Chapter 110


    Jocelyn stared at the name Willow’ on the screen, her heart aching with every beat


    Never in her wildest dreams had Jocelyn imagined that she would be using the phone of the man she


    loved to call the person she envied and despised. The bitter irony was that Jocelyn would call her to


    look after the man she cherished deeply.


    Suddenly, the man in the hospital bed jerked upright, ripping the IV from the back of his hand. He


    staggered to his feet and lunged for the phone in Jocelyn’s grasp.


    Startled by his actions. Jocelyn dropped the call as Melvin snatched the phone from her hands.


    Melvin clutched the phone tightly, sitting on the edge of the bed, panting heavily. Blood oozed from the


    puncture wound on his hand, tracing a crimson line down his arm


    In shock, Jocelyn stood frozen, uncertain of what to do next.


    Her gaze fell upon the fallen needle, and Jocelyn finally snapped out of her daze. “I’ll go get the nurse,”


    she said and hurried out of the


    TOOM


    As she left, Melvin, still d in his hospital gown and with a face as cold as ice, stumbled out of the


    room, his mind hazy but driven by the sharp pain in his chest


    Leaning against the wall for support, Melvin moved in unsteady steps


    Jocelyn returned with the nurse only to find Melvin in this wretched state. She rushed to him. “What are


    you doing?” she demanded.


    “None of your business, Melvin snapped, shrugging off her touch with a look as frosty as his words.


    Jocelyn was shoved aside, taking a deep breath to hold back her frustration. She followed him again,


    pleading, “Can you stop being so stubborn? You’re sick!”


    “It’s none of your concern even if I die!” Melvin red at her, his eyes red with anger. “You’d probably


    prefer it that way. Once I’m gone, you can live happily ever after with him.”


    Jocelyn’s brow furrowed. That’s a separate issue”


    To me, it’s the same thing.” Melvin scoffed. Go be devoted to him. I don’t need your pretense.”


    The nurse, catching the tense exchange, interrupted, “Whatever is going on, could you just appease


    him for now? He still has a fever. Leaving the hospital is suicide.


    Jocelyn’s mind was a whirlwind of confusion.


    Once again, she reached for Melvin’s hand. “Can you stop this nonsense? Do you want to ruin your


    health?”


    “I don’t care anymore,” Melvin dered firmly “It’s not like anyone else does.”


    Jocelyn was speechless


    He was being utterly unreasonable


    Part of her wanted to harden her heart and leave him to his fate. Why should she bother herself on


    such ate night? She could walk away and wash her hands off the whole mess


    But when she saw the blood on his hand and his weakened state, her resolve melted.


    *Please, just listen, Jocelyn coaxed, her patience wearing thin.


    Melvin suddenly stopped and stared silently at her “Why should I listen to you? Are you my girl? I only


    listen to my girlfriend”


    Jocelyn swallowed hard, reminding herself not to argue with a sick man.


    The nurse, eavesdropping, felt a mix of pity and annoyance.


    He was a grown man but acting like a child


    It was clear from their interaction that Jocelyn had dumped Melvin, and he was ying a twisted game


    to win her back


    Though, to hold onto someone, this wasn’t the right way to go about it.


    “Sir, you’re still running a fever, the nurse intervened, unable to stand by any longer. “Continuing like


    this could cause serious damage. Melvin ignored the nurse and fixed his gaze on Jocelyn


    He wanted to know how cold-hearted she could be, whether she could leave him behind.


    what if he was being unreasonable? He was determined to cling to her


    The thought of her embracing another man made his blood boil.


    knew he was being difficult. His eyes bore into her like a wild lion to poor and devour her.


    seemed to want to toy with her first.


    Turning away, Jocelyn approached the nurse’s station, borrowed a pen and paper, and scribbled


    Preston’s phone number. She handed it to the nurse. “Please, if there’s an emergency, call this number.


    It’s his nephew’s. You can reach the patient’s sister.”


    And him?” the nurse asked, ncing at the broken man slumped against the wall, looking hot but bitter.


    Then, she asked again, “Are you sure you want to leave him like that?”


    “Yeah, I’m out,” Jocelyn admitted awkwardly.


    Without another word, she left.


    As the nurse went to assist Melvin, who had slumped to the floor, she couldn’t help but call out to the


    departing woman. But this time, Jocelyn didn’t look back.


    Melvin’s eyes remained fixed on the corridor, growing dull as Jocelyn’s figure went out of sight.


    All text ? N?velD(r)a''ma.Org.


    The nurse helped Melvin back to his room and reinserted the IV.


    She could only pity him.


    He must have hurt that woman deeply, or she wouldn’t have walked away so decisively


    “I tried calling the number, the nurse mentioned gently. “It was off. Do you have any other contacts?”


    “Call her,” Melvin insisted stubbornly.


    The woman who just left?


    Surprised, the nurse hesitated, but under Melvin’s insistent gaze, she eventually phoned Jocelyn.


    The call connected


    “Hello, this is the emergency department at the hospital. Your friend isn’t cooperating with his


    treatment, and he’s in bad shape. Could you possiblye and talk to him?”


    Jocelyn sat in the back of a cab, recognizing the voice


    The rain had eased, the night was quiet, and she had had enough of it


    “Let him be,” Jocelyn said and hung up.


    She knew Melvin’s mind games well. He was sick in more ways than one, possessive and obsessive to


    the core.


    Just the thought of his reckless disregard for his life gave her a headache.


    Why hadn’t she seen his true colors before?


    She needed to talk to Willow and ask her to take care of him properly.


    Back home and freshly showered, it was well past 1 AM, but sleep eluded her like a sly fox in the dark.


    She scrolled through her phone gallery until that one photo caught her eye.


    It was the selfie she had cajoled Melvin into taking, the one she had wanted to tweet, but he tly


    refused


    From the get-go, she had danced to his tune.


    Whatever he said went, and out of her love for him, she always considered his wishes, setting her


    compass by his bearings.


    But now, she was done being led around by the nose and letting him sour her mood.


    As she stared at the photo, mixed emotions surged within her. Hesitantly, she tapped on the ‘delete’


    option and then, with a flick of finality, tossed it into the trash’ folder.


    One by one, she purged all the pictures of him from her phone.


    She also mustered the energy to dig out all the gifts he’d given her and packed them up. With a few


    taps on her phone, she arranged for a courier to pick up the package in the morning.


    Afterpleting her purge, she sat on her bed, her gaze flitting around the room, her fingers brushing


    against the bed sheets.


    Right, the bedding had to go, too


    These sheets had felt his weight and cradled his form. They were also part of a past Jocelyn was ready


    tounder away.