Chapter 5
The administrator's expression shifted.
Adam seized my wrist.
"Summer," Adam called.
I pushed the paper back.
"We'll find out who really deserves to be suspended once the investigation is over," I said firmly.
For a second, Claire's tears stopped.
Adam stared at me, his eyes just like the moment he locked the door in my past life.
"Fine. If you want to investigate, I'll go all the way with you," he said.
When we got home, my mother-in-law was already sitting in the living room.
In front of her was a bowl of dark herbal tonic for pregnancy, with a blank agreement lying beside it.
"Drink it and sign," she ordered.
I stood at the doorway, unmoving.
Adam tossed my bag onto the sofa as he changed his shoes.
"Mom had someone simmer this all afternoon. Don't be ungrateful," he said.
My mother-in-law looked up at me.
"I heard you caused trouble for a child at the hospital today?" she asked.
"It was your son who delayed the flight," I replied.
She slammed the spoon down.
"Men take care of business outside, and women are supposed to keep things running at home. But you? You're fighting with a young girl, even letting a patient get caught up in your drama," she scolded.
Claire came out of the kitchen with a plate of fruit.
She was wearing my slippers and my apron, looking like she was the lady of the house.
"Don't be upset, Mrs. White. Summer's pregnant, so her emotions are a bit unstable right now," Claire said.
My mother-in-law immediately pulled her down to sit.
"Claire is so sensible. If you hadn't gone abroad for further studies back then, she would've been the one to marry into the White Family," she said.
I stared at the bowl of herbal pregnancy tonic.
In my previous life, I drank it, and that night, my stomach hurt. Adam said I was faking it.
I asked, "What's in the soup?"
My mother-in-law's face turned stern.
"Are you accusing me of trying to hurt you?" she snapped.
Claire dropped her gaze, looking pitiful.
"I followed your recipe, Mrs. White. Summer, if you don't trust it, I'll drink it first," Claire offered.
She picked up the bowl, but just let the spoon brush her lips, never actually swallowing.
Adam was getting impatient.
"Summer, are you finished causing trouble? Claire almost had to take the fall for you today, and now she's still here looking after you. What more do you want?" Adam snapped.
"She doesn't live here," I replied.
The living room fell silent.
My mother-in-law looked at me as if I'd told a joke.
"This house belonged to Adam before he got married. It's not up to you who gets to live here," she said.
Claire quickly stood up.
"I can go, Adam. I really don't want to be the reason you two fight," she said softly.
Adam grabbed her arm.
"You're not going anywhere," he said.
He turned to me.
"Sign the statement today, apologize at the hospital tomorrow, then it's all settled. Claire will stay here to look after you until you calm down," Adam said.
Summer thought, 'Take care of me.'
He said those exact same words to me in my last life.
Claire grabbed my phone, saying, "Pregnant women shouldn't be reading anything upsetting."
My mother-in-law locked the door and said, "I'm afraid you'll slip out at night."
Adam saw my desperate plea as nothing more than me acting out.
After I died, Claire slipped into my pajamas, cradled my lifeless baby, and posted on her social media: "Hope every wait is worth it."
I walked over to the dining table and picked up the bowl of that dark herbal soup.
My mother-in-law looked pleased.
Adam finally relaxed his frown.
A glimmer of satisfaction flashed in Claire's eyes.
I poured the soup straight into the thermos Claire brought with her.
"Since you worked so hard on this, it'd be a shame to let it go to waste," I said.
Claire's face instantly drained of color.
My mother-in-law slammed her hand on the table.
"Summer, are you out of your mind?" she snapped.
I picked up the agreement and tore it in half right in front of them.
"I'll be staying in the hospital dorm during my suspension. I'll be at the hearing tomorrow," I said.
Adam blocked the doorway.
"You think you can walk out?" he demanded.
I looked up at him.
"If you keep blocking me, I'll call the cops right now and report you for holding a pregnant woman against her will," I said.
My mother-in-law said I had no manners.
Claire was in tears, begging Adam not to lose his temper.
Adam stared at me for a long moment, then finally stepped aside.
As I opened the door, Adam called out from behind, "Summer, once you walk out that door, don't regret it."
I didn't look back.
The thing I regretted most in my last life was never walking away when I should have.
The internal hearing the next day was even livelier than I expected.
Hospital administrators, the flight base director, and family representatives were all gathered in the conference room.
Claire was dressed in a simple white jacket, her eyes puffy from crying.
Adam sat next to her, as if he was there to protect her.
My seat was at the very end of the table, with nothing in front of me but a pen that had run out of ink.
Lisa tried to sit next to me, but the director blocked her way.
"You're a witness. You need to wait outside," the director said.
Lisa wouldn't budge.
"I'm worried you'll gang up on her if she's left alone," she said.
A few people in the room chuckled.
Claire said softly, "Lisa, don't do this. We're here to set the record straight."
The director tapped the table.
"Let's go over the documents first. Blue Hawk Seven was delayed for twenty-nine minutes. Captain Adam White reported the delay was mainly caused by confusion during the ground crew handover, and First Officer Summer Hughes didn't coordinate quickly enough to resolve it," the director said.
I asked, "Which part of the ground crew handover was unclear?"
The director's hand froze mid-page.