The young man had always been a taboo in Luana's heart. After all these years, it was the first time Clarissa had heard her call out Albion's name in her sleep.
Clarissa wanted to ask if Luana still hadn't forgotten Albion deep down, but she was afraid of reopening old wounds.
After much thought, Clarissa chose to keep silent.
Albion was a matter of the past, and bringing him up would only cause unnecessary distress.
Luana had eaten only a small portion of the soup before feeling full. She put down her spoon and asked Clarissa, "Aren't you supposed to go to work?"
Clarissa pointed at her watch and said, "It's so late. There's no work to go to."
"Then you..." Luana began.
"I took two days off to be with you," Clarissa lay down on the empty hospital bed beside her. "It's also a good chance for me to catch up on some rest."
Luana smiled and said, "Thank you, Clarissa."
Clarissa waved her hand and yawned, "Luana, I'm going to take a nap. Call me if you need anything, okay?"
Luana nodded, "There are doctors everywhere. You can sleep soundly."
Only then did Clarissa close her eyes and fall asleep, exhausted.
Working in the nightlife, often in the late shifts, Clarissa's job was busy and strenuous.
She didn't get into college, missing out on that crucial stepping stone, and couldn't find a comfortable office job like a typical office lady.
After high school, she ended up in the nightlife scene, determined to establish herself in Greycastle.
Starting as a cocktail waitress, she worked her way up to a manager due to her excellent performance.
After a few years of hard work, she had a house and a car, a certain level of achievement, albeit very taxing.
Fortunately, Clarissa had a reliable boyfriend, and they were getting married next month on the ninth.
After the wedding, she would no longer be an orphan, starting her own family.
Despite the hardships, Clarissa's future was hopeful.
As for Luana, she didn't have many desires left. If she could live to see Clarissa's wedding day and watch her get married, she would have no regrets.
After spending a night in the hospital, Luana's high fever had completely subsided, though she was still weak. So didn't need to stay in the hospital any longer.
She asked Clarissa to settle the hospital bills, and they finished the discharge procedures and went straight home.
Once home, Clarissa busied herself in the kitchen. When Luana tried to help, Clarissa wouldn't let her.
"You go back and rest. I've got this," Clarissa shooed Luana out of the kitchen.
Although Luana's fever had subsided, her heart failure had worsened.
She experienced chest pain, dizziness, and lack of blood and oxygen supply, feeling too weak to even stand.
Unable to assist Clarissa in her current state, Luana went back to her bedroom.
She lay on the bed, intending to sleep, when her phone on the bedside table received a message. It was a news alert from an entertainment account she followed.
Since being with Cline, she had little knowledge of his itinerary and would occasionally see him in the news, prompting her to follow some entertainment accounts.
Opening the news, she saw paparazzi photos of Cline carrying Runa to the emergency room, with reports claiming they had rekindled their old romance.
Scrolling down, the comments were filled with admiration for their looks and family backgrounds, saying they were a perfect match.
Luana, seeing this, also thought they were indeed a well-suited couple—the man aloof and noble, the woman elegant and graceful.
She smiled bitterly, closed the news, and was about to turn off her phone when she noticed an unread message.
It was from an unknown number asking, "Why did you go to the hospital?"
Luana was taken aback, wondering how this person knew she had been to the hospital.
The message had been sent last night, around the time she woke up in the hospital.
She stared at the message, hardly daring to believe it.
The only person she encountered at the hospital last night was Cline. Could it have been him who sent it? Her hand trembled as she replied with three words, "Who is this?"
She didn't expect a quick response, but the reply came instantly, "Answer me."
Staring at those two words, her heart pounded.
The cold tone was reminiscent of Cline, yet her intuition told her he wouldn't send such a message.
Frowning, she typed, "Who are you exactly?"
This time, there was a long silence for nearly an hour before another message arrived. "Travis."
Luana's tense and trembling heart suddenly relaxed.
She thought it over and still felt something was off, so she dialed the number directly.
The call was rejected, and a text came through instead. "In a meeting."
Luana, chin in hand, pondered for a long while before mustering the courage to call Travis's work number.
He answered quickly, his voice low and impatient, "I'm in a meeting. What's up?!"
Luana, surprised that he was indeed in a meeting, hastily replied, "Nothing," and hung up.
She put down her phone, intending to ignore him, but another message arrived, returning to the initial question.
"Answer me. Why did you go to the hospital?"
Luana thought Travis was being irrational, not speaking on the phone but insisting on texting.
She didn't want to engage, but fearing to provoke him, she reluctantly typed, "Had a high fever. Went to the hospital for an IV drip."
She expected further inquiries, but he stopped bothering her.
Luana figured he was having a momentary lapse in judgment and, dismissing the phone, fell asleep, utterly exhausted.