Chapter 4 The Man From Five Years Ago

My anxiety kicked in upon hearing Eliza’s panicked voice, as my father-in-law had always had a weak heart, but it had been under control recently, so I wondered why it would break out all of a sudden. “Quickly call the ambulance!” “I’ve already done that, Lilian. I can’t reach my brother, so can you come over?” “You go to the hospital first. I’ll be on my way.” “What’s wrong?” Isabella looked at me with worry in her eyes. “My father-in-law had a heart attack, so I’ve got to go to the hospital.” While on my way out with a bag in hand, Isabella came after me. “Why would you even care about what happens to his family after everything Carson had done to you?” Upon recalling what he did, I slowed down as my heart felt like being tightly squeezed. “It’s the life of another human being after all. I’ll leave Keira under your care, so see you later.” My words left Isabella stomping her foot in anger behind me. My father-in-law was still undergoing an operation when I arrived at the hospital, while my mother-in-law and sister-in-law were both waiting anxiously outside. My arrival seemed to serve as a support of theirs. “Lily, you’re finally here!” Perhaps due to her recent shock, my mother-in-law held my hands. “I was so frightened by what happened! It’s fortunate that you're here now! Carson is also at fault here! Why is he always on business trips?” “He's just that busy.” The reply I gave was short as I didn't want to spend time mulling on. A nurse walked out from the emergency room as we waited outside. I thought she bore news about my father-in-law, thus approached her alongside my mother-in-law, only to realize that she requested payment for my father-in-law’s treatment. Both of them turned to look at me as soon as she said so, with my mother-in-law telling me that she didn’t bring her bank cards, while my sister-in-law told me she had no money in hers, which made apparent to me that I should be the one to pay. It was thus I nodded while suppressing my anger before turning to leave for the payment counter, during which I bumped into someone due to my hastiness in doing so. He reacted in time to hold onto me, which prevented me from falling over. “I’m sorry!” I quickly apologized. “It’s okay.” The voice sounded familiar to me. As I lifted my head to check on the person, it turned out to belong to a handsome man. At that moment, I was stunned, for it was the face of the man from five years ago! Five years ago, I hosted a birthday party in my father’s hotel, during which all the guests toasted me as I was the birthday girl. I wound up having to leave the venue to sober up as I drank a lot, where I met an extremely handsome man in the corridor. Perhaps due to the alcohol’s effects, I couldn’t help but follow him around and asking for his phone number, even going as far as praising his looks, as well as making clumsy attempts to kiss him. The next day, I woke up to find myself with Carson, who held me as he accurately recounted the events of the previous day, which led me to believe that the handsome man I saw was but a dream. However, for him to resurface now... I was stunned upon seeing him smile at me before leaving before I realized I should’ve asked for confirmation from him regarding if what happened five years ago was true. That encounter lit a sudden urge within me to know if he was that man. However, I received a call from Eliza to urge me to bring the receipt back, which I heeded upon recalling my father-in-law’s situation. The doctor only began administering the first-aid procedures as soon as I paid, after which we waited for half an hour before my father-in-law was out. After that, we were informed that he was safe for the time being, but he still needed to be put under observation as he was not yet entirely out of danger. Upon hearing that, my in-laws began crying, so I couldn’t leave, but had to stay with them at the hospital instead. That night, my in-laws could hardly stay awake, thus told me to keep watch over my father-in-law upon noticing that I wasn’t tired before falling asleep on the bed beside him. By the next morning, my father-in-law was awake, while Carson’s call finally connected. I suppressed my emotions while informing him of his father’s hospitalization, as well as the fact that the latter was out of danger, so he should focus on his so-called work. However, he didn’t seem to notice the sarcasm in my tone, as he hurried to the hospital that afternoon. There was a four-hour time gap between his arrival and my call, which corresponded with the time needed to travel from Sheonghai City by car. It was obvious to me that he took that into account in his act too. I stood by him, clenching my fists at the thought of the facade he was putting on as he inquired about my father-in-law. Perhaps he sensed that I was watching him, Carson lifted his head from where he stood by his father to look at me with a gentle gaze that held some guilt. “Darling, you must be tired after spending the night here, so allow me to send you home.” Despite humming in response, my heart was cold. If it wasn’t for the solid evidence that I was presented with, I would never have doubted Carson’s feelings toward me. I was f*cking blind to have said that he was an honest man whom I could trust! Carson offered to send me home, which I conceded as I couldn’t afford to turn him down. However, I sat in the back seats with my eyes closed instead of sitting in the passenger seat. Carson even pulled the window curtains as he only assumed that I was exhausted, but I felt nothing for his attentiveness. While on my way home, Jolene gave me a call to ask where I was, saying she missed me. I mentally scoffed before telling her about my father-in-law’s hospitalization, to which she responded in surprise while saying that she would like to pay him a visit. I hung up the call after humming in response, while Carson asked upon noticing that my reaction was different from how I would react before, “Darling, are you feeling unwell?” Upon hearing a noncommittal hum from me, he tried to please me by saying that he would cook for me later to make it up to me, which I ignored. After suffering from insomnia for two nights straight, I fell asleep as soon as I lay down on bed. I was roused by chattering noises after sleeping for a long time, through which I discovered that Jolene was present, and I wondered why she would dare come barging in.