Fated To Three, And I Broke Them All

Chapter 128: 128-Kindness Works.

Verity:

Ever since the doctor told me what they found in my blood work, I had been stunned.

I sat silently on the bed, chewing my nails.

There was only one person I could think of who might have done it, Roman.

That explained why he had constantly forced me to finish my milk.

That explained why he had been so determined to make me finish my breakfast.

And I did. However, when he wasn’t looking, I poured most of the milk down the sink.

Not because I suspected him of anything, but because I wanted to get out of there.

That urgency saved me.

My phone beeped, and I checked it. It was Roman.

Now I knew why he had been so worried about me going to work while the drugs were still in my system.

I clenched my jaw, thinking about dealing with him later, before I walked out of my room.

I walked straight to the reception desk, my discharge papers folded in my hand.

The woman behind the counter looked up as I approached.

"Good evening. How can I help you?" she asked.

"I’ve just been discharged," I said, setting the papers on the counter. "I’d also like to take care of another patient’s bill."

She gave me a polite smile and nodded.

"Of course. May I have the patient’s name?" she asked.

I rubbed the back of my neck in confusion.

"The man who arrived with me. The flower shop owner. The one who had the heart attack."

Recognition crossed her face immediately.

Her fingers moved across the keyboard as she pulled up his records. After a few seconds, she glanced back at me.

"Would you like to cover the entire outstanding balance?" she asked.

"Everything," I replied.

She confirmed the total and turned the payment terminal toward me.

I slipped my card into the reader, entered my PIN, and waited while it processed.

A soft beep broke the silence.

"Payment approved," she said, printing the receipt. "The balance has been cleared."

I let out a quiet breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

"Can you please do one more thing for me?" I asked and once again she nodded.

I studied her face for a moment, then decided against my original idea.

I had planned to leave a letter for him, maybe even my number, but I decided not to leave any trace like that.

"Can you please let me know when he wakes up?" I asked while the smile never left my lips.

"He’s actually awake now," she replied, snapping my head up.

"He is?"

She gave me a gentle nod.

"Yes. He’s still in the cardiac unit, but he’s awake and stable. You can see him for a few minutes if you’d like."

Relief washed over me. Knowing he was alive and doing better lifted a weight off my chest.

"I’d like that," I said.

She stepped out from behind the counter and gestured toward the hallway.

"One of the nurses will take you to his room," she said, signaling for a nurse to come over.

A nurse approached with a warm smile.

"This way," she said.

I tightened my grip on my bag and followed her down the quiet hallway, my heartbeat growing heavier with every step.

I wasn’t sure what I was going to say to him, but after everything that had happened, I couldn’t leave without seeing him.

I followed the nurse into the cardiac unit until she stopped outside one of the rooms.

"He’s inside," she said quietly before stepping away.

I took a slow breath and pushed the door open.

The old man lay in the hospital bed, an oxygen cannula resting beneath his nose.

Heart monitor leads were attached to his chest, and an IV line ran into his arm.

The steady beeping of the monitor filled the otherwise quiet room.

As soon as he saw me, his eyes widened.

"Don’t worry. I’m not here to hurt you," I said, raising my hands in surrender.

To my surprise, he looked completely at ease.

"I know," he replied, making me frown.

"You were not looking very well yourself," he continued, making my brows knit together. "Even then, you carried me on your back and brought me to the hospital. I kept wondering what had happened to make you do something like that."

He mentioned the tape where he had seen me attack Oliver.

"The man I attacked in the alley had attacked me several times before," I mumbled, thinking of Oliver.

"Why didn’t you report him?" he asked in a soft, steady voice.

"Don’t you know? He’s the Alpha King’s brother-in-law."

The old man stared at me for a long moment before giving a slow nod.

"I figured as much." he sighed.

"But I don’t want you to spend the rest of your life feeling like you owe me for bringing you to the hospital," I said. "You don’t owe me anything. Do whatever you think is right. If you want to tell the Alpha King’s brothers about the tape or that I was the one who attacked their brother-in-law, that’s your choice."

I wanted him to know I hadn’t saved his life because I expected anything in return.

"There’s only one thing I’ll say to you," the old man murmured.

I looked up at him.

"Take your sandals from my shop."

I blinked the tears away.

"As for the rest," he continued, "I don’t know what tape you’re talking about. My security cameras haven’t been working for the past few weeks."

My vision blurred as tears filled my eyes.

"Thank you," I mouthed before breaking down in front of him.

"Go and live your life to the fullest. But if you ever need me, you can always come to me."

The old man paused before adding, "If I can’t be of any help, I can at least give you a flower to cheer you up."

Once he finished speaking, I lowered my head and kissed him on the forehead.

I stayed with him for a few more minutes before quietly walking out.

When I returned home, I stepped into the shower and cried for the next few minutes.

I knew that was all the time I could allow myself to feel like a victim.

After that, I had to stand back up and follow the plan I had laid out.