In a state of recollection, the words of Ulric echoed in her mind.
His assurance of covering her mother’s medical expenses and finding the best doctor for her resurfaced, leaving Rosalind with no other viable option.
Frantically, Rosalind embarked on a desperate quest to retrieve her middle school classmates’ phone numbers. Fortunately, she managed to find one and implored him to add her back to the class WhatsApp group. However, to her astonishment, Ulric had departed from the group after she had left!
“Is anyone able to contact Ulric Walters?” she hastily inquired within the group, disregarding potential gossip.
Shortly after, a classmate named Neal Wong responded, “Wait, wasn’t he in the group before? I saw him just a few days ago. Why did he leave?”
“Perhaps it’s normal for him to leave. He’s now the CEO of the W Group, after all. He’s no longer on the same wavelength as us ordinary folks.”
“How jealous you are.”
Amidst the shifting discourse, Rosalind’s message quickly got buried, leaving her perplexed and pondering alternative approaches. Suddenly, someone in the group tagged her!
“Rosalind? I have Ulric’s phone number, but I haven’t contacted him in years. I’m not sure if he has changed his number. I saved it the last time he reached out to me, asking to be added to the group,” the class monitor replied, promptly sharing the number in a private message.
Rosalind felt as though she had stumbled upon a treasure and promptly dialed the number.
However, instead of Ulric’s voice, she heard a cold female voice saying, “Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off…”
The chilling voice acted as a jolt, instantly awakening her from her hopeful reverie. Once again, she left the WhatsApp group.
What was she thinking?
Had she truly believed Ulric’s words?
He had someone he cared about deeply. Perhaps his proposal of marriage was merely a result of a spat with his significant other, leaving him emotionally unsettled!
How could she forget the stark differences between them?
Unable to even catch a glimpse of him, she naively assumed that he would still assist her after she rejected him.
Setting her phone aside, Rosalind returned to the ICU.
Her mother lay there, either asleep or in an unconscious state, so serenely that it sent shivers down Rosalind’s spine.
Behind her, the doctor examined Eva’s vital signs and whispered to Rosalind, “Have you made a decision regarding the surgery?”
“Doctor, is it possible to pay the hospital in installments?” Rosalind’s voice sounded parched and cracked from a day without water. Her lips were already bleeding, giving her a disheveled appearance.
Regrettably, Dr. Wong helplessly replied, “That’s not feasible. I genuinely want to assist you, but considering your mother’s condition and the absence of any assets, the hospital won’t agree to proceed with the surgery first. You need to comprehend the situation.”
“…”
Honestly, Rosalind wasn’t taken aback by this response.
She truly had nothing.
“You should go and have something to eat. I’ll keep an eye on things here for a while. Your mother needs to stay in the ICU tonight. If you collapse first because you’re the only one here, it won’t benefit anyone.”
Rosalind nodded and expressed her gratitude.
But how could she summon an appetite? She only purchased a bottle of mineral water for herself. As she used her phone to make the payment, that same number called back-
It was Ulric!
Rosalind hastily pressed the answer button and uttered, “Ulric-”
“Hello, who is this?”