father's whereabouts, but what explanation could she give? Would they believe the whole truth? Maybe she should call the police first and report him missing. They could help find him and give him a proper burial. Then she would explain everything.
The thought raced through her mind like the only solution as she urgently began dialing 911. Just as she was about to press the call button, another cautious thought slammed into her urgency. She hesitated, gripping her phone tightly, her pulse quickening as the screen went blank.
Wouldn't that only complicate things for Mr. Zane? What if he decided to eliminate them all at once? Selina's eyes widened in terror.
She couldn't forget the grudges in his eyes, the haunting shadow lingering in her mind. His words echoed—Do not think you deserve to escape this after everything I lost.
Selina closed her eyes and shook her head violently, as if trying to erase the previous incident. She bit her bottom lip hard like a punishment, blaming herself for what happened. She had failed to protect him, failed to beg desperately for his life.
Her gaze drifted to the window, taking in the city's beautiful scene, which slowly blurred into her dazedness. She felt utterly alone, left to carry the weight of the incident creeping back into her chest like a heavy block.
As the journey continued for an hour, the Mercedes-Benz came to a stop, and Selina stepped out, her eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. Despite her instructions to be taken back to her residential area in the West District, the driver had insisted on bringing her here.
Selina stood before a massive and well-known hospital with pristine white walls, which was situated across the city in the South District, miles away from where she lived in the West.
Selina raised her hand and touched her burst lips. Her face twisted as she winced slightly at the sharp pain there. "This wound is just a minor thing. Why bring me here?" She mumbled.
Are there people out there who still show kindness to strangers, regardless of their background? She thought, recalling how amicable that young man was.
Now she was here; there was no reason to leave the wound unattended as she moved from her spot, heading towards the entrance to find the clinic. As she walked down the hallway toward the clinic, she passed by other patients in their white clothes and busy nurses attending to them or other matters.
In a brief moment, she encountered a group of doctors and nurses running in a frenzy like it was an emergency. Selina was subconsciously engrossed in the scene when a nurse bumped into her, and her balance faltered as she fell to the ground.
Seeing the young lady on the floor, the nurse's panic-stricken expression deepened. "I'm so sorry, miss. I didn't mean to bump into you. I'm rushing to fetch a doctor." She offered her hand quickly.
Selina grabbed her purse and rose slowly without taking the nurse hand, every movement echoing her fatigue. She met the anxious gaze of the nurse.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" the nurse inquired.
"No, I'm fine," Selina muttered, dusting off her dress.
The nurse nodded in acknowledgement, and seeing Selina was fine, she resumed her urgent movement.
Just as Selina was heading to her destination, her ears were alert enough to catch that nurse's hurried words.
"Doctor, critical case in the ER," the nurse called, hurrying toward a surgeon.
"Have the patient's guardians been contacted?" the surgeon asked.
"Not yet. They believe the patient may be connected to the Everett, but it's unconfirmed."
Without waiting, the surgeon rushed off toward the ER as the nurse sped down the hall.
Selina halted in her tracks instantly and spun around with a sharp yet curious gaze, landing on the surgeon. A family member of the Everett? Did Mr. Zane harm another person from Everett? Who could that be?
Selina couldn't contain her worry as she needed to confirm the identity of that person and hurried to keep pace with the nurse. She trailed behind the nurse until they arrived at the registration desk, where the nurse exchanged some words with other staff.
"Excuse me," Selina's soft voice chimed in, interrupting their conversation.
The nurse was taken aback to see Selina there, wondering if she had followed her. "You are the miss I bumped into?"
Selina nodded hurriedly. "Yes, that's me."
"How can I help you?"
"Please tell me who the patient is. What does he look like? I can help identify him," Selina pleaded.
The nurse glanced around, clearly weighing whether to share details with a stranger.
Sensing the nurse's hesitation, Selina pressed on. "Does he have a mustache? A round face? Is he of average height?" she asked, hoping it was the one who had been occupying her thoughts nonstop
"Yes. But who are you to the patient?"
"I am dau… I am his." Selina stammered with hesitation about her being her father's daughter.
She couldn't betray Everett by claiming to the world that she was part of them when they never accepted her yet.
"I'm a relative. How is he? Is he still alive?" Selina eventually completed her words, her voice trembling with a glimmer of hope.
"He's alive but in critical condition. The doctors will operate soon. We need a family member to sign the consent form," the nurse replied, staring at the consent paper in her hands.
Selina didn't hesitate as she grabbed the piece of paper and filled it out. The nurse didn't stop her, since she was about to contact the family anyway, and this lady seemed desperate to save the patient, even if the nurse couldn't recall her being part of the Everett family.
Selina filled it out using Elder Gilbert's name and handed it back with both urgency and hope.
"Please begin treatment immediately. The Everett family will cover all expenses. Do everything you can to save him."
The nurse nodded firmly. "We'll do all we can. But you'll need to contact his ultimate guardian as soon as possible."
Selina nodded as her curiosity about how her father was brought here grew. She asked, "How did you find him?"
"He was brought in unconscious, having lost a lot of blood. Luckily, he arrived just in time. Otherwise, I don't think he would have survived." The nurse said, then hurried away.
Was this a miracle? Does this mean that her father deserved a second chance? A deep sigh escaped her lips with the grief threatening to settle in. Tears welled at the corners of her eyes, tingling with the threat to spill, and this time, she allowed them.
Tears of hope and joy that she had found him. 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.
She could hear car horns and other noises in the background, knowing Clarissa might be driving.
"What happened? You and Father weren't involved in any bad incidents, were you?" Clarissa asked.
"I'm in the hospital now with Father," Selina answered.
"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 much 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.