Chapter 97 She Has No Secrets in Front of Evelyn
"Hey, you okay?"
Alaric hurried over to Cordelia, noticing her pale face and furrowed brow.
Cordelia stared at him, momentarily too stunned to respond.
A nurse came down the stairs and saw Cordelia and Alaric together. She rushed over, looking anxious.
"Dr. Stone, Dr. Lewis needs you upstairs ASAP."
Cordelia nodded without asking further questions and quickly followed the nurse upstairs.
Alaric immediately followed.
Hannah was on duty tonight and had a patient with severe post-operative complications.
Cordelia was exceptionally skilled at handling such issues.
Having an extra pair of hands would help manage the situation better.
Once upstairs, Cordelia joined the emergency team.
Alaric waited outside the whole time.
An hour later, Cordelia and Hannah had stabilized the situation.
Hannah noticed the sweat on Cordelia's forehead and suggested she take a break.
Cordelia felt exhausted.
Hearing that other doctors were on their way, she changed out of her scrubs and left the emergency room.
She was covered in sweat and, upon reaching the door, saw Alaric still waiting and paused in surprise.
Alaric stepped towards her and supported her, pulling out a tissue to wipe the sweat from her forehead.
Cordelia calmed down, looking at Alaric with a composed expression.
"What are you doing here?"
Alaric frowned slightly at her distant gaze.
"Am I not allowed to be here?"
Cordelia looked up at him, lightly pressing her lips together. "I didn't mean that."
Luckily, Hannah had sent the nurse to get her; without that, she'd have no idea how to tell Alaric why she was at the hospital.
She took the tissue from Alaric's hand, wiped her forehead, and started walking out.
Hannah finished up and came out of the emergency room as well.
Seeing Hannah and then Cordelia's weakened state, Alaric spoke seriously.
"Cordelia has resigned. From now on, find another doctor for hospital matters."
Hannah was startled to see Alaric and, hearing his reprimand, lowered her head guiltily, quickly agreeing.
Alaric, with a cold expression, walked out.
The Stone family's driver was anxiously waiting outside.
He had just parked the car when he saw Alaric enter the hospital.
He hurriedly called Cordelia several times, but she didn't answer.
Seeing Cordelia come out now, he rushed forward, noticing Alaric following behind, and swallowed his words.
"Cordelia."
Cordelia nodded lightly, her expression calm.
"Everything's settled. Let's go home."
The driver understood Cordelia's cue, breathed a sigh of relief, and went to get the car.
Alaric reached out to grab Cordelia's hand, about to speak, when an ambulance suddenly pulled up in front of them.
Cordelia stepped aside, watching the ambulance.
Janet was being pushed out of the ambulance by medical staff, her forehead covered in blood.
In her dazed state, she saw Alaric standing nearby and grabbed his arm.
"Alaric."
Her voice was soft and fearful.
Alaric's gaze darkened, and he let go of Cordelia's hand.
Janet clung tightly to Alaric's arm, refusing to let go.
Alaric's expression turned cold as he asked the medical staff nearby, "What happened?"
The Stone family driver had already moved the car. Cordelia didn't spare Alaric another glance and got into the car.
The driver drove away immediately.
As they left, Cordelia couldn't help but glance out the window.
Alaric was talking to the medical staff.
Within seconds, the medical staff pushed the stretcher into the hospital, and Alaric followed them.
Cordelia saw this and her expression turned colder. She leaned back in the rear seat, suppressing her discomfort.
The driver glanced cautiously in the rearview mirror. Seeing Cordelia with her eyes closed, leaning back in the seat and looking calm, he felt relieved.
At the Stone Manor, Donald had been waiting for Cordelia to return.
Seeing her come back safely, he quickly got up from the couch and asked about the situation.
"Everything okay?"
Cordelia nodded. "Everything's fine."
She paused, looking at Donald, and said softly, "Dad, let's leave tomorrow."
Donald looked puzzled. "I thought we were leaving the day after tomorrow?"
Cordelia pressed her lips together. "I can't wait any longer. I want to get to Astoria as soon as possible."
Staying in Shadowpine made it too easy for Alaric to affect her emotions.
She needed to leave quickly.
Seeing Cordelia's determination, Donald agreed.
"Alright."
"I'll let Evelyn know."
Cordelia nodded seriously.
Evelyn had just left her office and was planning to head back to her apartment when she received Donald's call and returned to the Stone Manor.
On her way back, Evelyn received a call from Amy's former boss.
She learned that Amy had an altercation with Janet and had hit her on the head with a bottle, resulting in Amy's arrest.
Evelyn wasn't affected by the news. To them, Amy was a stranger.
Her conflict with Janet was a personal matter and didn't concern them.
However, Cordelia's sudden decision to leave for Astoria the next day, instead of the planned day after, puzzled Evelyn.
There was only one flight to Astoria the next day, at ten in the morning.
When Evelyn entered the house, she saw Donald and Cordelia busy packing.
Allegra was helping too.
"Where's Cordelia?"
Evelyn asked as she saw Allegra bringing luggage into the living room.
"Upstairs in her room," Allegra replied immediately.
Evelyn went upstairs and saw Cordelia had already packed her bags. On her dresser was a men's watch, likely left behind by Alaric.
She walked over and picked up the watch.
Cordelia spoke up immediately. "Have the driver return it to him tomorrow."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Not keeping it as a memento?"
Cordelia frowned, recalling Alaric's shocked and worried expression when he saw Janet injured. Her heart sank.
"No."
Evelyn, seeing Cordelia's state, realized Alaric was the reason for her sudden decision to leave.
"What happened? Did you two have another fight?"
"No."
Cordelia controlled her emotions and forced a smile.
"We're divorced. How could we have any more conflicts?"
Evelyn looked at her quietly, then sat down on the makeup chair.
"Janet got hit on the head by Amy with a bottle. You went to the hospital today, right? Did you see them?"
Cordelia remained silent. Evelyn knew Cordelia well enough to see through her facade.