Chapter 38


    Chapter 38 The Dying Wish


    I wasn’t sure about my guess, and I wouldn’t jump to conclusions.


    But even if I was right about how Ashley had approached Walter, I couldn’t change anything. They


    were together, and I could tell Walter loved her. It didn’t matter how Ashley had got him to love her five


    years ago. I couldn’t deny the truth that we were in love.


    Even I forced myself to forget what had happened five years ago. How could I expect Walter to


    remember any of it?


    ***


    The next morning, my phone kept ringing.


    I was awakened by it. Drowsy, I answered the call. “Hello.”


    “Tabatha,e to the Hinton’s house now!” Carley said sharply. It sounded like a cold order.


    When I recognized the voice, I waspletely awake. She hung up on me before I could say


    anything.


    What happened?


    I stared nkly at the phone for a while. Then I tried to get out of bed, nning to go there after


    washing up.


    Before I got out of bed, my phone rang again. It was Rachel. I answered it and heard her saying


    anxiously, “Tabatha, where are you? Are you alright?”


    I got more confused and asked over the phone, “What happened?”


    ”


    <


    Rachel paused to think and then answered, “Looks like you don’t know yet. Read today’s newspaper.


    Someone told the media about what happened five years ago. And it’s now one of the trending topics.


    The news is all over the ce online. I just learned about it from the editor of our newspaper, and he


    called to ask if it was true.”


    I frowned and checked the news on my phone. As Rachel said, the story was public. And with those


    spections online, my reputation was ruined.


    “A bunch of trolls. They judge you without knowing the truth,” Rachel said angrily.


    I read thements below. Some said that I eloped and I didn’t have self-respect, so I deserved it;


    others said I was the victim, and I almost lost my life, so people online should feel pity for me instead of


    ming


    1.


    All content is ? N0velDrama.Org.


    Anyway, the opinions were mixed.


    With my lipspressed, I flipped through thements. Then I said over the phone, “Ignore them.


    Let them talk. We can’t stop them. anyway. Just go back to work. I have to go.”


    Rachel was still worried about me. Soon, Eileen’s call wasing in, so I hung up on Rachel.


    I answered Eileen’s call and I heard some noise over the phone. Then her choking and anxious voice


    came, “Tabatha,e to the hospital now. Your dad… He’s dying.”


    My mind went nk, and my body went limp. I hung up immediately and rushed to the hospital.


    I waited outside the emergency room.


    Ashley and Walter were there. When I saw them, I started to wonder


    26.17%


    when they hade.


    I walked up to Eileen and asked, “Mom, how is dad?”


    Eileen held my hand tightly, and tears welled up in her eyes. She sobbed, “He was fine when I went out


    this morning. But when I came back, I saw him vomit a lot of blood. I don’t know what happened.”


    Tears flowed down Eileen’s cheeks.


    Several hourster, the door of the emergency room opened, and a female doctor came out. She


    looked at us and asked, “Who is Tabatha? The patient’s daughter. Come with me.”


    Confused, Eileen looked at me and then at the doctor. “Doctor, how is my husband? Is he all right?”


    The doctor said with a sigh, “The patient got too emotional, and his liver is ruptured. There is


    hemorrhaging. We’ve done everything we could.”


    The news made Eileen stagger a few steps backward. She slumped down into the seat, her face pale.


    She had lost hope.


    I caught Eileen by her arms. I wanted to say somethingforting, but I couldn’t.


    The doctor was probably used to such a reaction. She sighed and said, “The patient asked to see


    Tabatha for thest time. Come with me.”


    Then the doctor looked at us.


    After telling Eileen that I would soon be back, I looked at the doctor and took a deep breath. “I’m


    Tabatha.”


    The doctor nodded and took me into the emergency room.


    |||


    Inside the emergency room.


    The skinny Rudolf was lying on the operating table. There were so many tubes on his body. The


    several doctors, who had been rescuing him, stood aside silently. They looked helpless.


    The doctor let me stand by the table and said, “Mr. Conner, your daughter came.”


    Rudolf opened his eyes with some difficulty and looked at me. I walked up and bent over. “Dad!” I


    sobbed, tears streaming down my face.