Xavier softened his voice. "Silly girl, the hospital was arranged by the airline."
Dora only grew more anxious. "But I'm really so scared!"
"Miss Vance must hate me now. Why would she ever want to save my child?"
"Everyone at the airline knows her. Picking which hospital is just a word from her mouth..."
"Miss Swanson, spreading lies carries legal consequences."
I pushed the door open and looked straight at Dora, curled against Xavier's chest.
She fell silent at once and quickly buried her face into him.
Seeing her frightened, cowering, Xavier's urge to protect her surged to its peak.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
He turned to me, his eyes full of scrutiny.
"What did you come here for?"
"Or is it that you really do have some shady connection with this hospital?"
My voice didn't waver. "My only job is to report a passenger's condition. I know nothing about the treatment arrangements."
"Every call during the flight is recorded. Check them all you like. My conscience is clear."
My firmness lit his temper in an instant.
"You make it sound so nice. Felix is still so small. He's been unconscious this long. If there are lasting effects, can you take responsibility for that?"
A boundless exhaustion swept over me. I sighed.
"If you don't trust this place, then transfer him yourselves."
I turned to go, and Dora suddenly rushed over, dropping to her knees and wrapping her arms around my legs.
"Miss Vance! I know you hate me, but Felix is innocent. I'm begging you, let him go!"
"Didn't you just lose your own child? Just give Felix a way to live, and from now on he'll be your child! I promise we'll never appear in front of you again!"
I frowned and tried hard to pull free of her. "There's no need. Let go of me first—"
"Ah!"
Before I could finish, Dora suddenly screamed and dropped to the floor, clutching her ribs.
"Dora!" Xavier's pupils shrank, and he strode to her side.
"Amelia Vance, you dare to hurt Dora right in front of me!"
"I didn't—"
"Xavier, it's all right, I'm fine." Dora spoke almost at the same time as me.
She drew thin, ragged breaths. "As long as Miss Vance is willing to let Felix go, a few kicks are nothing..."
Xavier's eyes on me were cold as ice.
He stood, and raised his hand high.
"Amelia Vance, how can you be this vicious!"
Crack!
After the sharp sound, the ward fell into dead silence.
Xavier stared at his own reddened palm, frozen for a moment.
Dora knelt back on the floor, her voice timid. "Miss Vance, don't blame Xavier. I'll apologize for him. It's all my fault, so hit me!"
The fury reignited in Xavier's eyes in an instant.
He grabbed me by the collar, his gaze sweeping over my cheek, already swollen high, as if it weren't there at all.
"That was only a warning. If you dare touch a single hair on her again, I'll make you pay a hundred times over!"
The burning sting on my face kept reminding me of what had just happened.
Xavier had hit me. For another woman.
Before, it would probably have felt like a knife twisting in my heart.
But now, my heart had long gone numb.
I pulled my collar out of his hand and straightened it.
Then I walked out of the ward without hesitation, without a shred of reluctance.
On the road back to the airport, I called my lawyer.
"Prepare the divorce paperwork for me. The party at fault is Xavier Sawyer. I'll send the evidence of his affair to your email later."
Dense drops of rain beat wildly against the car window. The heater was on inside, but it couldn't warm my frozen heart.
As I got out, my phone rang.
Holding my coat up against the rain, I fumbled to answer.
"Amelia Vance, you shameless bitch!"
I frowned. It was Xavier's mother.
"That useless little girl you gave birth to is dead, and now you can't stand to see my precious grandson do well! You black-hearted, rotten bitch, you deserved to give birth to a short-lived brat!"
"Don't think no one can see through your filthy little scheme! Dora told me everything. You deliberately arranged some garbage hospital, trying to kill my grandson!"
