Chapter 4

Vincent's POV

> The Next Morning <<

I groaned as soon as I opened my eyes and was met with bright light. Who the fuck turned on the lights?! I screamed mentally. I angrily sat up, looked at Amber's side of the bed, ready to give her an earful for leaving the lights on, but to my surprise, she wasn't there. That's when I remembered that she didn't sleep here last night.

Just at that moment, there was a knock on the door. "Mr. Liam?" our maid's voice sounded from outside the door.

"What?" I barked, strangely angry that I didn't wake up with Amber beside me.

"Good morning, sir," she greeted. "Your assistant is waiting downstairs."

My eyes subconsciously found the wall clock, and I realized it was already 7:35 a.m. "I'll be down in ten minutes," I told her.

"Yes, sir," she replied. Then I heard her walk away.

As soon as she was gone, I got up and dashed into the bathroom to freshen up.

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Just like the maid told me earlier, I saw my assistant, Jason Kai, waiting for me in the living room as I walked down the stairs.

He got up immediately after he heard my footsteps. "Good morning, Mr. Liam," he greeted.

"Morning," I answered shortly, then headed straight to the dining area where the maid had dished out my breakfast. I sat down and reached for my usual morning tea, but frowned when it wasn't in its usual spot or anywhere else on the table. "Where is my morning tea?" I asked.

Before the maid could respond, I looked toward the guest rooms upstairs and narrowed my eyes. "Where is Amber? Why didn't she prepare my tea before I came down?" I growled lowly.

"Oh, Mrs. Liam left the house earlier this morning," the maid replied.

My brows furrowed even more. "What? Where did she go?"

She shook her head. "She didn't tell me."

I balled my fists on the table, gritted my teeth, and glared at the dishes before me. I had somehow lost my appetite after hearing that she left the house without letting me know her whereabouts.

"Where could she have gone so early in the morning?" I grumbled under my breath.

"Sir, is everything alright?" the maid asked in a scared tone while staring at my hand. I looked down and realized I'd picked up a knife and was stabbing a piece of bacon.

"I'll skip breakfast," I said as I dropped the knife and got up. "Let's go, Jason."

Jason nodded and gestured for me to go in front of him while he followed closely behind. My driver, Mr. Sebastian, was already waiting outside. He held the car's back door open immediately after he saw me approaching, and without wasting time, I slid in.

Mr. Sebastian and Jason quickly got into the car too. "Are we driving straight to the office, sir?" Mr. Sebastian asked.

"Hm," I simply hummed in agreement.

He started the car and drove off. I reached for my phone to check the time, only to break into a smile when Chloe's photo appeared on my phone's wallpaper. This is the woman I wanted to marry. This is the woman I wanted to spend forever with. But that selfish Amber destroyed my plan!

I held my phone tighter as I recalled Chloe's scared voice when she begged me on the phone to marry Amber or Amber's thugs would kill her. 'Amber, I will never forgive you.'

On cue, my phone rang, and my smile widened when I saw Chloe's name pop up. "Hello..."

"I need to see you, Vincent," she interrupted me urgently.

The smile on my face vanished instantly. "Is everything alright?"

"N-no," her voice broke as she sniffed.

"Are you crying? What's going on?" I was already shifting nervously in my seat.

"I'll send you my address, just come." Then she hung up, leaving me with a series of unanswered questions and worries. Why is she crying?

She sent the address within a minute, and I quickly showed it to Mr. Sebastian. "Let's go to this address."

"Yes, sir."

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"Sir, we've arrived," Mr. Sebastian informed me.

I gave an approving nod. He got out of the car and rushed to open my door. "Wait for me inside the car," I instructed Jason before getting out.

Upon getting out, my brows furrowed deeply, and I looked around worriedly. "Are you sure we're at the right address?"

"Yes, sir," Mr. Sebastian answered.

A cold breeze hit me as nurses rushed past me. A few patients also walked past with nurses or relatives accompanying them. Why would Chloe be in a hospital? What has happened?

"Mr. Liam?" a male voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I nodded, and he continued, "Please come with me. I'll take you to Miss Chloe."

He led the way, and without asking any questions, I followed quickly.

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We soon made it to a ward. He pushed the door open, and Chloe came into sight. She was lying down wearing a hospital gown, but she sat up as soon as she saw me.

"Vincent," she called quietly.

I rushed forward to support her. She pulled me down to sit beside her on the bed, then hugged me tightly and began crying. "It's over for me," she said.

Not knowing what to do, I simply patted her on the back comfortingly. I was worried when I arrived at the hospital. I was scared that something had happened to her. But why can't I feel anything now that I'm seeing her?

"I'm finished," she rephrased, raising her head and looking at me with teary eyes.

"What's wrong? Why are you here?" I looked around the ward. "In a hospital."

Chloe didn't say a word. She buried her face in my chest and continued crying. I wrapped my arms around her before facing the man who brought me here.

He reached out his hand for a handshake. "I'm Doctor Jeremy."

"Doctor?" I asked, wondering why a doctor would go out of his way to get a patient's family from outside. He exchanged looks with Chloe before continuing.

"So, according to our diagnosis, your wife's been diagnosed with kidney disease."

My eyes widened as I looked down at Chloe immediately. "Kidney disease?!"

"Yes. And she needs a kidney transplant as soon as possible, or she'd lose her life," Jeremy said.