Page 12

She giggled at his words.

“We’re here.” He stopped, pointing to the room ahead.

They approached the door together, but the moment she peeked through the glass window, she froze. Then, as if her body had suddenly betrayed her, she stumbled back several steps, nearly tripping over her own feet.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, noticing the horror on her face.

She turned to him, her voice sharp with panic. “That’s my soon-to-be ex-husband… and his girl!”

***

Inside the room, Esther sat on the hospital bed, eyes fixed on Lorenzo with an expression full of quiet worry. She reached out, taking his hand in hers.

"I'm scared, Lorenzo," she whispered. "What if this doctor can't cure me either?"

Lorenzo gently pulled his hand from hers, his voice calm but distant. “You’ll be fine. Just focus on getting better.”

Esther smiled weakly and nodded. Then, after a pause, she bit her lip and asked softly, a hopeful look in her eyes, “If I do get better… the agreement we made two years ago—it still stands, right?”

Lorenzo’s jaw tightened. His brows furrowed into a tense line. After a moment of hesitation, he gave a stiff nod. “I told you I’d be responsible for taking care of you,” he said.

She smiled and immediately reached over, hugging his arm tightly again.

Krystal looked from Lorenzo to Esther, noting the fake smile and puppy eyes that were anything but convincing.

‘Is this man blind?’ she thought, surprised. ‘How bad is his taste? He’s actually choosing that woman over me?’

Even thinking about it felt ridiculous. Esther wasn’t even close to Krystal in looks—and that alone settled her nerves a little.

She turned to face Damion and said in a calm voice, “I’m sorry. I won’t be of any help to you.”

Damion nodded, his face tense as he spoke softly, “Sorry. I didn’t know you two were… together.”

“It’s alright,” Krystal muttered, her voice barely above a whisper.

Hearing the voices outside, Lorenzo’s brows drew together in a deep frown. That voice—it sounded so familiar. Confused, he stepped out of the room. The moment Krystal heard his approaching footsteps, she bolted, her heels clacking sharply against the hallway floor as she ran.

Two years was enough time to know his footsteps by heart; it only took her a second to realize it was him.

Lorenzo caught a faint blur of a retreating figure and instinctively moved to follow, striding fast—but a hand shot out, grabbing his arm and stopping him in his tracks.

He turned sharply, coming face-to-face with a man in a tailored suit and an arrogant expression.

Damion let go of his grip and turned to face Lorenzo fully. “Mr. Moretti,” he greeted. “Damion Cage. Owner of Bristen.”

Lorenzo halted, a cold frown forming on his face. He looked Damion up and down with a steely gaze. “Yes?”

Damion took a deep breath. Krystal had vanished down the hall, finally out of sight. He exhaled slowly, then looked back at Lorenzo.

“I’d invited Astra to check in on Esther,” he explained. “But just a few minutes ago, she called and backed out. She said she couldn’t come.”

Lorenzo squared up to him, his expression hardening.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” he snapped, voice rough.

At the same moment, Krystal’s footsteps echoed down the cold corridor as she ran off, Lorenzo’s voice still ringing behind her. In her rush, she didn’t see someone standing directly in her way—until she collided with him.

Her heart sank when she looked up.