Chapter 17

Hannah didn't bother to reply to Brinley's message.

A little later, Vincent checked his phone and spoke to Hannah. "I need to leave for a bit. The last IV should be finished in about thirty minutes."

Hannah answered with a simple, "Okay." Not once did she look up, her attention fixed on her phone.Just as she had predicted, a single message from Brinley was all it took for Vincent to walk out the door.

Pretending that it did not hurt would be a lie.Countless times before, she had called him, only to be told he was too busy. Always too busy to spare time for her. When it came to his first love,though,he dropped everything without hesitation.

A wave of heartache swept over Hannah, but she swiftly pushed it aside and opened up her company's analytics dashboard. It became clear that the steady decline of her business was not only because their products lacked fresh ideas. Problems with staff played a major part, too. Restructuring the team had to come first.

While she was sorting through this, a bouquet came into view. She lifted her gaze and found Felix standing there, holding the flowers.

"Rena mentioned you were in the hospital. Are you feeling better?" he asked.

She answered softly, "I'm fine."

As luck would have it, there were plenty of things she wanted to discuss with him.

Felix set up his laptop, and both of them immediately shifted into work mode.

Elsewhere, inside Brinley's room, Vincent had just taken a seat when a nurse entered to remove the IV.

A suspicious look crossed the nurse's face as she recognized him. "Aren't you the one who stayed all night with the patient in bed thirty-two? What are you doing here?"

She let her gaze flick from Brinley to Vincent. She looked at him like he was some kind of real-life Casanova. A sharp click of her tongue showed exactly what she thought.

Vincent kept his voice level. "The patient in bed 32 is my wife." He pointed toward Brinley. "This is just an acquaintance."

The nurse's whole demeanor changed right away."Oh, that clears things up. Yeah, I could tell you weren't that kind of man. All night, you've stayed with your wife and checked on her. I noticed it all.You seemed so loyal, not like someone sneaking around."

Brinley's stomach churned. She had refused to look for Vincent last night, assuming he would come to her on his own. He never did, not even bothering to text her. It was only after she messaged him, saying her condition had worsened and she needed IV fluids, that he finally came by.

Brinley could tell Vincent harbored feelings toward Hannah.And she hated it.

As soon as the nurse left, Vincent looked at Brinley and spoke in a measured tone. "I already know what happened last night.Hannah didn't push you."

Though his voice stayed calm, the coldness in his eyes made Brinley's skin prickle. Color drained from her cheeks. "Vincent, was that what Hannah told you? Did she say I pushed her? Don't believe just what she says-she's twisting everything!"

Vincent responded, his tone cool and even, "Then tell me your version.What really happened?"

Brinley insisted, her voice growing shrill, "She pushed me first! Then, she pretended to fall after me..."

Vincent cut her off. "Brinley." He stood up,disappointment etched on his face. "Hannah never accused you of anything. I checked with the doctor about your injuries myself."

For a moment, Brinley could not move. Did Vincent already know the truth? No. She couldn't admit her own doing. That would ruin her image in his heart.Forcing herself to tear up, she choked out, "Vincent,do you really think I'm lying? What if Hannah bribed the doctor to frame me-made it look like I wasn't hurt when I actually was?"

Vincent remarked coldly, "She did not even know which room you were in. How could she possibly set you up?"