Chapter 7

Nina didn’t have much else to do at home.

She had only gone back to get Mochi.

Jane still remembered Mochi. The moment she saw the dog, she was about to reach out and pick her up.

But Mochi, who had been relatively quiet until then, suddenly started barking the second someone came close.

Then her whole body began to tremble, and she curled into herself.

Jane frowned in confusion.

“What happened to her?”

“She’s scared of people.”

“Why?”

“She was badly abused.”

Nina didn’t hide it from her. She told Jane everything she had seen after returning to Lakeview Estates.

After listening, Jane cursed outright.

“It’s bad enough that James and Yvonne are both heartless monsters. I didn’t expect that little brat to be one too.”

Jane looked ready to grab a knife and storm over there, but Nina stopped her.

Everything was too messy.

She was too tired.

She and Jane had only just seen each other again, and Nina didn’t want to drag her into the chaos too.

Since Nina had said that, Jane didn’t insist.

After packing up Mochi’s things, the two of them left together.

Nina’s place wasn’t far from the neighborhood where Jane lived, but the atmosphere was completely different.

Jane’s neighborhood was quiet, elegant, and beautiful, with a picture-perfect charm. It was one of the most famous luxury villa communities in Burgola City.

Jane actually came from money.

She was the only daughter of the Young family, who owned Young Corporation. Their business was in real estate. They weren’t on the same level as a powerhouse like Gibson Corporation, but they still had a solid place in Burgola City’s upper class.

But Jane had never cared about inheriting the family business.

She had chosen law instead, and because of that, her relationship with her family had become strained.

Over the past few years, she had barely kept in touch with them and had been living on her own.

The place she brought Nina to today was in one of the luxury communities owned by her family’s company.

After passing through several layers of security, they finally entered the house.

The first thing Jane did was open the fridge.

She hadn’t cooked in years.

But tonight was different.

“Why don’t I do it?” Nina asked after settling Mochi in and walking into the kitchen.

“No. I can handle it.”

“Then I’ll help you chop the vegetables.”

“Absolutely not. Put the knife down.”

“Then I’ll cook.”

“No to that too. Stay away from the stove.”

After a few tries, Nina finally realized what was going on.

Back at her place earlier, Jane had stayed close to her the entire time.

Now Jane wouldn’t let her into the kitchen, wouldn’t let her near a knife, and wouldn’t let her touch anything even remotely dangerous.

Nina understood.

“Are you worried I won’t be able to take it and do something stupid?” she asked with a faint smile.

Jane didn’t smile.

She only pressed her lips together and said nothing.

“Don’t worry. I won’t,” Nina promised. “James Gibson isn’t worth that.”

Only then did Jane seem to let out the breath she had been holding.

Then Jane pushed Nina out of the kitchen and went back to making dinner.

It was not an easy process, but somehow, she pulled it off.

By the time she set dinner on the table, Nina was genuinely impressed.

Jane opened a bottle of wine, and the two of them drank without holding back.

With alcohol loosening the tension between them, the questions Jane had been holding in finally came out one by one.

“Have you really made up your mind?”

“Yes.”

“You won’t regret it?”

“I won’t.”

“Then I’ve got your back.”

“You’re not even going to ask me why?”

Jane gave a cold laugh.

“What’s there to ask? Other than James Gibson being a cheating scumbag who hurt you, what other reason could there be?”

“Jane, you’re so smart.”

Nina wasn’t drunk.

At least, she didn’t think she was.

But if she wasn’t drunk, why were her eyes filling with tears?

“He doesn’t love me,” Nina said. “He never loved me.”

The tears finally spilled over.

It turned out that in front of the person who knew you best, there was no such thing as holding it together.

Nina drank as she cried and cursed, pouring out everything James and Yvonne had done.

Jane stayed quiet and listened.

By the time Nina finally cried herself to sleep, Jane’s expression had gone completely cold.

Her face was pale with anger, and the look in her eyes was sharp enough to cut.

She threw back the rest of her wine, then set the glass down hard on the table.

“I’ll handle your divorce case.”

*

Nina had gotten drunk the night before, so when she woke up the next morning, her head was still a little dizzy.

By the time she got up, Jane had already left for work.

On the table, Jane had left breakfast and two copies of the divorce agreement.

Nina opened her messages and, sure enough, found several unread texts from Jane.

Aside from reminding her to eat properly and take care of her health, Jane had also explained the contents of the divorce agreement in detail.

The agreement was professional, thorough, and airtight. Within the limits of the law, it fought for every possible benefit Nina could claim.

For Jane to prepare something like this in such a short time, she must not have slept at all last night.

Nina was deeply moved.

But she didn’t hesitate.

She signed her name at the bottom of the agreement, then placed it in her bag so she could hand it to James in person later.

After taking care of that, Nina sat down to eat breakfast.

She was still on leave today, and she planned to go to the hospital after breakfast.

But halfway through her meal, her phone suddenly rang.

It was the hospital.

Nina tensed at once.

When she left yesterday, the doctor had told her they generally wouldn’t contact her unless something happened.

She answered the call with trembling hands.

“Doctor, what’s wrong? Did something happen to my mother?”

“You need to come to the hospital right now,” the doctor said.

His tone was harsh.

Nina could tell from his voice that it was the same doctor from yesterday.

But his attitude was completely different now.

He sounded impatient.

Even irritated.

“I’m on my way right now,” Nina said.

She didn’t dare waste a second. She grabbed her bag and rushed out, but not knowing what had happened made her uneasy.

“Can you please tell me first what happened to my mother?”

“I told you to come. Just come. Why are you asking so many questions?”

Then he hung up.

Nina didn’t have time to wonder why the doctor’s attitude had changed so drastically in just one day.

All she could think about was getting to the hospital as quickly as possible.

When she arrived, the doctor was already waiting for her.

The moment he saw her, he launched into a harsh complaint.

“Didn’t I tell you to get here quickly? What took you so long?”

“I’m sorry. I live a little far away, so it took some time to get here.”

Nina was breathing hard.

“Doctor, what happened to my mother?”

“She can’t continue treatment here. Go handle her discharge procedures right away.”

At those words, Nina’s legs nearly gave out.

“Why? Did her condition get worse?”

The doctor ignored her and lowered his head to fill out a form.

Nina was frantic.

“Is this about the money? I’m already raising it.”

As she spoke, she quickly opened her banking app and anxiously showed the doctor her balance.

“Look. I have money. I can get the rest soon too. Please, I’m begging you. Save my mother.”

When the doctor saw her balance, his eyes lit up for a split second.

But then he seemed to remember something, and his expression quickly turned cold again.

“Do you not understand what I’m saying? Hurry up and transfer her to another hospital.”

“Why?”

Nina couldn’t understand it.

She thought maybe she had opened the wrong bank account, so she looked down at her phone too.

Only then did she realize that her balance had changed from sixty thousand dollars to one million sixty thousand.

Mr. Carter must have already transferred the money.

And he hadn’t sent the three hundred forty thousand she had originally asked for.

He had sent one million.

Nina didn’t have time to think about why.

She looked back at the doctor and pleaded again.

“Look, I have the money now. Why can’t you help us?”

The doctor seemed too irritated to deal with her any longer.

He only snapped, “This isn’t about the money. Just handle the transfer as soon as possible.”

Then he walked away.

Nina stood frozen in place, staring after him.

She couldn’t understand it.

Yesterday, the doctor had been patient with her. He had even comforted her and told her not to worry too much. Megan’s condition was stable for now, and as long as Nina gathered the money as soon as possible, the hospital could continue treating her.

So why had everything changed today?

Nina stood frozen in the hospital hallway.

A cold draft swept through the corridor, and the chill finally cleared her head.

In that moment, she realized what was going on.