Bye-Bye Jerk, Hello Mr. Right by Rosie Steppe

Chapter 803

"The investigation cleared the hospital and Dr. Dale. She's back, but..." Lena hesitated before continuing. "She's been transferred to another hospital."

No wonder I hadn't seen her in the days I'd been here. "Because of the incident?".

"Even though they found no connection between her actions and the patient's death, the public doesn't care. All they see is someone died on her watch, so they blame her. The pressure was too much." She shook her head, her tone bitter. "Public opinion? It's a wrecking ball. It can destroy someone overnight."

Her words hit differently-I knew this wasn't just about Dr. Dale. Lena had dealt with her fair share of blame and accusations over the years too.

I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. "I'm sorry you've had to deal with that."

Lena gave me a faint smile, but her eyes were sad. "Life's not fair, Rea. Everyone faces their own kind of injustice."

She wasn't wrong. Everyone thinks their pain is the worst, never realizing just how many ways the world can break you. What we've been through is just one tiny piece of it all.

***

ONUS

day of the funeral, rain drizzled like the

Johnston residence to find cars lined up on both sides of the street. It wasn't surprising-Matthew Johnston had been a powerhouse in business, and plenty of people showed up to pay their

see Mrs. Johnston, stay calm," Lena warned, her

knew emotions

the world wouldn't be overflowing with joy, anger, heartbreak, and everything

the courtyard, I kept my head low-not just out of sadness but to avoid certain people.

muttered, steadying me with a

up-too many people I wanted to avoid-but Lena didn't have the

She scanned the crowd

1/2

my stomach tightened. "What is it?" I asked. Taking a breath, I finally lifted my head

saw it too. There were plenty of people milling around, but most were

of crowd I'd expect for someone like Matthew. His

any.

he still kept close were older, like him. But this crowd? Their faces weren't filled

right," I muttered under my

eyes met mine. She knew everything about the Johnstons and my tangled- up

could twist a funeral into a power