?Chapter 849:


    Regret gnawed at Kaiden for not being there for Ellie. Yet, within that storm of emotions, gratitude toward Kristopher took root in Kaiden’s heart for shielding Ellie when he couldn’t.


    Time dragged on until, atst, the red light outside the operating room went out.


    Ellie rose with shaky legs, her journey to the door mirroring her inner turmoil. As she moved, her hand untangled from Kaiden’s. His lips tightened, a shadow of discontent in his gaze as he trailed behind her.


    “The surgery was a sess, yet the road ahead remains treacherous,” the doctor announced. “This heart has been wounded before by a car ident. Another scar now marks it. The patient should exercise more caution regarding his condition from now on.”


    Gratitude filled Ellie’s voice. “Doctor, we owe you so much.” But her mind was a stormy sea.


    Kristopher had been in a car ident before? Could it be that his heart ailment wasn’t congenital? Memories bombarded her—words exchanged in hushed tones in the car, the crash, the spinning world when the ck car struck. Destiny seemed to y its cards with peculiar synchronicity.


    Ellie lost herself in thought.


    “Mr. Thorpe, Carole has woken up and has requested your presence. Without you, she resists our care,” Bruce informed Kaiden. He then stole a nce at Ellie, his concern palpable in his gaze.


    “You should see her.” Ellie managed a weak smile, nudging Kaiden forward.


    The news of Carole’s awakening and her request didn’te as a shock. Yesterday, Ellie might have refused to let Kaiden visit Carole. However, this time, Carole had been injured while trying to save her. Moreover, Ellie couldn’t ignore the reality that, amidst the chaos, Carole’s car had been a shield for her in the wreckage.


    In that case, Carole was now the elephant in the room.


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    “I’ll return shortly,” Kaiden promised, wrapping Ellie in aforting embrace before he left with Bruce.


    In the void of Kaiden’s departure, Ellie’s distress surged like a tide. Without a moment’s warning, she sumbed to her churning stomach, leaning against the wall as she retched. Breakfast had been the only meal that day, and now her stomach revolted, yielding nothing but bitterness.


    Baylee came over, clutching Ellie’s arm to offer support while her other hand was on the phone calling Garfield for some light fare to ease Ellie’s difort. Ellie’s appetite was poor at the time.


    “Baylee,” she said, her voice as colorless as her face, “when you were trailing me, did you see what happened with Carole’s red sports car?”


    “I only realized it was her partway through the chaos,” Baylee replied, a note of shock in her tone. “Litzy’s ambush was deliberate. I tried to intervene, but Carole’s car was a barricade.”


    By the time Litzy struck your car again, Carole suddenly sped her car and sandwiched it between yours and Litzy’s. Litzy’s madness had set the stage, prompting a ballet of cars to veer away. Amidst the mayhem, only Baylee and Carole had dared to shadow Ellie’s vehicle that closely.


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