At that moment, Lucas held onto my arm tightly and refused to let me leave.


    Alex stepped forward simultaneously, positioning himself between me and Lucas.


    I looked at the two men in front of me one gripping my arm, the other blocking my way. They were like two stone guardians trapping me in between.


    Lucas frowned, and there was concern in his eyes. "Where are you going?"


    I tried to shake off his grip, but he didn''t let go. I was frustrated and had no choice but to exin, "I''m going to find Elena and ask her why she did this."


    Alex crossed his arms over his chest. "And then what? What do you n to do?"


    Taking a deep breath, I fought to keep my anger in check. "I''m going to make her pay!"


    Lucas suddenly released my arm. "I''ll go with you."


    Alex raised an eyebrow and refused to back down. "I''m going too."


    "Enough!" I rubbed my temples, feeling a headacheing on. "Neither of you ising with me. I''ll handle this myself."


    With that, I turned and walked away.


    Lucas'' voice rang out behind me. "Serena, calm down. Going to her now won''t solve anything."


    Alex chimed in, "Yeah, your mother is still in the hospital. You should be here taking care of her."


    Lucas fixed his gaze on me and said in a low and steady voice, "Serena, if you go to Elena like this, you''ll only be ying right into her hands. Focus on your mother for now. I''ll take care of Elena."


    Alex''s expression darkened at his words. He demanded, "Lucas, who put you in charge of Serena''s affairs?"


    Lucas met his gaze calmly. "Alex, do you honestly think it''s a good idea to let her confront Elena in this state?"


    Alex fell silent. He knew Lucas had a point. In my current emotional state, facing Elena could put me in an even more dangerous situation.


    After a moment, Alex let out a sigh and turned to me. "Serena, then I''ll deal with your grandmother''s


    situation. No matter what, those


    people need to learn that the


    Hastings family isn''t to be messed with."


    He started to leave, but as if remembering something, he paused and nced back at me. "Oh, one more thing-my dad knows about your mother''s suicide attempt. He mighte byter."


    I nodded without saying a word.


    After Alex left, only Lucas and I remained outside the emergency room.


    I looked at him, feeling conflicted.


    He stepped closer. "Serena, don''t worry. Everything will be okay."


    I took a step back, putting distance between us. "I know. Thank you for helping."


    Just then, the emergency room doors swung open, and the doctor walked out.


    "Doctor, how is my mother?" I asked anxiously.


    The doctor removed his mask and answered in a serious tone, "Her condition is stable for now, but..." He


    hesitated, his tone growing morene


    solemn. "We found a high


    concentration of sleeping pills in her system. Given her medical history, we suspect..." Content bétongs to


    I gripped my hands into fists. "What are you suspecting?"


    The doctor sighed and said slowly, "We suspect that this wasn''t a sudden impulse... but something she had been nning for a long time."


    Something she had nned for a long time? That was impossible.