The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress

Chapter 616

As the conversation went on, the nurse's anger boiled over until she was muttering curses under her breath.

"Unbelievable. One's her father, the other her boyfriend, and I honestly can't figure out what their hearts are made of. Their own daughter and girlfriend just lost a kidney—she barely made it out alive-and neither of them bothered to visit, let alone send someone to look after her. Instead, they spent all their time fussing over that other woman—the one who's perfectly fine, bouncing around, could've left the hospital days ago. Are they blind or just heartless?"

"Bastards, both of them. I've never seen a father or boyfriend act like this. People like that don't deserve to live."

The nurse's words spilled out in rapid-fire bursts, like a machine gun-she just couldn't stop herself.

A few days later, Theo and Sawyer showed up to take Jeanette home. It was as if Citrine no longer existed to them; they left her completely on her own in that hospital room.

Once she felt strong enough, Citrine handled her own discharge paperwork and left the hospital by herself.

Raymond's consciousness had been following Citrine the whole time.

After leaving, Citrine returned to her apartment. The place was shrouded in darkness, everything decorated in somber shades. Thick curtains blocked out every trace of sunlight, making the rooms feel stifling and oppressive. Raymond felt it as soon as he entered-he couldn't see a thing.

But Citrine moved through the gloom as if she'd lived in it forever, making her way straight to the balcony without hesitation.

Raymond followed.

the night, her silhouette narrow and fragile. The ember at her fingertips glowed and faded, red and then gone, flickering in the haze of smoke curling around her. Whatever she was feeling, her face didn't

over Raymond like a weight. Just watching

standing there in

kept her company for as long as she stood on that

phone and dialed a number—no name, just a string of digits. Raymond had no idea who she was

say, "Schedule

end, someone grew agitated, their voice rising, desperate

give them the chance-she hung up

and slept deeply-a peaceful, uninterrupted

her

of it, assuming Citrine had work to do in the lab. But when he entered and glanced over at the bed

in the hospital bed, was someone with his face. No—that wasn't just someone. That

going on?

process it before he heard Citrine's voice, tense with argument. He pushed aside