Chapter 20
“Are you out of your mind, Olivia!?” Clayton's voice hissed with venom.
Olivia took one look at his face before instinctively taking a step back.
The last time she had seen him so consumed by rage was a long time ago. That memory surged back unexpectedly, reminding her that nothing is more terrifying than an enraged Clayton Bradford.
Now was not the right moment to provoke his anger with a response he surely wouldn't appreciate.
Instead, her gaze shifted to the man sprawled on the floor.
She leaned in, intending to check for signs of breath, but before her fingertips could reach him, Clayton gently grasped her arm, turning her to face him.
“What were you thinking, Olivia? Do you think you're a meat shield?” Clayton appeared calm on the surface, but his eyes, which seemed darker than usual betrayed the fury that boiled inside him.
Olivia swallowed her fear then replied, “I had to protect the patient. That was my job.”
“He could have seriously injured you! What if I hadn’t arrived in time? If he had even left a tiny mark on your skin, I would have tracked him down, no matter where he was hiding—even to the depths of hell—and beat the shit out of him.”
He definitely wasn't joking with the last remark, Olivia thought. She had known him for so long and was well aware that he would go through with it. Thankfully, she was alright; otherwise, that man on the floor would have never seen the light of day again.
“I’m fine, Clayton. I’ve been trained for this kind of situation,” she assured him.
Yet her words hardly penetrated his anger.
He looked as though he wanted to smack her bottom, much like a parent scolding a stubborn child.
It was only the patient in the bed, watching their exchange, that held him back.
In the end, he swallowed his frustration and pressed his lips into a tight line. “We’ll talk later, Olivia.”
Clayton’s eyes shifted back to the unconscious man sprawled on the floor.
“I’ll take him to the officer myself.” Without waiting for her reply, he seized the man by his shirt and dragged him toward the door.
Olivia stood there, her mouth slightly open, unable to look away as the door swung shut behind him.
“W-water please…”
Olivia turned to Mrs. Tan, a wave of relief washing over her upon noticing the color gradually returning to the patient's face.
She quickly grabbed a glass, filled it from the water dispenser and handed it to the patient.
The older woman gulped down the water. Once the last drop of water was gone, Mrs. Tan set the glass down on the bedside table with a shaky hand.
“Don't let my hus— that monster near me again. I don't want to see him ever again.”
Olivia felt her profound suffering, yet all she could offer in this moment was a small measure of comfort. “Please rest assured, Mrs. Tan. He will be banned from the hospital. You won’t have to see his shadow anymore.”
“Thank you…” Mrs. Tan whispered.
As soon as a nurse arrived to keep the patient company, Olivia left to look for Clayton.
She searched everywhere but failed to find him. She was about to return to her office to finish the task she left on her table when she met Nurse Jessy in the hallway. “Doc, Bea Perez had finally woken up!”
Olivia's mouth parted. She ran to the patient's room like her life depended on it. She was just too happy to know that the child had woken up.
The scene before her when she entered was overwhelming. Bea lay in the hospital bed with her eyes wide open, observing her surroundings. Her mother was beside her crying happily. Her father sat on the other side holding her hand, trying to fight back the tears.
At the corner of her eyes she saw Lea. The child was standing on the side of the room with a sadness that cut through Olivia's chest like a shard. She wanted to approach the child, talk to her, but the patient is her priority.
“Bea?”
The girl on the bed shifted her eyes and Olivia felt a rush of relief seeing that she was responsive.
“Can you tell me how you feel?”
Bea blinked a couple of times, still processing everything. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Instead, her brows furrowed, and she took a deep breath as if it was hard to find her voice.
“It’s okay if you can’t talk right now. Just move your fingers if you can hear me.”
Bea’s fingers twitched and Olivia gave an encouraging smile. “Good job. Now, I need you to take a deep breath.”
Olivia demonstrated by inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly. Bea mimicked her after a few tries
“You’re doing so well! Can you wiggle your toes?"
Bea looked down at her feet, then wiggled her toes a little.
Olivia held out her hand. “Can you squeeze my hand?”
The little girl reached out slowly and squeezed her hand.
After examining Bea’s vital signs on the monitor and seeing that everything's normal, she turned to Mr. and Mrs. Perez. "She's responding well. That's very good news. We'll keep monitoring her. For now, let her rest."
“Thank you Dr. Hilton.” It was Mr. Perez.
As she was leaving, Olivia looked at where she had last seen Lea, but the little girl was no longer in the corner.
She closed the door and stepped into the hallway. She scanned the area, hoping to catch a glimpse of the little girl, but after a fruitless search, she reluctantly returned to her office.
Perhaps Lea simply didn't want to be found.
—
“Dr. Hilton.”
Olivia gently massaged her throbbing temples, finally tearing her eyes away from her laptop screen.
She had lost track of time and had no idea how long she’d been working. If it weren’t for the sound of the door opening, she might have remained glued to her screen indefinitely.
Looking up, she offered a warm smile to Nurse Beth, one of her close colleagues in the department.
“I have Mrs. Tan’s medical results,” Beth announced.
Mumbling a thank you, Olivia took the file from Beth and quickly scanned its contents. Fortunately, Mrs. Tan had avoided any life-threatening injuries. She could be discharged in a day or two.
Closing her laptop, Olivia stood up from her swivel chair. “I’ll check on the patient and inform her about the results.”
Olivia left Beth and headed toward Mrs. Tan’s room with the file clutched in her hands. A faint weariness crept over her from navigating the hallway countless times that day, but she pushed the fatigue to the back of her mind, reminding herself she could just relax at home once her shift was over.
She opened the door and entered Mrs. Tan’s room, finding her sitting on the bed.
“Mrs. Tan, I have good news. Your results are all clear. You can go home in a day or two.”
The news was supposed to lift her spirits, but Mrs. Tan instinctively clutched her arms, as if an icy chill had suddenly swept through the room.
Noticing her distress, Olivia softly seated herself on a nearby chair and gently took the woman's trembling hand in hers.
“Do you have anyone who might take you in for the meantime?”
Mrs. Tan shook her head, almost inaudibly she replied, “I have no family. No siblings I know of. I've been an orphan all my life.”
Olivia felt the words hit her fiercely, like a punch to the chest. If anyone could understand the loneliness of having no one, it was her—an orphan who had never known her origins.
She wanted to reassure Mrs. Tan that everything would be fine and that things would soon improve, but Olivia couldn't bring herself to lie.
For she had no idea how things would unfold, whether it would be for the better or for the worse.
She could only hope and pray that there's a silver lining to these circumstances.
“I can't help you much, Mrs. Tan. But once you're discharged, please come to this address. They can provide you with a place to stay until you get back on your feet.”
She gently handed the small piece of paper to the older woman. The handwritten address revealed the location of the shelter Olivia had established alone from selling her artworks to help women and children in need.
Mrs. Tan clutched the paper to her chest as if it were a lifeline. “Thank you, Dr. Hilton. I truly owe you for this.”
—
“Dr. Hilton, I'll take over your rounds. You can go home.” Dr. Quinn's calm voice broke through Olivia's reverie. She looked up from her desk, her fatigue miraculously disappearing.
At last, after a long and grueling day, she could finally breathe freely.
Olivia rose from her seat, stretching her shoulders, which had grown stiff from long hours. She reached for the meticulously organized patient files on her desk and handed them over to Dr. Quinn. "Thanks a lot. I leave the patients to you.”
“Get some rest, Dr. Hilton. I’ll be on my rounds." With that, she turned and exited the room.
As soon as Dr. Quinn left, Olivia made her way toward her locker. She unfastened her white coat and hung it inside.
Just then, she heard a soft knock at the door. Before she could answer, the door swung open to reveal Clayton, walking in with a somewhat apologetic smile. "Sorry, I just got back.”
Olivia wondered where he had been, but her curiosity focused more on Mrs. Tan's husband. She turned to Clayton and asked, “What happened to the man?”
Clayton shrugged, a sheepish smile forming on his lips. "Well, he tried to make a run for it while we were waiting for the officer to pick him up. Things escalated quickly. I ended up knocking him out—again."
Olivia shook her head disapprovingly. “You can’t just go around punching people, even if they’re trying to escape."
“He was lucky to get away with just a scratch,” Clayton replied, but his expression darkened. A protective glint flickered in his eyes, one that Olivia thought she might have imagined. “Besides, no one gets away with trying to harm my wife.”
Olivia heaved a subtle sigh. With a flick of her hand, she dismissed him, signaling that she wasn't prepared for a debate right now, particularly about his overzealous way of handling situations.
"I'm clocking out," she declared, walking over to the biometric scanner. "Then we can head home."
Olivia pressed her thumb against the cool glass. She heard Clayton speaking behind her, so close she could feel his breath on her neck.
“I was thinking of taking you out for a dinner date since I missed breakfast with you this morning. Actually, I already made a reservation at that little Italian place you like."
Olivia turned to him, surprised. “Really? You made a reservation?”
“Yeah, but we’ve got a problem. Mom called me asking for a favor—apparently, something urgent came up, and she can't make it to a close friend's party tonight. She asked if we could attend in her place.”
Clayton’s mom rarely asked for favors unless it was something important, making Olivia reluctant to disappoint her. “We can go,” she decided.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, a dilemma struck her—her outfit was far from suitable for a formal gathering. She was dressed in scrubs, hardly the attire for a party filled with socialites and acquaintances of her mother-in-law.
Clayton must have sensed her concern. Without a word, he stepped out of the room. When he returned, he was carrying a silver and gold paper bag, which he gently handed to her.
"This is for you."
Olivia blinked in surprise. "What’s this?"
"Just open it."
She carefully opened the bag. Her jaw dropped at the sight of a gorgeous lilac dress she had admired only a week ago in a boutique window.
“I thought that you might not have anything formal to wear and bought it on my way to the hospital.”
She gave him a grateful smile and mumbled, “Thank you.”
—
The car glided smoothly along the tranquil, moonlit road. Inside, the atmosphere was serene, making Olivia feel a little sleepy.
Clayton broke the silence with a compliment that made breath hitch in her throat and turn her cheeks a delicate shade of pink. “You look really good in that dress.”
“Um, thanks,” she managed, trying hard not to stutter. Clearing her throat, she shifted the focus away from herself. "What's this formal gathering for, anyway?" she asked.
He kept his eyes on the road as he replied. "It's a welcome party for the Westmore family's only daughter. She's coming home from California."
Olivia nodded but said nothing. Though she didn't personally know the Westmore family, she had heard of them plenty. They were influential, owners of numerous businesses across the city. In terms of wealth and stature, they stood shoulder to shoulder with the Bradford family.
The remainder of the journey to the Westmore estate was wrapped in silence. Clayton kept his eyes on the road, his hands steady on the wheel, while Olivia fought to keep her eyelids from fluttering shut.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly, until at last, they arrived at their destination.
"We're here," Clayton announced, his voice loud enough to jolt Olivia’s sleepy eyes wide open.
Olivia could see a massive house lit up with lights, and a long line of luxury cars parked along the driveway.
After parking the car, Clayton opened the door and stepped out. Just as he was about to open Olivia's door, a woman in a deep scarlet gown appeared. Without warning, she threw her arms around him in a nearly desperate hug.
Olivia witnessed Clayton flinch. He always hated being touched by others. He quickly composed himself and pushed the woman away as though she had a deadly plague.
The woman took a step back. She looked quite disappointed.
For a brief moment, Olivia’s gaze was drawn to the woman’s face, and something inexplicable jolted in her chest. The woman felt piercingly familiar.
It only took seconds for the pieces to fall into place.
No. It couldn’t be.
But she would never forget that face, not in a million years. The same brown hair and the intense sharpness in her eyes—features that haunted Olivia’s childhood and transformed her days at the orphanage into a living hell.
It was Sarah.