Chapter 19
What did Blake
lake mean by that? Who was pretending to have late–stage stomach cancer?
Zayn’s hand, which had been reaching for the doorknob of the ward, stiffened in place, and he was instantly paralyzed on the spol
Blake’s ranting continued, “When I first laid eyes on this patient, I was startled. She was bleeding from her mouth and I thought something serious had happened. It turns out she bit into the blood bag in her mouth.
“What’s the deal with youngsters nowadays making a big fuss over a relationship? They should just make up after a fight. Why does she have to pretend to have such a dreadful disease?
“Of course, I agreed to help her! When she was in the ER, she acted as if it was the end of the world! If I didn’t agree to lie for her, she said she’d kill herself. How could I possibly refuse to help her?
Afterventing her frustrations for a while longer, Blake finally ended the call. As soon as she tumed around, she spotted Zayn standing in the doorway of the ward.
She pretended to be caught off guard as she stammered, “M–Mr. Carter! What brings you here?
“Who’s pretending to be in the late stages of stomach cancer?” Zayn’s face was a mask of indifference, yet a surge of bloodlust seemed to erupt from his cold, desolate eyes, sending shivers down Blake’s spline.
Blake recoiled in fear, her eyes darting around nervously. “Mr. Carter, you’ve got it all wrong. I never said anything like that! Late–stage stomach cancer isn’t something to be taken lightly, so why would anyone pretend to have such a disease?”
Zayn took a step forward and tightly gripped Blake’s neck
While he remained silent, Blake gasped for air as she was being strangled by him.
“Mr. Carter, 1–I’m telling the tru-
Zayn’s grip suddenly tightened, immediately silencing Blake.
She thought he was going to lose his temper, but to her surprise, he suddenly broke into a wide grin.
When he wasn’t smiling, he exuded an air of menace that sent shivers down spines. Yet, when he did smile, it wasn’t a smile of kindness, but a grimace of
destruction!
“I’ll ask you one last time! Who is the one pretending to be sick?”
Zayn’s warning caused Blake’s leg to buckle beneath her. If it weren’t for his tight grip around her neck, she would’ve fallen to the ground.
A wave of tremors coursed through her body as his threats echoed in her mind. She felt that it she dared to continue hiding the truth, she would be forever silenced.
“It’s Willow Sanford!” After she managed to answer him, albeit with much difficulty, her neck was finally released from his grip. She inhaled deeply, desperately inhaling the fresh air around her.
After gasping for air for some time, she spoke up again. “Mr. Carter, Ms. Sanford’s the one who faked her illness. She offered me money and even threatened suicide to coerce me into helping her deceive you!
“She’s perfectly healthy! She doesn’t have late–stage stomach cancer. She vomited blood because she bit the blood bag in her mouth. I really didn’t mean to deceive you, Mr. Carter! Please forgive me!”
“I swear on my life, I won’t do it again. I-”
“Get out of here!” Zayn roared, cutting Blake off mid–sentence.
Blake’s legs trembled violently, and she stumbled off toward the end of the corridor.
After what seemed like an eternity, Zayn let out a low, sinister chuckle. A chilling cold crept in, enveloping the surroundings in an icy embrace. In the end, an eternal, desolate silence prevalled.
It turned out that Willow actually pretended to have late–stage stomach cancer!
Chapter 20
