The emergency surgery continued for the whole night until the next morning. Finally, the red light went off, and the nurses pushed John out from the operating theater.
Lying in bed, John was covered in a thin hospital blanket, and a drip was hanging by his side. His right hand was bandaged by thick gauze.
I leaned against his bed and looked at him closely. Despite the few scratches on his face, his facial features still looked perfect. Those wounds somehow made him look more masculine.
All of a sudden, tears started welling up in my eyes. Taking a deep breath, I lifted my head and inquired the doctor, “Doctor, how’s my brother’s condition?”
The doctor looked exhausted after a long night’s work. He nodded slightly and responded to my question, “He is no longer in danger. But…”
The doctor paused before continuing, “Mrs. Featherstone, Mr. Stanhope’s right hand is broken totally. He will need to conduct bone-connection surgery after this. Plus, even though he was sent in here in time, a big part of the muscle tissue of the arm has died. Hence, even after he recovers, the nerve won’t be able to function…”
“Do you mean that…” I swallowed and tried to recollect myself. “He won’t be able to use his right arm anymore?”
The doctor let out a long sigh. “Based on our current medical technology, I’m afraid so. Please be mentally prepared for that.”
Upon saying that, the doctor left with the nurse.
I froze on the spot, my mind went blank.
Just then, the clattering sound of high heels came from the corridor. Emery appeared at the door of the operating theater with a nervous look and put her hand on my shoulder. “Is he okay?”
I could no longer hold back my emotion as I bawled my eyes out, hugging her. “John has lost his right arm forever. The doctor says it can’t be cured! It’s all my fault!”
Maybe, only when we see our beloved getting hurt and humiliated do we realize how useless we are.
The most helpless part of a human, besides love, is life and death. I failed to give my love when he needed it. And now, I even caused him to lose an arm. What a useless sister I am!
The next moment, Anthony showed up. I was never so disappointed and upset with him. I stopped crying instantly and treated him indifferently. “What are you doing here?”
Before he could respond, I spoke again, “Are you here to laugh at us on behalf of Nathaniel? If that’s so, congratulations. You succeeded. Now, please get out of my sight.”
I had been trying to rescue him from the hand of the devil countless times. Yet, now I was pushing him away from my life. My heart was overwhelmed with mixed feelings.
I was left with no choice as I could not stand his indifference anymore, especially when John was still unconscious.
At that moment, I hated everyone in this world, including myself. In my heart, it felt like John was the only innocent person on this earth.
Anthony did not bother my attitude as he uttered gently. “He acted too harshly.”
“What do you mean?” Overwhelmed with emotions, I was utterly upset with Anthony’s inconsiderate comment. Without hesitation, I rebuked with an aggressive tone. “Do you mean John deserves to be beaten up?”
Anthony bit his lip and did not reply to me while Emery tried to ease the tension. “Sienna, please calm down.”
“How could I possibly calm down after what happened?” At that instant, desperation filled my heart as I felt no one could understand how devastated I was. I knew I should not cast harsh words toward Anthony to release my anger, but I could not act as if nothing had happened.
On the other hand, I feared that I might ultimately push Anthony toward Nathaniel if I spoke harshly. I also feared that my selfishness might cause John’s sacrifice to be wasted.
Looking at Anthony and Emery’s expressions, I knew they did not share my feelings. One was still indifferent, while the other seemed to pity me. I had never felt so lonely.
“Forget it.” I sighed with disappointment as I stared into Anthony’s cold gaze. “You said John was acting rashly. How about you then?”
I leaned toward him closely. “After all these years, you still like to act alone. Do you think everything is still the same as before? Are you trying to be a hero?”
My voice echoed through the corridor, yet Anthony did not react. A while later, he opened his mouth. “You’re right. It’s different now. I’m no longer interested in being a hero. I only came here for the kid’s sake. Regardless of what you think about today, Nathaniel’s warning is clear. Please ask your family to stop making meaningless struggles. I doubt he would show any mercy even if it is the mother of my kid.”
Anthony sounded like a complete stranger. I could not find any other word to describe him.
How could he treat my trust toward him with such coldness?
I let out a desperate laugh. “So, do you mean that I should be grateful that John is not dead? Should I thank you and Nathaniel for ruining my husband and my daughter? And is it out of mercy too that you’ve only broken one of John’s arms?
Anthony did not rebuke as he uttered indifferently, “You need to rest.”
He turned to Emery and instructed, “Please take care of her.”
Upon saying that, he turned and left abruptly.
Losing my calm, I rushed toward him. “Stop right there! We’re not done talking here! You bast*rd!”
Emery immediately stopped me from running after Anthony. As Anthony’s figure disappeared coldly into the elevator, I fell decadently on the bench in the corridor, sobbing desperately.
That morning, John’s body temperature turned extremely high probably due to complications after the surgery. The medical staff panicked. They tried numerous methods and eventually used hormone injections to get the temperature under control.
Looking at John’s pale face, I felt my heart crushed by a heavy stone. After making sure John was asleep, I walked out of the ward to catch some air.
It was quieter over here compared to the general ward. There were a few family members of some patients around, all looking depressed just like me.
The news broadcast in the hall could be heard clearly.
“There have been many cases of missing and kidnapped children today. At present, the police are making every effort to investigate suspicious persons. Please get in touch with the task force immediately if you have relevant information…”
It seemed like the safety of the whole city was at risk. Somehow, I felt I was not suffering alone.
Fortunately, regardless of Anthony’s plan, it was clear to me now that he would not risk the kids. Or else, Nathaniel would have gone after Audrey and Gregory instead of John.
Deep down in my heart, I knew Nathaniel was trying to crush my spirit by going after John.
He figured he could manipulate me easily once my mental state was down. He was trying to control me like what he did to Anthony.
Is Anthony entirely controlled by him now?
I was too overwhelmed with emotions back in the operating theater. Now that I thought of it, Anthony did not need to show up, actually.
I realized that Anthony was trying to remind me to be careful. All his coldness might be a disguise of his care for me.
Without realizing it, I had reached the corridor of the general ward. Before I turned around, I spotted Joseph coming out of a ward.
I was stunned momentarily. The next second, I recalled Wilson was being hospitalized there.
Could it be…
When I was about to open my mouth to call him, he vanished from the stairs. With that, I had no choice but to drop the matter.
After getting back to the ward, I ran into the cops who were there for investigation. As John was still unconscious, they asked me to give a brief statement.
Based on their tone, I realized that only the black men who got apprehended would face justice. There was no way they could get to the real culprit.
After the cops left, Benson suddenly appeared at the nearest emergency exit. He was wearing a robe and an army cap.
We exchanged our gaze to greet each other, and he seemed to know what happened to John.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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