Chapter 5 I'll Be Forever Grateful To You Both

"What is it, Mrs. Holden?" Lillian spun around and caught hold of Adeline's arm.

Adeline shook her head and decided against going in to check if the patient was Waylon. After all, Holden wasn't exactly a rare surname. She turned her gaze away from the half-open hospital door and continued walking.

Lillian led Adeline down the corridor to a patient room. "This is room 303."

Before Lillian could knock, Adeline stepped ahead, her hand already on the knob. She turned it quietly and pushed the door open.

The hospital room was well-lit and spotless. Inside, two patients lay in beds, their bodies heavily bandaged like mummies, limbs suspended, creating a sorrowful scene.

Near the window stood a middle-aged man, his shoulders hunched from exhaustion, his hair mostly gray. A battered suitcase sat by his side.

The moment the middle-aged man saw Adeline step inside, his eyes turned red with emotion. Then, without warning, he dropped to his knees with a heavy thud, his entire frame trembling.

Adeline let go of Lillian's hand, unfolded her collapsible cane with practiced ease, and strode past the middle-aged man without a glance, heading straight for the hospital beds.

Oliver and Khloe lay on the beds, almost unconscious.

Oliver's face was brutally battered-every inch swollen and discolored, his eyes reduced to slits, with drool trailing from the corner of his mouth.

Adeline stared at him in silence, memories crowding in-grief, scorn, and a bitter tinge of irony swirling within her. There was a time when Oliver's seeming kindness had truly stirred her. To a blind girl with nothing, his fleeting affection had felt profound. How could it have left her unmoved? But only when she overheard Oliver and Khloe making out on her own bed, ridiculing her as a penniless yet arrogant woman, did the truth finally sink in.

Oliver stirred, sensing her presence. His bloodshot eyes opened a sliver. His voice trembled. "You..."

Adeline glanced away, slipping into the role of the blind girl she still pretended to be. She gave a faint, knowing smile. "Oliver, surprised to see me thriving?"

"You blind wretch-why would Waylon let you off the hook?" Khloe spat from the next bed, her voice weak but venomous. She couldn't wrap her head around it. Waylon wouldn't spare anyone. How had Adeline escaped unscathed? Adeline should have been forced to endure an abortion, a surgery proven fatal to her condition.

Adeline stood there, wielding her cane with exacting aim as she tapped both Oliver and Khloe.

Both Oliver and Khloe groaned through clenched teeth, their bodies jerking under the sting. Lillian flinched at the sight.

Too weak to retaliate, Oliver and Khloe could only mutter slurred curses beneath their breath.

Adeline, unfazed, continued tapping her cane at them in a slow, deliberate rhythm, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "I really should thank you both. I'm now part of the prestigious Holden family."

"What?" Their eyes flew open in disbelief, twitching with every tap.

"Why so shocked? I owe my current status to your 'help.' I'll be eternally 'grateful, '" Adeline said, stressing each word before swinging her cane to strike Khloe's suspended leg hard.

"Ah!" Khloe let out a strained gasp, her lashes trembling as the pain overtook her and she sank into unconsciousness.

"Oops. My apologies." Adeline hesitated, as if just now registering the harm she'd caused. Then, without a word, she turned and made her way toward Oliver.

He shrieked, "Don't! Stay back-don't come any closer!"

Panicked, he twisted on the bed, inching away with trembling limbs.

Adeline's expression didn't change. She reached his bedside, calmly grabbed the IV needle, and jostled it from side to side.

"Aaagh!" Oliver's eyes rolled back, and he slumped into unconsciousness.

Lillian stood frozen, unable to process what she had just witnessed.

The room fell deathly quiet as Adeline straightened and tucked her cane neatly at her side.

Waylon's ruthless assault on Oliver and Khloe had already done most of the damage, leaving Adeline with few chances to exact her own revenge.

At last, the middle-aged man, still kneeling on the floor, spoke up, his voice thin and trembling. "I'm sorry. I should have corrected my son's behavior and seen how poorly he treated you sooner. I failed in the duty your parents entrusted to me..."