Chapter 49


    ra raced to the hospital, her heart pounding in her chest as she learned that her father, was in


    the emergency room, fighting for his life.


    She made her way to the prison guard standing by, her voice trembling slightly.


    “How’s my dad doing?”


    “He’s in the middle of resuscitation. We still don’t have a clear picture. He attempted suicide by


    shing his wrists, and lost quite a bit of blood. He just had heart surgery, whichplicates


    things.”


    Upon hearing these words, ra staggered back, nearly copsing onto the floor. The guard


    quickly steadied her, expressing concern, “Ms. ra, try to stay calm. A specialist just went in. I


    believe Mr. Casey will pull through.”


    ra fought to keep her emotions in check, her tears at bay, and looked at the guard, “How did my


    father try to take his life?”


    The guard hesitated before answering, “Mr. Casey was down all of yesterday, and he looked really


    pale. We thought it was his heart condition acting up, so we brought him in for a check–up. But he


    managed to swipe a ss vial while the nurse was setting up ant IV. Back at the prison, he


    smashed the vial in the restroom and cut his wrists. By the time we found him, there was blood


    everywhere, and Mr. Casey was unconscious.”


    ra felt dizzy with the weight of this information. She had an idea why her father might have


    attempted suicide.


    He couldn’t bear the thought of her selling herself to secure his freedom. But who could have told


    him that?


    Just then, the doors of the emergency room swung open,


    ra leapt to her feet and stumbled forward. “Doctor, how’s my dad?”


    The doctor removed his mask and said, “The patient’s heart surgery has a secondary infection,


    combined with excessive blood loss. He’s still in aa and is not out of the woods yet. We need to


    move him to the ICU. His will to live is weak right now, and he can’t handle any stress, so the family


    needs to be mindful of that.”


    ra nodded with feignedposure, “Okay, I understand.”


    She watched as her father was wheeled into the ICU, surrounded by a myriad of beeping machines.


    For a moment, she felt her world crumbling. She slowly crouched down, burying her face in her


    knees, her body shaking uncontrobly.


    Còntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    She had never been so afraid, not even when her father went in for heart surgery, because she


    believed in the power of modern medicine. But this was different. He had chosen to give up.


    As she was enveloped in despair, hurried footsteps echoed down the hallway.


    ra lifted her head, and through her tear–blurred vision, she sawn dressed in somber ck,


    his face etched with concern, approaching her.


    Their gazes locked. In that moment, ra felt thest thread ofposure snap. The tears she’d


    been holding back cascaded down her cheeks.


    Seeing her like this,n felt a sharp pain in his chest, his heart bleeding out for her. He swiftly


    closed the distance between them and wrapped her in his arms, his hand gently stroking her hair.


    With a raspy voice, he whispered, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here for you.”


    ra’s tears soakedn’s pristine shirt as she spoke with a raw, husky voice, n, you promised


    me, as long as I did as I was told, you’d keep my father safe. So why did this still happen? If he


    doesn’t make it, I’ll never forgive you for as long as I live.”


    Her voice was filled with desperation, on the verge of copse.


    Her father was the one she depended on, the one who had cherished her above all else. If he were


    to leave her, ra didn’t know how she would face life alone.