?<strong>Chapter 547:</strong>


    The man’s eyes fluttered open, and he looked at Kristopher with an expression that was almost triumphant. “Kristopher… you owe me.”


    His voice was so faint it was hard to make out the words. Kristopher bent down, his ear close to the man’s mouth. “What did you say?”


    A strange, twisted smile spread across the man’s face. “I identally hit your sister with my car… You… you made my life in prison a living hell. It’s all your fault. Karma… It’s your retribution… You bring misfortune to everyone around you…”


    With those final words, the man’s chest stilled, the mocking smile frozen on his lifeless face. The man had deliberately reminded Kristopher of the car ident, hoping that it would distract him from any real investigation that might bring Lise into the picture.


    Kristopher straightened slowly, his expression unreadable as he stared down at the body. “Investigate the driver involved in that car ident,” Kristopher ordered, his voice cutting through the silence like a de.


    Prison had changed the man drastically, and it was hard to tell his true identity. Oliver blinked in surprise, then quickly nodded. “Yes, Mr. Norris.” He hadn’t expected the incident to connect to such a distant thread. The revtion left him uneasy, a sense of somethingrger and more dangerous looming just out of reach.


    The moon hung high in a sparse sky, its cold light filtering into Carrie’s hospital room. The glow of countless homes outside contrasted with the stark, cold light of the hospital room, making it feel even more deste.


    Carriey motionless in her bed, her eyes fluttering open. The doctor entered to check on her, pulling back the covers to examine her wound. He froze, his face paling. The wound had reopened, the blood seeping through her hospital gown and forming a dark, dried stain beneath her. Carrie remained still, her face devoid of emotion.


    The doctor motioned to the nurses, and a flurry of movement followed as they rushed to treat her.


    Carriey motionless, like a discarded rag doll, her hair a tangled veil across her pale face. Even as the medical team worked frantically around her, she remained still, her body unresponsive, as if all the life within her had retreated somewhere far away.


    As Kristopher stepped out of the elevator, he was immediately met with a scene of urgency—doctors and nurses hurried in and out of Carrie’s hospital room. A wave of dread washed over him as he made his way to the room, his pace quickening.


    Upon entering, he addressed the medical team with a grave tone, “What’s happening to my wife?”


    The tension in the room thickened. The medical staff exchanged uneasy nces, hesitant to answer. Carrie caught the worried look on his face and managed a weak, ironic smile. Had she not witnessed him fiercely defending Lise before, she might have believed his concern was genuine.


    Feeling foolish for her endless forgiveness, she mused bitterly that her willingness to forgive so easily was precisely why Kristopher and Lise continued to wrong her.


    Softly, she intervened, “Don’t me them. The doctors shouldn’t be troubled.”


    Turning to the medical team, she added, “Thank you for your care. You’re all dismissed now.”


    The doctors, having addressed her immediate medical needs, exchanged brief nods before leaving the room. The nurses followed, offering a few final directions as they exited.


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