The Forgotten Girl Is Back For Revenge

Chapter 33

The hospital’s back garden was quiet in the evening.

Owen stood alone, his tall, lean figure effortlessly commanding attention.

There was something about the way he carried himself–an air of quiet solitude.

A few nurses lingered nearby, their shifts technically over, yet none of them were in a hurry to leave.

After all, no one would willingly walk away from such a handsome man.

From a short distance away, Hailey watched him, pressing her lips together in a small, hesitant gesture.

She took a deep breath, steadying herself before stepping forward.

She had almost reached him when his phone rang.

Pausing instinctively, she decided to wait until he finished his call before approaching.

“I’m at the hospital,” Owen said in that deep, steady voice of his. “Something came up, but I’ll be home soon.”

“Just take care of Grandma. No need to worry about me.” He hesitated for a beat before adding, “Oh, by the way, Jeanie- there’s a coffee shop near the hospital entrance. Do you like that sort of thing?”

The name sent a sharp jolt through Hailey’s chest.

Her throat tightened as if she had swallowed something too large to go down. Suddenly, standing there felt foolish, as though she were an uninvited spectator in someone else’s life.

She thought bitterly, ‘So, he’s like this with everyone!

A sharp, inexplicable pang hit Hailey’s chest, dragging her mood down in an instant.

The feeling came so suddenly–this dull, aching kind of disappointment–that she didn’t even know how to react. She was like a child caught off guard by emotions too big to handle.

She had no right to question him and no reason to be upset.

After all, she was the one who had turned him down.

If he had moved on, she had no right to care.

Still, despite all the logic she threw at herself, the unexpected sting of it all was undeniable.

knew probably looked terrible, she turned on her heel and walked away before he could see the turmoil in

Who’s Jeanie? I mean, I don’t even like coffee, but if

Owen

line went dead.

phone, baffled. “What the hell

sight of a familiar figure

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Chapter 23

on his

She

the time Owen returned to the hospital

Quilla to reassure her, telling her he’d be staying with Owen for a few days

in Owen, she hadn’t pressed for details. Instead, she had merely told him to take care

handled the conversation with his parents. Upon learning that Dorian was spending time with Owen, they

at least a week

had been treated under the Calhoun roof, the decades–long friendship

suspicions, they would simply tell Quilla that Christopher had made some new friends and wanted

ultimately trusted Owen’s judgment and didn’t

Hailey examined Christopher’s injured leg. Her movements were steady and professional, enough that even Christopher, who had been visibly uneasy at first,

nerve damage was irreversible, she discovered a few areas that still had a chance of recovery. However, attempting to restore function would require a series

with this and it fails,” she told him, her voice even, “then there’s no coming back from it. You’ll

smile tugging at his lips. “Honestly? I’ve got nothing to lose. Either way, I’m stuck like this.”

me, she

only

a moment of consideration,

be here tomorrow,” she continued. “Would you rather have

Owen. “Mr. Calhoun, if it’s not too much trouble, I’d prefer to do

gnawing at the back of his

one providing the space for it. No matter how he looked at it, it didn’t sit right.

calculating, the kind of man who never ended up on the losing

doorway, Owen stood motionless,

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Chapter 33

brief silence stretched between them before Owen finally

Christopher swallowed.

little too long before Owen’s lips finally curved, just slightly. His voice was smooth, almost