Crossroads

Chapter 55

“Wait, just a moment…”

Stephanie abruptly halted the taxi, but soon, a tinge of embarrassment crossed her face as she said, “Never mind, please continue.”

“Miss, you seem a bit pale,” the taxi driver remarked, casting a concerned glance her way.

Phanie offered a strained smile and assured him, “I’m alright.”

Her gaze drifted to the left window of the car, her expression tinged with disappointment.

A fleeting uncertainty gripped her, ‘Was it him, or was it not?”

“Why am I even concerning myself with him?” she murmured, her head bowed in frustration.

Upon returning to her suite in Royal Park Hotel, Stephanie checked the time. It was already eight in the evening.

Restless, she suddenly recalled something and rushed to the bed, grabbing the hotel phone to dial the internal line. “Hello, has anyone visited me during my absence?”

Despite the polite response from the hotel staff, her disappointment deepened. “Oh, I see. Thank you.”

She was even worried that he might miss her while she was out at the milkshake shop and had rushed back for him.

“Wait, why would I be worried that he missed to catch me here?” she thought.

An inexplicable stir of emotions coursed through her, leaving her bewildered.

“What is he so busy with?” Stephanie pondered, perched at the bed’s edge, eyeing her suitcase hesitantly. “Should I wait for him to return to Havencrest with me?”

Finally, after washing her face in the bathroom, she made a resolve. If Dominick failed to contact her tonight, she’d secure a flight back to Havencrest the next morning.

“Is it work or another’s company that consumes him?”

Knowing Dominick’s demanding schedule and the weight of responsibilities atop his shoulders, Stephanie couldn’t help but empathize with him. She often saw him working late into the night in his study

She was his wife, but

it she grappled with expressing

ssing her concern for him amidst his hectic life.

Lying on the bed, Stephanie scrolled through her phone, hesitating with something. “Would I disturb him now if I called him?”

Suddenly, a sharp pang

gwracked her abdomen, causing her to double over and drop her phone.

“Ouch, it hurts…” Stephanie winced, her complexion drained as she clutched her midsection.

Labored breaths escaped her as the pain intensified.

Beads of cold sweat dotted her forehead as trembling overtook her frame, thwarting her attempts to rise

Stephanie gasped, grappling with the agony. Perplexed by the sudden onset of discomfort despite her normalcy throughout the day, she mumbled, “Why is this happening

10:37 Sat

Chapter 55

complexion, she turned her blurred vision

Dominick…

and helplessness gripped her heart, yet

tears and jaw clenched, she struggled to crawl towards the edge of the bed, using her elbows for support. Her

needed to

disarray, her body weakened. With a

lips that were now bleeding from being bitten, she crawled forward in a frenzy, finally reaching for her phone. Her trembling fingers swiped the screen several times before she

dial his number.

Dominick…” Her voice, weak and trembling, called out his name as if

Hotel.

connected, but

busy with me right now, and we’re quite occupied. He’s

time for you right now. Is there anything you need

was

felt something choking her

the floor, clutching the phone tightly in her right hand, feeling utterly hopeless and humiliated. With another wave

down, her face turned ghostly white, her eyes

frantic thumping of her heart, she was met with a horrifying sight–a dark red

one thought echoing in

incoherent whispers. She was overwhelmed with fear, forgetting the pain in her

losing her

and even her breaths became uneven. Panic seized her, clouding her mind

save my

shouting into the phone, “Jessica, give the phone to Dominick!

Chapter 55

but I want, and I can raise my child by myself…” Her voice trembled in

beg you, save me…” She choked on tears as she

save

phone you have dialed is turned

voice repeated, each iteration plunging Stephanie’s heart into

“Save me…

hollow gaze fixed on the dark red pool between her legs as the heavy scent of blood filled the room.

at the phone screen, her trembling fingers poised to

beside it remained

illuminated the room,

enveloped the entire suite

“Save my child…”

“What’s wrong?”

in the hospital emergency room, a woman lay on the bed, her voice sweet as she

urgent

grabbed his phone and glanced quickly, finding no missed calls. Yet, an inexplicable

leave me alone in the hospital. I’m

about to leave, she panicked. She scrambled from the bed without a care for the

weak. You must stay in the hospital for observation tonight, so you

was adamant, clutching Dominick’s right arm tightly, her voice faint with

don’t leave.”

tear–stained face, his expression a mix of

your duty to accompany your girlfriend. Sir, you should stay with her. Plus, you bear

of fate, his car collided with the one driven

she?” He looked

young doctor glanced at Jessica before meeting Dominick’s stern gaze, calmly stating, “She’s fine physically, with a minor concussion and a fractured right wrist.

tore up in anxiety.

10:37 Sat, 22 Jun

Chapter 55