Chapter 12: The call you need to make now is to emergency services, not to me.

After the divorce news broke, Nora knew she had no reason to stick around the party. Plus, Katie didn't like her, so Nora decided to make an exit.

The main event was on the 8th floor. As she stepped out and waited for the elevator, she heard some commotion coming from the stairwell nearby.

The voice sounded a lot like Kalista's, and Nora cautiously approached. She could hear a hushed argument.

"We already sent the photos. Why hasn't Nora been kicked out yet?"

"What? Divorce? No way, Isaac didn't get divorced three years ago; they couldn't have split!"

Nora held her breath, listening closely.

Just then, the elevator dinged, arriving on the 8th floor, and the voices in the stairwell went silent.

Nora slowly pushed open the fire door and stepped into the stairwell.

Kalista, startled by the noise, quickly hung up the phone, guilt flashing in her eyes.

"Ms. Garcia," Nora called out softly.

Kalista turned, and upon seeing Nora, a flash of hatred crossed her face. "What are you doing here?"

Nora ignored the question and instead asked, "I heard you on the phone just now, talking about photos..."

Kalista's face darkened. She hadn't expected Nora to overhear and was momentarily flustered. "What photos? You must've misheard."

"Ms. Garcia, stop pretending," Nora sneered. "Even if you sent the photos, it doesn't matter to me anymore. You might as well admit it."

"If you don't want people to know, don't do it. You had Isaac but still cheated with another man." Kalista bit her lip, malice flashing in her eyes. "I just want to see you ruined! You took Isaac away and everything that should've been mine. I hate you!"

"Well, congrats, Isaac and I are already divorced. Go after your love all you want," Nora said wearily. "But you shouldn't have done this at Mrs. Katie Porter's party. Do you know how many people are waiting to see the Porter Group's joke?"

Kalista knew it was a bad move, but she felt this was her only chance. With Edmund backing Nora, there wouldn't be another opportunity. She had to prove today that Nora was a morally corrupt bitch who cheated during her marriage.

"Nora, it's not your place to lecture me," Kalista spat.

Nora smiled faintly. "You're right. I'm no longer part of the Porter family, so I have no right to lecture you. But others will find out what you've done."

Edmund adored Katie, and he would definitely investigate who disrupted her birthday party. Kalista had played her hand, and she'd be found out sooner or later. Nora didn't need to say a word.

Nora didn't want to waste any more time and pulled open the fire door to leave.

But Kalista, thinking Nora was threatening her, suddenly grabbed her and yanked her back. "What are you trying to do? Tell Isaac? Don't even think about it!"

"What are you doing?" Nora, caught off guard, struggled as Kalista grabbed her. Her recently injured leg made it hard to resist. Her wrist caught Kalista's sleeve, and in a flash, they both tumbled down the stairs together.

When Nora tumbled down the stairs, her first instinct was to protect her head, so she didn't black out. She struggled to turn over, gripping the railing to stand up, pain shooting through her leg. Looking down, she saw blood seeping from a wound on her thigh.

Beside her, Kalista lay on the ground, pale and unconscious, blood trickling from her forehead.

Nora took a deep breath, found her phone from the bag that had fallen nearby, and instinctively dialed her emergency contact.

Pale with pain, she heard the phone ring twice before it was answered. "Hello, I just fell down the stairs; my leg hurts a lot."

"Nora, we're already divorced. You should be calling 911, not me," Isaac's indifferent voice came through.

"But..."

Isaac must really hate her. Before she could finish her sentence, the call was hung up.

Nora tried calling again, but it was still hung up.

She let out a bitter laugh, feeling disheartened, and could only dial 911, reporting her location.

The ambulance's sharp siren pierced the night sky. In her daze, Nora heard the sound of the ambulance, forcing her heavy eyelids open. In her blurry vision, she saw the stairwell door open, and white-clad paramedics quickly running towards her.

She finally closed her eyes, letting herself pass out.

"Check on the spot," one of them quickly took out a flashlight, illuminating Nora's injuries. "The wound is deep and needs stitching. The other one has a forehead wound needing stitching. She's unconscious, possible brain hemorrhage. Get them on the stretcher." Several people worked together to lift both of them onto stretchers.

The ambulance sped away.

When Nora woke up in a semi-conscious state, she felt intense pain all over, her head throbbing.

She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, her blurry vision gradually clearing to reveal Mortimer's figure.

With a gentle demeanor and handsome appearance, Mortimer sat by her bed, holding a thermos cup, anxiously watching her.

"Nora, you're awake? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?" His voice was filled with concern.

Nora weakly shook her head. "Mortimer, why are you here?"

Mortimer was the insurmountable obstacle between her and Isaac.

But after that accident four years ago, she hadn't seen Mortimer again.

She was quite surprised when Mortimer suddenly showed up. Mortimer explained, "My friend saw you being admitted to the hospital and called me. I realized no one was there to take care of you."

Seeing her parched lips, Mortimer quickly brought the thermos cup to her lips. "Don't worry about that now, drink some water. The doctor said you need to replenish your fluids, including water, after waking up from the coma."

Nora drank a few sips of water, feeling a bit better.

She looked around, puzzled, and asked, "Where's Isaac?"

Mortimer's expression changed slightly. "I couldn't reach him, but I asked Wesley and he said Isaac isn't coming."

"Why?" Nora frowned.

"He said you two are already divorced, and he has no obligation to take care of you." Mortimer gritted his teeth, still relaying Isaac's words verbatim.

This accident had left her so dazed that she forgot she was already divorced from Isaac.

Meeting Mortimer's worried gaze, Nora nodded her head reassuringly. "I'm fine, Mortimer. Thank you for taking care of me. I'll contact someone later; you should go back and get some rest."

Mortimer sighed. "Don't act like everything is fine. You and Isaac..."

Nora forced a bitter smile, lowering her eyes, unwilling to say more.

She reached for her phone, about to call Steve to explain the situation, when a few police officers suddenly came.