Love the Second Time Around
Chapter 73

Chapter 73 Tricks

“Coraline was admitted to the hospital after a car accident?” I asked suspiciously.

“That’s right. She’s at City Hospital right now; we are waiting for a family member of hers to sign an approval for the surgery. However, we can’t contact anyone else right now…”

To tell the truth, I wanted to say that I had no connections with Coraline. Yet, I blurted out the exact opposite. “I’m heading over right now.”

Well, I didn’t visit her the last time I injured her. I should probably help her out this once.

I removed the apron around my waist and headed out after grabbing my purse.

After I arrived at the hospital, I visited Coraline in the emergency room. She looked extremely gaunt and haggard. At the same time, she kept mumbling something.

Coraline’s face brightened when she caught sight of me. “Lili, Lili,” she cried out and extended an arm toward me excitedly.

I would have turned around and left if she yelled or berated me. However, I couldn’t bring myself to leave her this way.

I made my way over to the bed and observed her carefully. There seemed to be several gashes across her face, and her palms were covered in blood too. Even her pants were tattered. It looks like her injuries are quite severe.

“How are you feeling? Where is Julius? Can’t you reach him?” I asked.

“Lili, he…” Coraline stuttered repeatedly, but she could not muster an answer to my question. In the end, her voice trailed off into silence as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Julius had always been a very filial and obedient son. He would have rushed over if he found out that his Mom got involved in a car accident.

Even though Coraline was in such a state, there was no sign of Julius anywhere. Seems like he really has fled. After all, the police kept questioning me about his whereabouts. They even asked if he had tried to contact me. I can’t help but feel bad for her.

“Wait here for a moment; I’ll go look for the doctor. What about the person who ran into you?”

Secretly I prayed that it wasn’t a hit-and-run. Otherwise, I would have to pay for the operation. I can’t afford it! Thanks to Julius, I’m utterly broke.

The topic of Julius caused Coraline to sob even more to the point she could barely speak coherently.

I sighed and decided to go search for a doctor. Coincidentally, a doctor walked into the room.

The doctor’s gaze darted between the two of us. “You are…?” he asked with hesitancy.

`I had no wish to mention my relationship with Julius. Thus, I took the initiative to speak up. “Are you Dr. Morris?”

I began to explain after seeing his nod of affirmation.

Just as we were in the midst of our discussion, a middle-aged man burst into the room. He was drenched in sweat as he hurried toward Coraline and reassured her that he would be responsible for all her medical fees.

After asking him a few questions, I realized that he was the driver who ran into Coraline. Thankfully, he’s a responsible driver and willing to own up to his mistakes.

Additionally, Dr. Morris informed me that Coraline had suffered from quite a few minor injuries. However, save for a broken arm, there were no other life-threatening wounds.

I turned around and was met with the sight of Coraline’s sobbing face. Turning back to the doctor, I asked, “Doesn’t she need surgery? Then you should hurry. What if she loses function of her arm in the future?”

Immediately, Dr. Morris ushered me aside to sign the papers. Midway through the signing, he asked me several questions about my relationship with Coraline. After all, these papers could only be signed by the patient’s family members. After a brief thought, I told him that I was a close relative of hers.

Since Coraline was the one who instructed them to contact me, Dr. Morris did not ask any further questions.

As Coraline’s surgery only involved her broken arm, it wouldn’t take long. Alongside the driver, I decided to stay back and wait for her.

The driver had a very pleasant attitude as he apologized profusely for his actions. Finally, he asked if we could settle things privately without involving the police.

Not only did he pay and take responsibility for his actions, but he also did not try running away. Although I wanted to agree to his request, I could not make any decisions as I wasn’t involved in the accident.

In the end, I told him to discuss it with Coraline after she was done with her surgery.

The surgery lasted around an hour. After it was done, Dr. Morris informed me that they would observe her wounds for another few days. She would be discharged if there were no signs of an infection.

Following the operation, Coraline was wheeled to a ward. Due to the anesthesia, she had yet to regain consciousness.

Seeing that she was in a stable condition, I informed the driver that he could take his leave first. He left his phone number before departing and promised to be back tomorrow.

I took a seat next to Coraline’s bed, feeling caught between a rock and a hard place. It’s already nine; I have no idea how long she is going to sleep. I can’t stay here for the entire night. Yet, it feels wrong to abandon her. Ah, it’s not a good thing to be so kind-hearted.

Finally, I decided to stay until Coraline came out of her unconsciousness.

To pass the time, I scrolled through Twitter aimlessly before I discovered that the official announcement for “The Wind And Cloud” happened today. Nicholas and Scarlett’s official photos for the drama had been published too.

The two of them captured the hearts of their fans as they were nicknamed the “Nilett” couple. Their pairing together in the drama caused an immense uproar on Twitter.

I even visited their Twitter profiles and found them flooded with countless comments that stated: Nilett should get together.

Quickly, I exited Twitter and sent a screenshot of one of the comments to Nicholas via WhatsApp in an attempt to tease him.

I recalled seeing Scarlett from afar back then at Dominic’s fashion show. She was even more breathtaking in real life. Scarlett and Nicholas would make a great couple.

I assumed that Nicholas would have been too busy to reply to my message because of his tight schedule. To my surprise, he replied to my message with a sweating emoji.

A giggle escaped my lips when I saw his reply. I texted a reply: Haha, when are you going to reveal the secret?

Nicholas replied to my text in the blink of an eye. We are just friends.

I texted him a mischievous message to tease him further: All romance starts with a friendship.

All of a sudden, I caught wind of Coraline’s voice. I quickly put my phone down and found that she was indeed awake.

Upon her request, I poured her a glass of water. Once she regained her senses, I stated, “Your wounds will heal soon. Also, the driver who hit you has paid for all the medical fees. He said that he would be here again tomorrow. Now that you are awake, I’ll be taking my leave.”

The news of my departure caused a dramatic shift in Coraline’s mood. Immediately, tears began to roll down her face. “Now that Julius is gone, I’ll be all alone if you leave…” she rasped pitifully.

I frowned when she burst into tears. “Although Julius isn’t here, you have other relatives. You should ask one of them to keep you company. Besides, the doctor said that you can be discharged in a few days if your wounds don’t get infected.”

Alas, my words went in one ear and out the other. Coraline sobbed even harder. “Lili, you can’t abandon me! After all, you were once Julius’ wife. How can you be so cruel to leave your mother-in-law all alone in the hospital to die?”