It was the hospital emergency room all over again. But this time, Noreen''s anxiety was a thousand times worse, her worry a crushing weight. Her heart felt like it was being squeezed in a vise, making it hard to breathe.


    Her clothes were stained with blood. Seth''s blood.


    Noreen couldn''t believe Seth had been there. She couldn''t believe that at the critical moment, he had recklessly thrown his car in front of hers, shielding her from the vehicle that was meant to kill her.


    After taking a call, Dariel walked back to Noreen, his expression grim. He ryed the information he had just received.


    "The person who hit you was Brianna, Sue''s mother. After Mr. Joyner''s ident, Sage Joyner had Sue forciblymitted to a psychiatric hospital owned by the Joyner family. He also permanently banned the Caldwell family from visiting. On top of that, the Joyner Group pulled all its investments from the Caldwell family, causing several of their projects to be suspended."


    "Jaxon had previously taken out a lot of private loans using the Joyner Group''s name. When news of the divestment spread, the creditors all came demanding repayment. Unable to handle the pressure, Jaxon tried to threaten them by pretending to jump off a building, but he identally slipped and fell to his death. Brianna couldn''t cope with the series of devastating blows and had a breakdown."


    The car Noreen had been in belonged to Sage Joyner. Brianna had mistakenly assumed Sage was inside, which prompted her desperate act.


    Dariel added, "The doctors just announced that Brianna was pronounced dead from her injuries."


    Noreen was stunned by the news, but she felt no sympathy. In this whole tragic affair, none of the three members of the Caldwell family were innocent. The only truly innocent party was Seth, who was still in the emergency room.


    Noreen had no idea how long she had been waiting. She couldn''t tear her eyes from the operating room doors, watching helplessly as nurses and doctors rushed in and out.


    When the doctor finally emerged, Noreen''s heart leaped into her throat. She felt like she was awaiting a verdict.


    "The patient is out of danger. His vitals are stable for now, and we''ll conduct further examinations to monitor his condition."


    Noreen let out a long, heavy sigh of relief. She forgot to even thank the doctor as she sank back into the chair,pletely drained. The hands she had been clenching so tightly


    finally rxed, and her arms began to tremble as blood rushed back into her fingers. Her eyes grew hot, her vision blurring with a sudden film of tears. After years of mastering the art of hiding her emotions, she finally lost herposure.


    Noreen watched over Seth all night, finally dozing off for a short while at dawn, her head resting on the edge of his bed.


    In a daze, she felt something gently stroking her face. She woke with a start and immediately checkedon Seth, but he was still in the same position, unmoving.


    Noreen touched her own cheek. *It must have been a dream*, she thought.


    Once hisst IV drip was finished, she could finally rest. A full day and night of turmoil hadpletely exhausted her.


    The sofa in the hospital room was spacious enough for her slender frame, but it was nowhere near as


    standard-issue hospital Noreen shifted, unable


    sofa.


    get


    Because of the difort, Noreen only slept for three hours. When she woke up, she found herself on the hospital bed. But Seth was nowhere in the room.