Chapter 194


    Chapter 194


    Jeannie stood in the crowded hospital waiting mom, are folded across her chest, watching as pallents


    were called one by one. Her eyes roamed the faces in the crowd until thete aftemoon light began to


    wane


    And there she was


    A slender woman, masked and shaded by sunsses, stood out like a swan among ducks. Even


    though Jeannie had been at odds with Selina for years, she couldn’t deny the woman’s allure and


    capability.


    Selina caught sight of her and removed her sunsses, with a gentle and seemingly harmless smile on


    her lips. “Jeannie, long time no


    Jeannie squared her shoulders and approached. Indeed, it’s been ages. I half thought you’d y the


    hermit abroad for life” Selina faded her smile slightly with a hint of moisture in her eyes. “So, you


    misunderstood me too.”


    “Misunderstood? When Howard tumed into a vegetable and lost his inheritance, you didn’t hesitate to


    skip the country, Jeannie retorted, resentment simmering within her. “But you have cried and pleaded


    to marry Howard since you were kids. What a farcel Jeannie never fully grasped the extent of Selina’s


    rtionship with Howard, but at one point, everyone had pegged them as the perfect


    match


    Selina had always shown an unusual warmth towards Howard. She never rified their rtionship


    despite jokes from friends and family. She allowed the belief that she and Howard were a couple to


    continue unchallenged.


    “It wasn’t like that” Selina said with a wry smile. “Jeannie, I had my reasons.”


    “What reasons? Enlighten me Jeannie scoffed, scrutinizing her. “The vanity in your bones, perhaps? I


    can’t fathom how the pampered darling of the Lopez family and Hamilton family could harbor such


    mercenary thoughts.”


    Selina fancied herself a ballet goddess, a patron of the arts, but all Jeannie saw was a vulgarity.


    “Selina, you knew Howard was down and out, and you wanted to ditch him. Now you’re trying to worm


    your way back In? Forget it!”


    Jeannie wouldn’t allow her to disrupt the rtionship between Gwendolyn and Howard.


    Selina bit her lip, her eyes reddening. “Seeing him doing well is enough for me.”


    ‘Fakel


    “Do you remember ten years ago, Jeannie? Without me, he might have… Selina’s voice broke, and


    tears flowed.


    Jeannie, initially furious, felt her anger doused at the mention of that time, revealing a vulnerability


    beneath her tough exterior.


    Selina stopped there and nced at the screen. “It’s my turn now.”


    She put her sunsses back on and walked into the consultation room, leaving Jeannie clenching her


    fists in frustration.


    Selina tapped on the door politely before entering.


    “Ms. Quigley. Her smile was practiced as she sat on the stool.


    Gwendolyn looked up, surprised. “Ms. Hamilton, here at the hospital, you can call me Dr. Quigley”


    “Of course.”


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    Selina was the picture of innocence and fragility, a cherished gem, a seemingly harmless morning glory


    that made it hard for anyone to be wary.


    “What seems to be the problem?” Gwendolyn asked softly.


    “My leg hurts. Those doctors found nothing wrong, but it’s persistently aching,” Selina said, revealing


    her pale leg beneath the hem of her skirt. “It hurts quite a bit.”


    Gwendolyn examined her pulse, finding nothing amiss.


    “Dr. Quigley, have you ever heard of post–traumatic stress disorder from a car ident?”


    Gwendolyn’s mind thundered with realization.


    She had seen that term before on Mr. Chadwick’sputer search history