Love the Second Time Around

Chapter 35

Chapter 35 Right And Wrong

James then shifted his gaze to me. “Dominic will be here later. Don’t worry; nothing bad will happen.”

His words left me baffled. Dominic asked them to come here?

Coincidentally, my phone began to ring with a call from Dominic himself.

“Is James there?” Dominic asked the moment our call connected.

“Yeah, he is here.” The fear in me had subsided immensely. It must be due to the presence of other people in the room. Additionally, Yvonne and the group of doctors were busy inspecting Coraline’s wound.

Dominic’s baritone voice sounded especially fierce as he said, “That’s good. They will settle the incident. You should head home right away. Don’t take any more detours and don’t cause any more incidents.”

I can’t believe him! I was utterly terrified; yet, he didn’t even try to comfort me. He even told me not to get into any more incidents. Did he think that I wanted to do this on purpose?

In the blink of an eye, his harsh words caused a cold feeling to blossom in my heart.

“Got it,” I said curtly and ended the call. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

I shouldn’t be overthinking. Dominic is just cleaning up my mess so that it won’t inconvenience him. After all, I’m now his caregiver. It would tarnish his reputation if I’m labeled as a murderer.

After they finished inspecting Coraline, Yvonne instructed the doctors to carry her out on the stretcher.

“Don’t worry; she isn’t in a critical condition,” Yvonne explained.

I nodded in acknowledgment. “Okay, thank you so much.”

Even Yvonne treated me better than Dominic did. At least she knows how to offer her comfort!

As we went downstairs, I noticed that Coraline had been carried into the ambulance.

Initially, I had plans to head to the hospital too. However, James stopped me from following the ambulance. “Ms. Zanetti, let’s go. I’ll send you home,” he said lowly.

His words caused me to recall Dominic’s warning from earlier, and I dismissed the idea of going to the hospital.

It was just after lunchbreak; thus, there were a group of elderly men and women gathered downstairs as they chatted amongst themselves. Amidst the group, I saw many familiar faces.

“It’s been such a long time we saw you!”

“Ms. Zanetti, what happened to Coraline? Why is the ambulance here?”

One by one, they bombarded me with countless questions.

They looked at James with a suspicious gaze as he was someone who they didn’t recognize. They even sized him up.

With the current situation, I had no wish to complicate it any further. Thus, I played along and answered a handful of questions before dragging James away from the crowd.

On the other hand, Dominic did not ask me about my destination. Likewise, I did not give him a location too. Nevertheless, he sent me to Dominic’s mansion.

“Go inside and take a shower before you rest. You don’t have to worry about anything. He should be back tonight,” James said as he handed me my laptop and bag.

I accepted my belongings and thanked him before I entered the house.

After leaving my things in my room, I stripped my clothes and walked into the bathroom.

The stench of blood that clung to my skin was extremely nauseating.

To get rid of the smell, I showered for over two hours.

After I got dressed, I walked to the balcony and took a seat on the chaise longue. Next, I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Julius. No matter our relationship, I felt a responsibility to inform him about the incident with Coraline.

Although I had only met Yvonne twice, I held great trust in her words.

Yet, the imagery of Coraline lying in the pool of blood kept resurfacing in my mind.

Even though I’d just showered, it felt like I could still smell the stench of blood on me.

I closed my eyes and leaned against the chaise longue. I’m feeling a little tired; maybe I should take a nap.

Not long later, I fell into an uneasy slumber. However, I was roused from my sleep when my phone rang.

The caller was none other than Julius.

I hesitated for a brief moment answering the call.

Immediately, Julius’ angry voice echoed through the phone. “Liliana, I can’t believe you! How dare you attack my mom?” he roared.

I tried to defend myself against his accusations. “I didn’t do it on purpose. Your mom—”

“Don’t give me any excuses! Come to People’s Hospital right away! You’ll be a murderer if something bad happens to my mom.”

Julius’ harsh words caused me to panic again.

Didn’t Yvonne say that Coraline will be fine? Was she lying?

Promptly, I forgot about Dominic’s warnings as I grabbed my purse and rushed out.

Once I arrived at the hospital, I couldn’t find Julius anywhere. Hurriedly, I called him.

He instructed me to head to Ward 504.

I heaved out a huge sigh of relief when I realized that Coraline was at the ward. Since she’s at an ordinary ward, nothing life-threatening must have happened.

True to my assumptions, Coraline was on the bed with her head wrapped with several bandages.

Despite the fact that her face was pale and gaunt, she seemed to be in perfect condition.

Julius, on the other hand, was seated beside the bed as he looked after her dutifully. After all, he had always been a very obedient son.

Aside from Julius and Coraline, I noticed that there were other patients in the ward too.

At the same time, I realized that there was something odd about their gazes. It seemed like they were glaring at me with a mixture of anger and disdain.

Julius strode toward me when he noticed my presence. There was a look of anguish painted all over his face.

He even reached out to grasp my hand. The words that spilled out of his mouth left me utterly stunned.

“Darling, you know that I’m in love with you. Despite your actions, I never pressed you for any questions. As long as you are willing to return home, I’m more than happy to spend the rest of my days with you. If you are looking to ask for a divorce because you fell for someone else, I’ll gladly fulfill any of your requests. All I want is for you to be happy.”

I stared at him in a dumbfounded manner. Before I could respond, Coraline spoke up. “Julius, it’s all my fault. I’ll move out as soon as possible to ensure that the two of you can live in peace,” she sniffled and said pitifully.

Finally, I realized the true meaning of their words. They are putting on an act to gain pity. It’s no wonder the other people in the ward looked at me with such distaste when I entered.

All of the guilt that I felt toward Coraline disappeared into thin air.

“Julius, it’s true that I hurt your mom. I will not hesitate to pay for her medical fees. However, I’m sure that you know the truth of the scenario. How can you say such a blatant lie?” I replied in a cold voice.

A look of hurt and sadness flashed across his face. “Darling, you know how much I love my mom. Please don’t blame me for doing this. However, I can’t overlook your actions anymore.” The tone of his voice seemed to waver as he spoke. It seemed like he was about to burst into tears.

Before I could fully comprehend his words, two figures appeared behind my back.

Suddenly, I felt something cold clamp around my wrist as I looked down. Are those handcuffs?