Chapter 4

"Darren..." she tried to call him. But her voice was drowned out by Khloe's dramatic sobbing.

Darren was already supporting Khloe to get out of the room, while a nurse hurried in pushing a wheelchair.

He immediately stepped aside, speaking urgently, "She's feeling a bit dizzy, possibly a side effect from the car accident."

The nurse skillfully placed an oxygen mask on Khloe's face and instructed, "Could you please wait outside?"

Rona watched Darren nod without hesitation like he had completely forgotten she was still standing there. He followed the mobile bed out of the room and did not even look back for one.

The banquet of lilies, known for triggering her allergies, slipped from her fingers and dropped onto the floor with a dull thud.

No one had noticed that her eyelids began to swell and tears flowed uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"Miss?" A nurse finally noticed something was wrong with her. "You look terrible."

Rona tried to answer but could only manage a hoarse whisper. She pointed at the flowers on the floor, then at her reddened neck.

"Pollen allergy?" The nurse quickly understood, helping her to sit down. "Can you hear me? Just nod or shake your head to answer."

Rona nodded. Her dizziness forcing her to close her eyes. She heard a sound of wheels rolling nearby. Then she felt the cold touch of a stethoscope on her back.

"Shall we give her an adrenaline?" another nurse asked.

"An antihistamine first," someone replied.

The prick of the medication entering her veins brought Rona a brief moment of clarity.

The coolness of the medicine flowing through her veins reminded her that Darren was there with her while she was getting an injection a year ago. She had been running a high fever. And he was there to take care of her for three whole days.

But now, where was he?

"Darren, I think I recall something." Said Khloe with a delicate voice in the adjacent examination room. "That day, were you smiling at me?"

"Khloe, don't force yourself to remember," Darren's voice was softly and soothingly low. "The doctor said to let it recover naturally."

Rona felt her stomach twisted with pain.

When the antihistamine began to work, another kind of pain was spreading in her heart.

She recalled that she had to leave early due to an allergy caused by lilies on the table at the company party last year. Darren was so worried that he almost called an ambulance. The whole company knew about it, so Khloe must have been aware of it, too.

Yet now, Darren was with someone else.

The nurse moved her to a different spot and kept her away from the scattered petals. But there were things couldn't be removed.

"Feeling better?" The nurse handed her a glass of water. "You should stay here for half hour. If the throat swelling doesn't worsen, you can go."

Rona forced a faint smile.

Though the medication eased her allergy symptoms somewhat, her head was still heavy. She decided to leave. She didn't want to stay here for a moment.

As she pushed open the ward door, she instinctively glanced toward the examination room at the end of the corridor.

The door was slightly ajar. And through the gap, she saw Khloe was sitting on the examination table and Darren was standing between her legs. Khloe's hands rested on his neck and her lips was nearly touching his earlobe, while Darren was gently combed through Khloe's long hair with his fingers.

Rona froze that she even felt her blood coagulated. She didn't linger or look back.

As the elevator doors closed, she finally allowed herself to bend over and gasped for breath.

Her phone vibrated in her purse with a message from Darren. "Khloe needs to undergo some tests. I'll be back later. Can you take a cab yourself?"

Rona stared at the screen until her vision blurred.

She slowly typed, "Okay."

Then she opened her conversations with Jade. "Please expedite the resignation process. I'll be leaving as soon as my contract ends."

Jade replied quickly, "Everything's ready, just waiting for Darren's signature. Need me to remind him?"

"No need. I'll handle it myself."