Chapter 17 Intense Unease
The intense pain overwhelmed her, and she blacked out.
Was this the end of her unlucky streak?
When she woke up, it was already the next day.
Outside the window, the rain was falling steadily, the sound of raindrops tapping against the glass.
Alison raised her arm to rub her eyes, but even that small movement sent a sharp pain through her chest.
All the memories came flooding back, and she remembered everything.
The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant; she knew she was in a hospital.
She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was white—white walls, white sheets.
At the edge of the bed, a man was sleeping, his short black hair barely revealing his face.
Why was Jack here?
She frowned, recalling the humiliation Jack had subjected her to the previous morning. Her injured body instinctively wanted to distance itself from him.
But as soon as she moved, Jack woke up from the edge of the bed.
"Hey, don't move, you're making a racket!" he growled, his eyes still as captivating as ever, but his tone was clearly impatient.
He obviously hated her.
So why was he here at her bedside?
Her pale lips parted slightly, and she coldly said, "Leave."
Ever since she caught him with another woman on the staircase, she hadn't wanted to see him again.
"Yeah, like I wanted to be here? It's because you caused me trouble, and now the cops are involved." He lazily stood up, his tall frame instantly overshadowing her.
Seeing her remain silent, he suddenly leaned in, his handsome face wearing a wicked smile as he got closer to her. "Alison, are you reluctant to let me go?"
Her fingers trembled slightly. If they weren't in a hospital, she would have slapped him and told him she didn't want to see him at all.
"What? Not happy to see me?"
He sneered and continued, "Then why do you still have our photo in your pocket? That old picture you kept, just to let the whole world know we slept together, right?"
"What photo?" She looked confused, having no idea what he was talking about.
"Don't play dumb. The one we took at the beach two years ago, where I'm holding you from behind."
She finally understood. It was a photo of him and Emily. But how did it end up with her?
Her mind raced.
Damn, someone must have been following her.
She remembered hearing a man call her an idiot when she passed out.
And she felt like someone had touched her.
"Where's the photo? Let me see it." She stared at Jack. No matter what, she needed to see the photo that had dragged them back together.
Just thinking about the photo made her shiver, because it reminded her of the person who took it.
"Tore it up."
"You..."
Then he suddenly grabbed her arm and said, "The police said after you give your statement, I have to stay or find someone to take care of you."
She wanted to say, "No need, you can go," but the words wouldn't come out.
She felt this had something to do with that person.
"Where's my luggage?" She didn't want to argue with Jack now; she just wanted to check her emails on her laptop.
That person must have sent her an email by now.
"Over there." Jack pointed to the corner of the room, his tone cold.
Seeing her luggage intact, Alison breathed a sigh of relief. That laptop was too important to her; she couldn't afford to lose it.
She really wanted to let it go and let those photos spread.
But she had endured for almost three months.
"Jack, go to work. I can handle myself," Alison said, trying to get rid of him so she could check her emails. If she couldn't see them soon, she'd go crazy.
She needed to know that person's intentions; otherwise, she wouldn't feel at ease.
Jack glanced at her, clearly annoyed. "I hired a nurse. After the cops take your statement, they'll take care of you. I'm outta here."
With that, he strode towards the door.
She watched his back and shouted, "No need for a nurse, and you don't need to come back. I'll explain everything to the police myself." She planned to discharge herself that afternoon.
She couldn't afford to stay in the hospital; the police had probably covered her expenses so far.
It was just an external injury; it wouldn't kill her. She wanted to leave the hospital.
Once the wound healed and the stitches were removed, she could come back.
Such injuries usually healed in about seven days.
Although it was her first time with an external injury, she knew basic first aid.
"Suit yourself," Jack said coldly, and his tall figure disappeared through the door.
The faint scent of his cologne lingered in the air, reminding her he had just been there.
The door clicked shut as he let go of the handle.
Hearing the door lock, Alison took a deep breath.
She needed to get out of bed and check her luggage; her documents were in there.
She was sure Jack hadn't realized she was Alison yet, or his expression wouldn't have been so dismissive.
She held onto the edge of the bed, struggling to get up, her legs trembling.
The IV in her hand started to backflow a bit from the effort, the sight of the red blood making her heart race.
This injury had come at the worst possible time, leaving her unsure how to deal with Jack and the person who took her photo.
A sharp pain shot through her chest, likely from moving and pulling at the wound.
When the knife fell, she had been aware enough to turn slightly, knowing it hadn't hit any vital organs.
Her injury wasn't too serious.
She had only used it to protect herself from being humiliated by a thug.
If only she could trade her blood for those photos.
But she knew that was impossible.
It was because it was impossible that she felt so helpless.
What puzzled her most was why that person wanted her to stay close to Jack.
She held the IV pole with one hand, struggling to walk to her luggage. She used her foot to push the luggage towards a hook on the wall, so she could hang the IV and free her hands to check her luggage.
As long as her luggage hadn't been tampered with, she would feel relieved.
She unzipped the suitcase and carefully checked its contents.
Her hand quickly reached for the hidden compartment, finding her documents untouched.
Alison finally relaxed, closed the suitcase, and hurried back to the bed with the IV.
Just then, the door opened.
A nurse entered with two men in police uniforms.
One of the officers looked at her pale face and asked, "Miss Bruce, are you able to give a statement now?"
Alison nodded, "Yes." She just wanted to get it over with and avoid dealing with the police any longer.
The officer called her Miss Bruce, indicating they didn't know she was Alison, which gave her some relief.
Then, the police began asking her about what happened on the crosswalk last night.
She recounted everything truthfully, without hiding anything.