Crushed Affections (Dominic and Bella)
Chapter 72

Chapter 72 Because You're Crying

She brought the phone to her car, surprised that he had answered. Before she could gather her thoughts, there was a brief moment of silence. Tears streamed down her face as she frantically wiped them away, fearing someone might see her.

Her uncontrollable sobs carried through the phone to Dominic on the other end. His voice was steady as he asked, "Where are you?"

"I'm in the hospital," Bella replied softly.

The call was immediately disconnected, leaving her staring at the phone in a daze. A deep sense of loss washed over her as she realized she shouldn't have disturbed him.

She had no intention of going home. After what had happened, she was too scared to be alone.

With Simon still unconscious under anesthesia and no way to contact his family, she felt responsible for staying, especially since he'd been injured trying to save her.

The corridor was empty, except for the occasional family member visiting a patient. They all gave her strange looks. Perhaps her current disheveled appearance was so diffe from her usual neat and tidy image in her white coat that no one recognized her. Just as she was about to resign herself to spending the night there, someone walked up to her and blocked the light above her.

She looked up, her eyes widening in surprise. It was Dominic. He was here!

"What happened?" he asked with a frown.

Bella suppressed the turmoil in her heart and explained what had happened, but she avoided mentioning her relationship with Simon. She was already enough of a burden for him, so she didn't need to add to his annoyance.

After listening to her, Dominic's frown deepened. "Let's go home," he said.

Bella glanced at Simon's room with unease, but with the nurses there, she felt he would be okay. She needed to go home and clean up anyway.

When they reached the car, Dominic got in first She hesitated to follow, as her clothes were still damp and muddy, and she didn't want to dirty the seat. Seeing her standing there, Dominic rolled down the window and said, "Don't waste time. Do you think I enjoy running around in the middle of the night?"

Bella was afraid of upsetting him and awkwardly got into the car with her head bowed. "Why did you come here?"

He retorted impatiently, "Then why did you call me?"

Bella was speechless. Had he come because of her call? But she hadn't said anything in the call to make him come.

After a moment of silence, Dominic spoke again. "You wouldn't call me unless something was wrong. And... I heard you crying on the phone."

Bella was startled. Had she been so obvious while crying? She thought she had been keeping it in.

After she had calmed down, she looked up and said softly, "Thank you for coming to pick me up."

He was never gentle, and even now, he couldn't resist lecturing her. "Why do you keep my number if you're not going to use it? When something happens, why don't you call me right away? You just cause me trouble! How have you managed to live this long being so carel Bella felt wronged, but at least he had come. It was late, and she had made him make a round trip. She admitted her mistake and apologized softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

Dominic glanced at her coldly. "Next time, call me right away."

Bella nodded cautiously. His words brought her immense comfort, as if they had a magical power to lift the gloom from her heart.

When they returned to Miller Manor, she took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and finally felt like herself again. Exhausted after a long night, she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. The next morning, she woke up early because she was anxious to go to the hospital to check on Simon.

To her surprise, Dominic was already awake.