Chapter 6 6

Inside the VIP suite, the curtains were drawn tight, blocking out the afternoon sun. The room was shrouded in shadow.

Joseph Villarreal sat on the edge of the bed. He was shirtless, a bandage wrapped around his ribs where the shrapnel had grazed him, but it was his head that was killing him. It felt like someone was driving a railroad spike through his temple.

"Where is he?" Joseph growled, his voice rasping.

Kieran, his assistant, looked nervous. "Security says he's coming up the elevator now, Sir. He... he has a guest."

"A guest?" Joseph squinted, the pain flaring behind his eyes. "I told you, no visitors."

"He says it's a doctor, Sir."

Joseph let out a harsh breath. "Another quack? Get rid of them."

"But Sir-"

"Dean!" Joseph shouted.

Dean Williams, the hospital director, scurried in from the hallway. "Yes, Mr. Villarreal?"

"My son is wandering your hospital soliciting medical advice from strangers. Control your staff."

"I'm sorry, Sir. We're trying to locate-"

Out in the hallway, Jamin was practically dragging Giselle.

"It's right here," he whispered, pointing to the double doors at the end of the hall.

Giselle's palms were sweating inside her latex gloves. She could hear voices inside. Low, angry voices.

Then, a phone rang.

Jamin jumped. It was his smartwatch. He tapped the screen. "Hello?"

He put it on speaker.

"Jamin," a voice boomed from the watch. "Get in here. Now."

Giselle stopped dead.

The sound of that voice. It wasn't just a sound; it was a physical sensation. It vibrated through her bones, waking up ghosts she thought she had buried. It was deeper than she remembered, rougher, laced with pain, but unmistakably him.

Joseph.

"Daddy!" Jamin chirped into the watch. "I found her! I found Dr. Mandy! She's right here!"

Silence on the other end. Then, Joseph's voice, cold and suspicious. "Dr. Mandy? The one who refuses to see anyone?"

"Yes! She's super pretty and she smells nice!"

"Jamin," Joseph warned. "Step away from her. It's a trick."

Giselle felt like she had been slapped. A trick. Even now, without seeing her, he assumed the worst. The years hadn't changed him. He was still the man who saw plots in every shadow.

She looked down at Jamin. He was looking up at her with pure adoration. "Come on, pretty lady."

She pulled her hand away.

Jamin looked confused. "Dr. Mandy?"

Panic, cold and sharp, flooded her system. She couldn't do this. She couldn't face him. Not like this. Not when he thought she was a con artist. Not when Jamin was... his son with someone else.

The reality of Jamin's parentage hit her again. He was proof that Joseph had moved on. Proof that he had a life, a family, without her.

"I can't," she whispered. Her voice trembled.

Inside the room, Joseph heard the hesitation through the speaker. "Who is there?" he demanded. The voice on the other end-that whisper-it sounded like a ghost.

Giselle backed away. Her heel caught the wheel of a cleaning cart parked against the wall.

CRASH.

A metal bucket fell, clattering loudly on the tile floor.

"Who is that?" Joseph's voice turned predatory. "Kieran, open the door!"

"No," Giselle gasped.

She turned around. She didn't walk. She ran.

Her white coat flapped behind her as she sprinted toward the stairwell.

"Wait!" Jamin cried out behind her. "Don't go!"

She didn't look back. She burst through the stairwell door just as the VIP suite doors flew open.