Chapter 410
Chapter 410
I arrived today with Russel, riding in his car. It wasn’t until I climbed in that I remembered I didn’t have the car keys.
So, I had to go back to the hospital to get the keys from Russel. I knew he was working there and that he was still in the department of cardiology, but I couldn’t remember where exactly. It took me a while to find it.
“Dr. Russel is in surgery,” a nurse informed me.
“I understand.” I had no intention of waiting. I might as well have called for a cab.
Just as I was about to turn around and leave, I noticed Russel’s phone on a desk. That must have been his spot.
Recalling how Karina had answered his phone before, I impulsively walked over and picked up the phone.
I didn’t know the passcode, but I tried Russel’s birthday. It was wrong.
I tried my, Serena’s and Brandon’s birthdays as well but they were also incorrect.
The phone got locked after three unsuccessful attempts and required ten minutes to unlock. With a belly full of suspicions, I put down the phone and left.
To say I didn’t have the slightest suspicion about Russel would be a lie. But I had to admit that he had been good to me and my children. He wouldn’t harm us.
When I left the hospital, Ryan and Faith were nowhere to be seen. Karina was also gone, but Neil was waiting for me.
The street lights outside the hospital were dim, blurring my vision. I glanced at Neil, choosing to ignore him, and prepared to hail a cab back home.
“Hold on,” Neil stopped me.
“What is it?” I halted, looking puzzled.
“Can we talk about Karina?” As expected, Neil wanted to discuss Karina. I thought the matter was settled, and there wouldn’t have been any follow-ups.
I was wrong.
I gave him a distant smile, “There’s nothing to talk about. I’ve said what needed to be said at the recognition ceremony. You should go comfort her. Next time, avoid shooting yourself in the foot.”
Neil stepped in front of me, his height imposing. Instinctively, I stepped back to put some distance between us.
Ever since I moved to Eldoria, I think this was the first time we were alone together, without any family or friends around, or anyone who knew about our past.
“You’ve misunderstood her. You’ve also hurt her quite a bit. Are you happy now?” Neil’s eyes narrowed, scrutinizing me, “I know you didn’t say anything when she came back, but you hate me, and you dislike her.”
Indeed, I was no saint. I had feelings and desires. Under those circumstances, it was impossible not to hate or dislike them. Unless I was reborn as Mother Teresa.
But
my
hatred and dislike didn’t need a place to vent. As long as those two didn’t infringe on my interests, I could have ignored them,
Out of sight, out of mind. I didn’t need to add trouble to my life. The reason I exposed Karina today was because I was certain she had tampered with my diving gear. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have done it. Whether she could have won Ryan and Faith’s favor or how she wanted to stage her own play was nothing to me.
So, Neil got it wrong. I didn’t misunderstand Karina; she was the first to harm me.
“Oh, what did I misunderstand?” I looked up, calmly meeting Neil’s gaze, “I’m all ears.”
Perhaps my calm and cold gaze unnerved Neil. His eyes darkened even more, and he continued to scrutinize me.
His lips were thin and attractive. The corners of his mouth were sharp, drawing attention to his lips even when he was silent.
“Karina didn’t hire those two person. They’re habitual offenders who got her contact information and sent some messages to threaten her. She didn’t want to make a big fuss, so she paid them off,” Neil gave a simple explanation. It was so simple that it was full of holes.
I figured that with his intelligence, he would have noticed the discrepancies. But there was only one reason he would have ignored them. Karina was important to him. So important that he could have ignored everything else as long as she was safe..
If Bonnie, who was in jail, knew how Neil was favoring and spoiling Karina now, she would have been furious. She, the substitute, could have never replaced the original.
“You believed that, didn’t you?” I smirked, irony curling my lips.
“She has no reason to lie. With her medical skills, there’s no need for her to stage anything, right?” Neil retorted.
True, Karina was a skilled doctor. That’s why so many people sought her help, including Stella, who managed to conceive her second child, thanks to Karina.
Since Neil trusted her so much, what else could I have said?
I had achieved my goal. Public opinion of Karina will have inevitably shifted. As long as she was not happy, I was content.
“Neil, if you trust her so much, why are you waiting for me? Do you think explaining all this to me is necessary?” I asked coldly, “Or are you planning to avenge her?”
Neil could have retaliated against my words easily.
“I’m not that petty,” Neil said with annoyance, “What do you think I am?”
“Do you not know what kind of person you are?” I didn’t want to waste words with him. I threw those words at him and walked away.
My words seemed to have provoked Neil. He followed me, seemingly not caring that we were at the hospital entrance, where people were coming and going even at that late hour.
He glared at me, “I really want to know what do you think of me. Haven’t I done enough? Irene, don’t forget, you left me and ran off to be with Russel!”
“Let bygones be bygones, all right? All you need to know is that I’m doing just fine now. As long as Karina doesn’t come around bothering me, and disrupting my peace, I don’t have any intention of wasting my time on her. Got it?” I retorted, my voice rising,” Neil, unless you want her to see us like this, getting all jealous and suspicious, you better drop this argument.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Neil fired back, “Why should I be afraid of her getting jealous?”
“Because you love her, don’t you? Isn’t part of loving someone worrying about their insecurities, and their doubts? Or do you want her to feel hurt and upset?” The words slipped from my lips before could stop them.
