Chapter 4

The doctor had just finished examining me when Thomas and Lydia rushed to the hospital. He explained that I hadn't suffered any severe damage, but both my wrist and knee were injured, so I needed to remain in the hospital for them to monitor my condition.

I sat on the chair in the hallway, clutching my medical report. My entire body felt numb.

Thomas hurried over to me the moment he spotted me. "How are you feeling, Riley?"

His face was pale. His voice was tight when he asked, "Did you get hurt? Why didn't you inform me sooner after something like this happened?"

My heart felt cold as I looked up at him.

Lydia stood to the side. The smile had disappeared from her face. "It's a good thing that nothing too serious happened. How scary."

I didn't say a word.

Truth be told, I had felt momentarily dazed when I saw the flicker of panic in Thomas' eyes. It was almost as if he cared about me, as if the last few years that we spent together weren't all fake.

I swiftly crushed those thoughts.

When a police officer approached me to take my statement, Lydia suddenly asked, "Did he try anything with you? Or did he already… Don't be scared, Riley. Be brave and tell us everything. We'll definitely make him pay for what he did to you."

She didn't finish her sentence, but I knew what she was trying to imply.

Silence descended upon the hospital room.

I slowly turned to look at Lydia. My mind had gone blank. I didn't understand how she could ask such a question.

However, what made my heart feel even more hollow was how Thomas didn't immediately stop her. Instead, he just stood there and looked at me with a hint of hesitation in his eyes. It was as if he was waiting for me to answer, as if he also wanted to know if anything had happened.

I suddenly felt incredibly cold. It turned out that, in their eyes, the fact that I was nearly ruined was something that could be talked about, something that they could casually question me about to satisfy their own curiosities.

I lifted my hand and pointed at the door. My voice trembled as I said, "Get out."

Lydia was stunned. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just asking."

My breathing turned ragged as my hands began to shake.

The doctor and nurses rushed into the room. They then asked everyone to leave so they could calm me down. Later, the doctor told me that they had no choice but to sedate me due to my severe reaction.

…

I was just about to fall asleep when I heard the sounds of an argument coming from beyond the door.

Suppressing his fury, Thomas snapped, "Don't you know that you'll hurt her by asking her those questions?"

"I didn't do it on purpose," Lydia blubbered through tears. "I'm just bad with words."

The sounds of the argument began to fade into the distance.

I didn't have the strength to continue listening to them.

…

I fell into a deep sleep.

The hospital room was very quiet when I woke up. The only source of light came from a small lamp.

Feeling extremely parched, I got up from the bed, wanting to call a nurse. When I reached the door, I peeked through the gap and noticed that there were people in the hallway.

Lydia was crouching next to the wall. Her shoulders shuddered as she cried.

Thomas stood before her. He was silent for a few seconds before he bent down and pulled her into his arms. He coaxed her in a hushed voice, patting her back to soothe her. His practiced movements suggested that he had comforted her in the same way countless times in the past.

I didn't move an inch as I stood behind the door. At that moment, something hit me. It didn't matter whether I was the one who felt upset or got hurt. At the end of the day, the person who Thomas would pull into his arms would never be me.

I slowly let go of the door handle, padded back to my bed, and sat down. The lingering feelings that I still had for Thomas completely disappeared right then and there.

…

I completed the hospital discharge procedures the next morning.

Emily personally dropped by the hospital to pick me up, informing me that Cory had been fired.

The police would continue their investigations, while she would keep an eye on the procedures of the overseas project on my behalf, promising that she wouldn't allow this incident to affect me.

I nodded and thanked her before making my way out of the hospital with her. I had just left the inpatient department when I heard someone call my name from behind.

I didn't turn back.

…

Thomas had been one step too late.

My room was already empty when he arrived. Only then did he remember that he had blocked my number a few days ago. He unblocked it and tapped on our chat, wanting to send me a message.

However, the first thing he saw was the message that I had failed to send to him a few days ago.

"Let's break up."

The color drained from his face in an instant.