Sophia thought she needed to go see her heartless adopted daughter with her own eyes.

…

After what felt like an eternity, the doors to the emergency room finally swung open.

Stephen, Lester, and Samuel all stepped forward at once.

Stephen asked, “Doctor, how’s Tess?”

Lester asked, “Doctor, how is she doing?”

Samuel asked, “Doctor, how’s my daughter?”

Everyone else looked just as anxious. The air was thick with tension. No one dared to breathe too loudly. Their hearts were pounding in their chests, hoping for good news yet terrified to hear the worst.

The lead surgeon pulled down his mask, his tired face breaking into a smile. “The patient is no longer in critical condition. She’s being moved to the ICU now. You can visit her in three days.”

Everyone let out a collective breath of relief.

For the first time in hours, Stephen’s blank, lifeless eyes flickered with light. The heavy pressure on his chest seemed to lift a little.

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and thanking the doctor with solemn gratitude.

The others were overwhelmed with relief and couldn’t stop thanking the doctor as well.

This was especially true for Samuel, who was in his late 40s. His eyes were bloodshot from crying. His voice trembled as he choked out, “Thank you, doctor. Thank you, thank you so much…”

The doctor nodded and left.

Moments later, Tessa was wheeled out on a hospital gurney by several nurses. Stephen’s heart twisted painfully at the sight of her pale face and unconscious state.

Wave after wave of pain crashed through him, like something inside was being ripped apart.

Everyone wanted to get closer, to see her, to make sure she was really okay. But the nurses pushed the bed forward, saying, “Please step aside. The patient needs to be transferred to the ICU. No visitors for now.”

Everyone made way as the nurses wheeled her down the hall.

The suffocating atmosphere finally began to lift.

The women in the group were all crying, and their eyes were swollen and red.

Jasmine sniffled, her voice breaking. “I knew it… I knew God wouldn’t be that cruel. Tessa is very kind, so of course she’d make it.”

Sienna wiped at the corners of her eyes as she said in a shaky voice, “She’s okay… Thank God, she’s okay.”

Naomi let out a long breath and wiped her tears. “Thank goodness Tessa is alright. If something had happened to her… I don’t even want to think about it.”

Jasmine’s nose was red as she cried harder, “If anything had happened to Tessa, would’ve felt guilty for the rest of my life. She got hurt trying to protect me.”

Molly sat on a bench in the hallway with her foot still bandaged. Her eyes were red as well. “This is such a relief… Thank God Ms. Yates is okay.”

Wynn didn’t cry. She just exhaled deeply, finally relaxing as the tension melted from her furrowed brow.

Zachary turned to Stephen and scoffed coldly. “Stephen, Tessy almost died because of you. Stay away from her and don’t ruin her life any further.” Stephen said nothing.

The hours she spent in the ER had been the most painful, agonizing, guilt-ridden hours of his entire life.

He had nothing to say in his defense because he agreed with Zachary’s words deep down.

If it hadn’t been for him, would Tessa have ended up in James’ line of sight?

The guilt was suffocating. His heart felt like it was being clenched and twisted in someone’s hand-painful to the point of spasming.

Samuel looked up and stared

directly at Stephen as he said in et

cold and sharp voice, “Zachary’s right Stay away from Tessa. Don’t bring any more trouble into her life.”

Stephen’s breath caught in his throat, his chest tightening with pain.