Cold husband burning regret

Hospital.

Charlotte was making her usual rounds through the inpatient wing, jotting down notes on her patients, when a nurse approached her and

whispered, “Dr. Sterling, the patient in Room 36 is refusing to listen. He’s insisted on hobbling out with his cane to visit his wife in another department.”

Charlotte paused, pen hovering over the chart. Room 36–that was Stevenson, wasn’t it?

“His wife’s here too?”

“I think so. She’s in orthopedics.”

Charlotte closed her notebook and offered the nurse a reassuring smile. “I’ll bring him back in a bit.”

“Thank you, Dr. Sterling.”

At the nurses‘ station, Charlotte picked up the phone and called the orthopedics department to find out which room Candida was in, then headed across the corridor.

The nurse in orthopedics explained that Candida had fallen down the stairs, suffering a shattered left foot and a dislocated pelvis. She’d been brought in by ambulance–alone.

It was likely Candida herself had contacted Stevenson.

Charlotte reached the room and lifted her hand to knock, but paused when she heard Candida’s muffled sobs from inside. “I carried my daughter for nine months–how could she suddenly belong to someone else? How could something like this happen?”

Stevenson’s voice sounded worn, exhausted. “This… this is my fault…”

Charlotte pushed open the door.

looked up, startled, then quickly dropped

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thought.

You can’t just leave your room without permission. If administration finds out, your insurance won’t cover the cost,” Charlotte reminded him

called him over, Dr. Sterling. I’ll send

else with her. Just give me ten more minutes. I promise I’ll go back afterward. If

his wife off guard; her eyes turned red

hold back tears.

for a moment. “Just this once. Don’t

again.”

Sterling!” The Donovans‘ gratitude was plain in their

before she could walk away, Candida called

anyway?”

two steps back, and lingered by the

ran into those two kids after the rescue, remember?” Stevenson began. “When the ambulance took them away, that bracelet fell from the girl’s wrist, so I picked it up. It looked valuable–gold coins and all–so I held onto it: Later, I

about it.”

heavily. “I never expected Lottie to find it, or that those coins would turn out to be the Rayburn family’s

Charlotte stood still, stunned.

bare wrist. She’d once

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Chapter 324

the kidnapping,