Chapter 2
It had been half a year.
He didn't even show up when I died.
When Lila died, he didn't know either.
Now he came to me just to ask me to hand over my last kidney for his precious Brianna.
And he even threatened me with Lila's life.
But he didn't know that Lila's life had already slipped away, little by little, during those long, hopeless nights spent waiting for a kidney.
On the way back from the cemetery, Adrian sped down the road.
He held the steering wheel with one hand and dialed the phone with the other, his voice cold and commanding.
He said, "Wendy, send me all of Lila's medical records and her latest treatment updates. Right now."
Wendy Carter hesitated for a while and said, "Mr. Hunter, Lila..."
Adrian snapped, "What about her? Are you deaf or just slow?
"I want her doctor's contact, her ward number, her meds, and every detail about next week's surgery. Send me all, right now!"
Wendy replied, "Yes, Mr. Hunter! I'll send it right away."
After hanging up the phone for less than two minutes, his phone buzzed with several notifications.
Adrian glanced at the screen. A cold smirk tugged at his lips.
He pulled over to the side of the road and scrolled through the files, his fingers flying across the screen.
He muttered under his breath, "End-stage renal failure. Three dialysis sessions a week. Compatibility surgery scheduled for next Tuesday."
His eyes were growing colder by the second.
He said, "Clara, you really know how to hide. Just to avoid me, you don't even care about your own sister's life?"
I drifted in the passenger seat, watching him, and my chest felt emptier with every passing moment.
I murmured into the air, "Adrian, Lila's already dead. What's the point of checking this now?"
But he couldn't hear it.
To force me to appear, he went so far as to call the hospital himself.
He said, "Yeah, it's Lila. She's in bed 37, nephrology.
"Stop her meds and suspend all treatment. Nothing resumes until Clara shows up."
Adrian's brows furrowed suddenly at something he heard on the line.
He asked, "What? What do you mean?"
The harshness in his eyes faded as he sat up straight.
He pressed, "Dead? When did she die?"
The doctor's explanation came through the phone, patchy and unclear. I couldn't make out the details.
Then Adrian's expression darkened completely.
He snapped, "Last month? How is that possible! I checked her hospital records just half a month ago. She was still waiting for a match!"
The doctor kept talking.
Adrian suddenly sneered, "Her condition suddenly took a turn for the worse? What a coincidence! I was just about to hunt down Clara, and now Lila conveniently dies?
"Alright, I got it."
He hung up and stared at his phone as the screen went dark, his gaze glinting with a chilling darkness.
After a few seconds, he slammed the accelerator, gritting his teeth.
He snapped, "Go ahead, continue pretending, Clara. You really think faking Lila's death will fool me? No way!"
I watched him race straight to Central Hospital.
The city whizzed by outside the window, just like the faint warmth that once existed between us, already vanished without a trace.
After half an hour, he rushed into the nephrology ward and went straight to the nurse's station.
He asked, "Which ward is Lila in? Take me to see her."
The nurse on duty, Zoe Brooks, was taken aback at his sudden demand.
She said, "Lila? She was discharged last month."
"Discharged?" Adrian gripped Zoe's arm tightly. "Was she discharged or dead? That's not what you said earlier!"
Zoe frowned in pain and replied, "Sir, please calm down. Lila has truly passed away. We explained to you on the phone before. Her condition suddenly worsened, and she suffered multiple organ failures."
Adrian let go of her abruptly and shouted, "I don't believe it! Show me the death certificate! Show me her medical records! Right now!"
His voice was so loud that several patients and their families glanced over, curious about the commotion.
Zoe had no choice but to call the doctor on duty.
Nolan Reed, a middle-aged man in his forties, frowned as he took in Adrian's attitude.
He said, "Sir, Lila has really died. We issued the death certificate to Clara, but..."
He paused and glanced at Adrian.
He continued, "Who are you to her? These records are confidential. We can't show them to anyone."
"I'm Clara's husband!" Adrian blurted it out, then caught himself, surprised at what he'd just said.
Ever since Brianna came back, Adrian never admitted to being her husband.
Nolan looked him over with suspicion, but he still turned around and went into the office.
After a few minutes, he came out with a copy of Lila's medical records.