No More Waiting, She Chooses Love
Chapter 726

Instinctively, I hid the lunchbox behind my back. My actions must have seemed childish, as the two men chuckled before stepping into the elevator. Once they closed the elevator door, I headed toward Deborah's hospital room. But after only a few steps, I sensed something was off.

Turning around, I stared at the now closed elevator doors, then sprinted toward Deborah's room.

"Deborah," I called out, pushing open the door.

She looked at me, noticing my heavy breathing, "Sis, what's wrong?"

It wasn't about me; it was the fear that something might have happened to her. Seeing her safe, I felt relieved and stepped inside.

As I moved to place the meal on the nightstand, I noticed a stack of cash, and it hit me instantly-it was hush money. The two men from earlier must have come to see Deborah, trying to silence her about the abuse she endured.

"Sis, could you put this money away for me?" Deborah asked calmly.

I froze, staring at the cash, "Why would you take this?"

Deborah's eyes were vacant as she gazed at the ceiling, "Taking the money is the only way they'll feel secure enough to give me another chance to return."

Seeing her so defeated broke my heart. "Deborah, let's not go back. We can find another way, whatever you want to do."

"Sis, I have no other choice... I must seek revenge..." Her final words left me speechless.

You can't truly understand someone's pain unless you've walked in their shoes. Witnessing her suffering and hearing her story, I understood why she felt driven to destroy those who shattered her life.

Deborah didn't mention wanting to eat; the food I brought remained untouched on the nightstand. She wasn't seeking nourishment but rather a space to heal alone.

I didn't push her, and instead, I went to Ernest's room.

After the encounter with the two men trying to buy Deborah's silence, I was on edge. Fortunately, Ernest had no similar visitors. Perhaps it was because he appeared so weak, unconscious, convincing everyone that approaching him was pointless. Besides, he was in the ICU, not easily accessible.

When I entered his room, I found two doctors attending to him. Alarmed, rushed over, only to see they were merely changing his bandages. I had seen him being beaten but hadn't realized the extent of his injuries until now, which left me overwhelmed.

"Wait," Ernest noticed me and spoke to the doctors.

They paused, and Ernest signaled for me to come closer.

I navigated past the doctors to his side. As soon as I stood there, Ernest grasped my hand, pulling me to sit beside him, and whispered, "Don't look."

He wasn't afraid of the pain but

didn't want me to see his wounds. This was the Ernest I knew, always protecting and caring for me. He didn't want me to look, so I didn't, knowing it would only upset

more.

me

His hand was ice cold, clearly indicating his pain, though he stayed silent about it.

Remembering Deborah's advice that talking could ease pain, I tried to distract him. "Hey, you never told me how you pulled off that 'living person to ashes' trick?" "It's all about the art of illusion, like in magic shows," Ernest began explaining the setup behind his trick.