Chapter 8

Ronnie couldn't shake the uneasy feeling gnawing at him.

On the way to the shop on the east side, he kept spacing out, almost running a red light.

Kaylee finally agreed to apologize to Isabel's mom—at least that was something.

Even if saying sorry wouldn't fix the broken bracelet, or change Kaylee's stubborn, entitled ways. But at least, it might make Mabel feel a little better.

But Ronnie couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

Kaylee was always stubborn as hell, and she'd thrown shade at Isabel and her mom more times than he could count.

Was it really possible she'd suddenly be willing to apologize and even offer to buy Mabel some scones?

The more Ronnie thought about it, the more it felt off.

And with that, a sense of unease kept creeping in, growing stronger by the minute.

Why was he so on edge?

He had no idea.

Even if Kaylee were just lying to him, it'd just mean he'd wasted his time buying some scones.

It was nothing important, so why was he so uneasy?

Ronnie rubbed his temples, trying to calm himself down as he kept driving.

But instinctively, his foot pressed down a little harder on the gas pedal.

Even though the shop was way out on the east side, Ronnie still made it back to the hospital before noon.

He hurried along, instinctively heading for Kaylee's room first.

As he was passing by Mabel's room, she saw him immediately.

Her voice was weak as she called out, "Ronnie, you're back."

Ronnie stopped dead in his tracks.

He could faintly hear voices coming from Kaylee's room—probably just the hospital staff.

Which meant Kaylee was probably still in her room.

These days, Kaylee was giving him the silent treatment—barely saying a word to him.

He felt weird about it too, had to fight the urge to go check on her, and ended up heading into Mabel's room first.

Mabel looked rosy and well, but kept going on for days about how miserable she felt.

She kept saying how much that bracelet meant to her, like it tore her up inside.

Ronnie brought her some water and her meds, then sat by her bedside.

Mabel put on a look of gentle guilt.

She said, "Ronnie, if you're worried about Kaylee, you should go keep her company.

"I'm fine here on my own. You're supposed to be with her, not running around for me."

Ronnie had been about to leave, but hearing that, he couldn't help but protest, "Mabel, it's only right for me to take care of you.

"If it weren't for you and Isabel, I wouldn't have made it through those years at the orphanage. You two really helped me out for so long."

Back then, the Anderson family wouldn't even admit he existed, and his mom died giving birth to him.

He got picked on at the orphanage and was always the loner at school.

Isabel went to the same school as him, and she and her mom were the only ones who didn't treat him like dirt—they actually cared about him.

After he got taken in by the Anderson family, he was worried that his new background would make Isabel and her mom feel like strangers around him.

So he never told them about it. He just kept in touch with them now and then, always as the orphan they remembered.

Later, when the Anderson family tried to set him up in an arranged marriage, he wasn't having it. In a panic, he blurted out that he liked Isabel.

Honestly, he only ever felt grateful to Isabel—not a shred of romantic feelings for her.

But Lance Anderson, his father, felt guilty about him, and even though he thought the Ochoa family was just average, he still gritted his teeth and agreed to the engagement.

The Ochoa family was over the moon, and Edgar agreed right away. That was how the engagement was set.

To this day, Isabel and her mom still have no idea that the guy they'd always known and the Anderson family's current heir were actually one and the same.

Mabel let out a gentle sigh.

She said, "Why do you always remember those small things you did for us?

"If only Kaylee could be as thoughtful as you..."

As she spoke, she started wiping her tears again.

Ronnie handed her a tissue, gently reassuring her.

He said, "Kaylee admitted she messed up. She said she'd come over and apologize to you and Isabel."

Ronnie finally had a legit excuse to go see Kaylee.

He stood up and said, "Alright, I'll go get her right now."

Mabel sniffled. "It's fine. You don't have to."

Ronnie said in a low, serious voice, "If one does something wrong, one should apologize.

"Especially since that was Isabel's most treasured keepsake. The deceased deserve to be honored, above all."

With that, he walked out without a second thought and headed straight for Kaylee's room.

He walked right up to the bed where Isabel was lying and said to Kaylee, "I got the scones. Go over and apologize—"

But before he could finish, he stopped short. There was a stranger lying in the bed.

The patient looked up at him with a puzzled expression.

Nearby, a nurse was setting up an IV.

Ronnie frowned. "Where's the patient who was here before?"

The nurse looked him over for a moment, then something clicked.

She said, "You mean Ms. Ochoa? She's already been discharged."

Ronnie couldn't believe what he was hearing.

He glanced at the patient info card by the bed. It wasn't Kaylee's anymore.

His heart sank. He frowned at the nurse.

He asked, "What do you mean she's been discharged?

"She was stabbed in the chest. She's only been here a few days. She's not even close to being healed."

The nurse shrugged, sounding helpless. "But Ms. Ochoa isn't in any immediate danger anymore.

"She said she'd go get treatment somewhere else, and we don't have the authority to force her to stay."

She didn't stick around for any more questions. She turned and walked right out.

Ronnie's heart sank to the bottom.

He wanted to say something, to confront someone, but then it hit him that he didn't have any right to question anyone.

For ten years, he'd just been Kaylee's bodyguard—not family, not anything else.

He didn't have the standing to question Kaylee, let alone the hospital.

He was still holding the scones he'd bought for Kaylee.

Ronnie looked down at the scones in his hand, feeling lost.

Suddenly, he realized where that strange sense of unease had come from when he was driving to the east side of the city.

Kaylee had been lying to him. She never really wanted him to buy some scones.

After ten years together, he should've known her better than anyone.

There was no way she'd ever apologize.

She hated Isabel and Mabel to the core, and she was stubborn to the bone.

Just for saying a word in defense of Isabel and Mabel, she dug her nails into his wound, then threw her phone and car keys at his head, absolutely furious.

Even though Ronnie never understood why Kaylee's hatred for Isabel and Mabel ran so deep, he knew there was absolutely no way she'd ever apologize.

Lost in thought, he let the scones slip from his hand and fall to the floor.

In that moment, Ronnie realized Kaylee wanted him out of there.

So she could leave the hospital.

Instinctively, Ronnie spun around and rushed out of the hospital room.

For the past ten years, he always thought he was only close to Kaylee because of Isabel.

But right now, a wave of panic hit him out of nowhere.

For the first time, it wasn't about Isabel. It was about Kaylee leaving.

He knew her too well that she never bothered with lies.

For her to go through all that trouble just to send him away, there was no way she simply left the hospital.

Ronnie remembered the last time he saw her.

Her eyes were calm and cold. There was not a shred of feeling for him left.

All the longing and reliance she once had, and even the bitterness that followed, had vanished.

That was the look of someone who'd finally decided to let go of something for good.

For ten years, Ronnie never wanted to admit it.

He was so used to having Kaylee around, he believed she'd always be there.

One only got a handful of decades in life.

If he was only with Kaylee because of Isabel, he never could've spent over three thousand days and nights with her.

A lot had changed over these ten years.

He just didn't want to face it.

Ronnie hurried toward the elevator.

Behind him, Mabel came out of the hospital room, her voice barely audible as she called after him. "Ronnie, what's going on?"

Ronnie stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the one person he should be taking care of.

Isabel was gone, and now her mother Mabel was the only one left, barely making it in the Ochoa household.

His rational side told him he shouldn't leave again.