Seeing the urgency in Quennel''s face, Hannah''s heart seized. Her mind went nk with a sudden, chilling dread. “Who... who is it?” she asked, swallowing hard. "Is it Lionel?"


    Silence descended on the living room. Quennel looked at her, at the fear that had already brought tears to her eyes, and sighed. "Let''s just go. I''ll exin on the way."


    Hannah swayed, her legs suddenly weak. She grabbed the back of a nearby chair to steady herself. "Okay, okay, let''s go now!" she urged, her steps unsteady as she stumbled toward the door, her eyes wide with panic.


    Quennel reached for her, then stopped. Seeing her so distraught, he held back, quietly following her out.


    In the confines of the car, Hannah stared out the window, her anxiety mounting with every passing second. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to face what wasing. Quennel hadn''t told her anything, and she was too afraid to ask, but she had a sinking feeling it was about Lionel. Why else would Quennel be this tense?


    At a red light, Quennel saw that she was gripping her skirt so tightly her knuckles were white. He sighed and passed her a tissue. "It''s not as bad as you''re thinking. Don''t be so nervous. Wipe your tears." His voice was soft, reassuring. "I''m sorry. I was too abrupt just now. I didn''t mean to scare you."


    Hannah clutched the tissue, her throat dry. "Quennel, just tell me," she pleaded, her voice hoarse. "Who is it?"


    Quennel''s lips thinned. The light turned green. After a moment of silence, he said, "It''s someone unimportant, but it involves someone who is. We''re almost there. You''ll see soon enough. Now, stop crying. Your nose is all red."


    Hannah bit her lip and nodded.


    When they arrived at the hospital, Hannah followed closely behind Quennel into the elevator. When she saw the button for the surgical floor light up, her heart leaped into her throat She quickened her paber overtaking Que, then nced back at him and slowed down again.


    Seeing her frantic state, Quennel couldn''t help but smile sadly. It was a bitter pill to swallow. After the massive fight they''d trad, she was still this worried about Lionel, stif falling apart at the thought of him being hurt.


    Deep down, she still loved him.


    They reached the surgical waiting area. Amidst the crowd, Hannah saw him. Lionel was sitting on a bench, a white bandage wrapped around his head.


    "Lionel!"


    She rushed past Quennel, her heart pounding. "Your head... what happened? How did you get hurt like this?"


    She looked down and saw the bloodstains on his cor, the dried blood on his


    face and neck that hadn''t beenpletely cleaned off.


    "You have the nerve to ask that?"


    Cora shot up from a nearby seat and shoved Hannah hard. "This is all your fault What are you doing here, pretending to care?"


    Caught off guard, Hannah stumbled backward. If Quennel hadn''t been right


    behind her to catch her, she would have fallen.


    Cora opened her mouth to say more, but froze when she met Quennel''s cold, menacing gaze. The words died in her throat.