Chapter 229


    Chapter 229


    Kitty looked at me with a face full of exasperation “You really don’t get it, do you?”


    Just then, her phone rang. She took a nce at the caller ID, then quietly stepped aside to answer it,


    and I went off to find my car.


    As I was getting in, I saw Kitty rushing back to say a few words to Neil before hurrying off. The moment


    she left, Neil’s gaze was fixed on me.


    But he stayed true to his word. He had promised not to seek me out anymore, and he had kept his


    promise. The Twitter drama and today’s chance encounter weren’t his doing


    While avoiding Neil’s gaze, I opened the car door and got in. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him


    slump to the ground.


    I was startled. What the hell happened?


    Although Neil had fainted in the hospital lobby, it was already prettyte, and the ce was deserted.


    Who knew when the medical staff would find him?


    “What a pain in the ass!” I muttered, reluctantly getting out of the car to check on Neil.


    He looked terrible. He was clutching his upper abdomen, and his face was breaking out in a cold


    sweat.


    But he was still conscious. In spite of the pain, he actually pushed me away. “Don’t worry about me!”


    Tll go get a doctor, wait here!” I didn’t argue with Neil, quickly getting up to find medical staff.


    A few minutester, I watched as Neil was wheeled away to be examined. I should have been free to


    go, but because Neil had passed out, I had to stick around to pay the fees andplete the admission


    procedures


    After finishing the paperwork, I called Mitch Despite thete hour, he rushed to the hospital with


    Cooper.


    By then, Neil had regained consciousness. He didn’t react much to seeing Mitch and Cooper; instead,


    he started ming me. “I told you not to meddle! Are you just doing this to make me owe you a favor?”


    I looked at him, feeling puzzled. Was saving a life now subject to ulterior motives?


    Mitch quickly intervened after noticing my exasperated expression “Rena, we really appreciate your


    help tonight. It’ste; you should head home now.”


    “Yeah, you guys take care of him.” I didn’t want to argue with Neil, so I just turned to leave.


    But Neil called out to me again. “I didn’t mean to drag you into my issues with Bonnie. I’m sorry”


    I was starting to think Neil’s issue wasn’t with his stomach but with his head. One minute he was cold


    and rude, the next he was all sincere and apologetic


    I never med Neil for the Twitter fiasco.


    “Uh-huh, I get it. I don’t hold it against you” I replied in a softer tone.


    Neil looked like he had more to say but remembered our agreement and held back.


    As soon as I left the room, Mitch followed me out. “Rena, I need to talk to you about something.”


    “What’s up?” I asked.


    “Can you and Neil be friends again? He’s been under a lot of stresstely. You know about his breakup


    with Bonnie, but what you might not know is that Gloria has been using the incident with Karina’s death


    to smear his name. It’s been causing him a lot of mental stress. He’s even been to see a psychiatrist.”


    Mitch’s voice was filled with concern,


    I had no idea about any of this.


    I remembered how tired Neil looked the day he came to see me. His dark circles were heavy, clearly,


    he hadn’t been sleeping well.


    Turned out he had been dealing with baseless usations for a while now. He had always felt guilty


    about Karina’s death, so I could only imagine how terrible he must be feeling.


    “Now that the truth is out, hopefully people will stop ming him.” I tried to offer some constion,


    even though there wasn’t much more I could do.


    “Yeah, but I think he’s more filled with regret than relief right now. It was because of Karina that he


    treated you the way he did. Mitch couldn’t finish his


    sentence.


    I smiled bitterly. “It’s okay, it’s all in the past. But I’m curious. How did Neil get his hands on that diary?”


    After Mitch exined, I finally understood why Neil got together with Bonnie. She had told him that


    Gloria had one of Karina’s diaries that could be very useful to him.


    Neil had used his rtionship with Bonnie to get the diary from Gloria’s house.


    Then he found Karina’s medical records, confirming the contents of the diary.


    On the drive home, I was filled with mixed emotions. The issue with Karina had always caused tension


    between Neil and me. But now that it was confirmed that it was just a trap set by Karina, and we had


    already been divorced for two years.


    As I arrived at my apartment building, I saw Russel waiting for me.


    He had just returned from a business trip.


    “What brings you here?” I asked, walking over with a smile.


    “I wanted to go home, take a shower, and change my clothes beforeing to see you, but I just


    couldn’t wait.” Russel embraced me


    He held me for a moment, then let go to show me the gift he had brought back. “Do you like it? I think it


    suits you.”


    4


    in


    It was a ne. It was very simple and elegant, with a light purple pearl in the center.


    I nodded. “It’s beautiful, I love it. Thank you.”


    Russel breathed a sigh of relief, helping me put on the ne as he said, “I was worried you wouldn’t


    like my gift.”


    “Of course I like it. Who doesn’t like gifts?” I replied with a smile.


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    We chatted for a while before Russel received a call from home, urging him to return.


    Ever since that night he spent at my ce, his parents had been pressing him toe home, sotely


    he hadn’t been staying at his own ce.


    He looked back at me reluctantly as I waved him off. “Go on, it’ste.”


    “Good night.” Russel gave me a gentle smile, then drove off.


    If it weren’t for the opposition from the Dawson family, things between Russel and me would probably


    be going a lot smoother. But life could be cruel,


    A few dayster, I heard from Ste about Neil’s recent situation.


    “Mitch said there’s a woman who’s been keeping himpany. Does he have a new girlfriend?” Ste


    was curious.


    ‘Maybe. He’s single now, so it’s normal.” I replied casually suspecting the woman was probably Kitty.


    I didn’t know her real name, age, upation, or family background, but there was something about her


    that set her apart from others.


    What exactly was different. I couldn’t say.


    After ending the call with Ste, I was home alone, sorting through some paperwork. Sometimes, I had


    to workte at home.


    Suddenly, the doorbell in my apartment started ringing I went to check it out, puzzled, only to find no


    one outside.


    Feeling a bit on edge, I quickly made sure the door was locked, then stood by it, waiting in silence.


    Not long after, the doorbell rang again. I immediately peeked through the peephole A man’s blurry


    figure quickly dashed past, almost as if he were purposely avoiding me