After waiting for an hour, Aoife finally emerged from inside, with Finn still by her side.
Hattie stood at the doorway, peeking through the crack to see Dr. Samuel shaking his head inside. Hattie raised her hand and knocked on the door twice.
“Come in.”
Hattie entered the room, “Dr. Samuel.”
“Dr. Mason, what brings you here?”
“Just have a few questions for you.”
“What is it? Go ahead.” Dr. Samuel motioned for her to sit down and poured her a glass of water, placing it on the table. “Take a seat.”
“Thank you.” Hattie sat down and slowly began, “I wanted to ask about Aoife.”
Dr. Samuel paused, chuckling, “Dr. Mason, you know that doctors have a duty to protect the patient’s privacy.”
“I understand. I’m not asking for anything else, just wondering about her condition and how the man by her side treats her.”
Dr. Samuel sighed, shaking his head, “Her condition is not very good. I wanted to prescribe medication for her, but Mr. Snearl said not to, as once medication is prescribed, she cannot conceive. He wants Aoife to have his child.”
Beast! Patients with depression cannot conceive, as unstable emotions make them more prone to miscarriages. This logic is known to anyone, just like Hamish. They have the same despicable blood running through their veins.
“Did Aoife say anything during the treatment?”
“Considering she’s a depression patient, you can guess what she said, ‘Leave me alone.’ Struggling day and night, living in pain, not wanting to live but having to.”
“She wants someone to save her, she has been crying for help. When I hypnotized her, she kept saying ‘save me.’ She is living in agony, wanting to change everything.” Dr. Samuel’s voice choked, and tears welled up in his eyes.
Hattie felt a pang in her heart after hearing this. Wasn’t Elisa looking for help from outside back then? But no one could save her, and she died at the age of 27.
Hattie clenched her teeth. If she hadn’t encountered her, she could have turned a blind eye. But since she did, as a woman, she couldn’t stand by and watch Aoife walk the same path as Elisa. She was still so young, she should be living each day happily, not confined in a mental hospital due to depression or being Finn’s mistress and a mere tool for reproduction.
“Dr. Mason.” Dr. Samuel noticed Hattie’s silence and called out to her.
“What’s wrong?”
“What are you thinking about? You seem lost in thought.”
“Nothing. Dr. Samuel, I have one last question. Has Aoife mentioned how long she will be at the hospital? How long does she need to stay here?”
“She hasn’t mentioned it yet. However, Mr. Snearl has hired a nurse to take care of Aoife. He also mentioned that he will be flying back to his country tomorrow, and it may take him ten days to two weeks to return.”
In such a hurry to leave, probably to get engaged. Hattie lowered her eyes, hiding the mockery in them. She took a sip of water to soothe the agitation in her chest.
After finishing the water, she threw the cup into the trash. “Dr. Samuel, I’ll leave now.”
“Wait…” Dr. Samuel stopped her, “Why are you so concerned about this person named Aoife? Do you know her?”
“I don’t. I just feel sorry for her…” Hattie said without turning back, before opening the door and leaving.
Why did she want to become a doctor? Hattie stood in the corridor, looking at the blue sky outside.
The purpose of being a doctor is to save lives and help more people. Knowing that a patient is crying out for help, how could she not help?
A gust of wind blew in, lifting the work pass hanging around her neck.
…
At five o’clock in the afternoon, the assistant brought Finn’s luggage to the hospital.
His return flight was scheduled for nine in the morning.
The hospital was a bit far from the airport, so Finn had to leave at seven in the morning.
Finn sat beside Aoife, saying, “Aoife, I’ll be returning to my country tomorrow. Please wait for me here, listen to the doctors, eat well, and receive treatment. I’ll come back to be with you after the engagement. Hopefully, you’ll be better by the time I return.”
Finn thought Aoife would still remain silent as usual and not respond to his words.
But to his surprise, Aoife blinked, mustering a smile and said, “Congratulations on your engagement.”
Finn’s mood was not good. He took out a cigarette, realizing he couldn’t smoke in the hospital, so he put it back in his pocket. His tone was low as he said, “If possible, I wish I could take you with me.”
The reason for his bad mood was Aoife. He wanted Aoife to care about him and be jealous of him, rather than casually wishing him a happy engagement.
But even if Aoife was jealous, what difference would it make?
“Although we won’t get married, I will take care of you for the rest of my life,” Finn said.
Aoife’s heart sank, feeling the weight of a stone. Her gaze turned blank.
Lately, Aoife had lost her appetite, eating less and looking even skinnier due to poor nutrition. Finn worried that if he left, she wouldn’t eat properly. He asked his assistant to bring a portion of ginseng chicken soup from the restaurant and watched as Aoife drank it sip by sip. As he saw her finish it, the tension in Finn’s heart eased.
The next day, Finn woke up at six. Aoife was still asleep when he woke up. He stood quietly by her bedside, watching her.
When Aoife wasn’t sick, no matter how late she slept, she would wake up at four in the morning to prepare a hearty breakfast.
But now, Aoife would sleep for a long time if not awakened. Finn watched her soundly asleep, and couldn’t help but wonder when she would wake up.
Since when did he start caring so much about Aoife?
“Actually, I don’t want to get engaged to Lily,” Finn said softly. He had never thought of making Aoife his lifelong lover, but many things were beyond his control.
He wanted to keep Aoife by his side, even if one day he went to hell, he wanted to drag her along.
As Aoife shifted in her sleep, Finn bent down gently twisted the blanket for her and planted a soft kiss on her forehead.
“Promise me to wait for me obediently.”
After finishing his morning routine, Finn left at seven o’clock as planned. His assistant came to drive him, fetch his luggage, but even with all the commotion, it didn’t wake Aoife up.
It wasn’t until the room was completely quiet that the person who had been sleeping with her eyes closed suddenly opened them. The warmth still lingered on her forehead, and Aoife wiped it away.
She propped herself up on the bed, wearing slippers, and stood by the window. It was seven in the morning, a bit chilly outside. She leaned against the window, gazing out, and after staring for a while, she saw the familiar figure downstairs.
Finn had really left… she didn’t want to wait obediently for him. If possible, she hoped Finn wouldn’t return after leaving, hoping he would forget her.