Chapter 86 Aiming to Be the Unsung Hero
Nora nodded nonchalantly. "I see."
"What about you? Why the early hospital visit?" Paul asked, curiosity evident on his face.
"It's quite the coincidence. I'm here for Kim too. I'm a fan of his movies. When he was admitted, Jenny asked me to give him a diagnostic, and now I'm just checking on his recovery,” Nora explained. "Plus, I wanted to get his autograph while I'm here."
"Doctor says he's on the mend, should bounce in a couple of days," Paul chuckled.
Nora nodded. "I thought I'd drop in while it's quiet to get that autograph."
"Alright then, I'll be heading back."
With a slight nod to Paul, Nora stepped into the elevator.
As the doors shut, the smile on Nora's face faded.
Paul was careful with his words. How could she reveal his true intentions?
Nora knocked on the hospital room door, which was opened by Kim's assistant.
Recognizing her as Jenny's friend, he greeted, "Hello, can I help you?"
"I'm here to check on Kim's leg injury," Nora said.
The assistant let her in.
Inside the room, Kim's leg was elevated as he was engrossed in a video game.
When Nora entered, Kim glanced up briefly and continued playing, "Oh, it's you."
Nora smiled warmly, "Kim, I just wanted to see how you're feeling after the surgery."
"I'm doing fine," he said, still on his game.
"That's good to hear. As a fan, would you mind giving me an autograph?"
Kim, having just finished a round of his game, looked up and asked, "Where do you want it?"
"How about here?"
Nora handed him a notebook.
Kim took the notebook and began to sign.
Nora took the opportunity to scan the room.
The window was open.
Upon entering, she noticed a distinct odor.
It was the smell that lingers after making love.
Nora's gaze subtly shifted, resting on the trash can beside her without drawing attention, and discreetly pressed down on it.
The lid of the trash bin had been flipped open, and Nora, with her sharp eyes, spotted two used condoms inside.
Her complexion shifted subtly.
CCTV footage indicated that Paul had spent the night there.
Yet, there was no sign of a woman coming in.
The purpose of those two condoms in the trash was...
"Here you go."
Kim had finished signing and handed the notebook to Nora.
Nora snapped back to reality and murmured a thank you.
As she took the notebook, she grazed Kim's fingers.
Kim's brow furrowed, and he instinctively grabbed a wet wipe from nearby, cleaning his fingers.
The gesture could be seen as a sign of germaphobia or as an aversion to a woman's touch.
Nora pursed her red lips, her mind racing.
"Is there anything else?"
Kim, seeing Nora still lingering, asked with a hint of displeasure.
"No, that's all. You get some rest."
Nora said, then left the hospital room.
She came to a conclusion.
Kim must be into guys!
Could it be that he and Paul were gay?
If so, why then would Paul plan to marry Jenny?
Some men, to avert suspicion, would pose as straight by marrying women.
Their wives often ended up with tragic fates.
Could Jenny be just a shield for Paul?
The thought sent waves of emotion through Nora.
Paul came from a remote mountain area.
The villagers there surely wouldn't understand his orientation.
If he stayed unmarried, they'd think he's a weirdo.
That's why he play-acted a romance with Jenny, talking marriage but never touching her!
If that was indeed the case, then Paul was despicable.
For a moment, Nora wanted to tell Jenny right away.
But as she took out her phone, she hesitated.
It was only her speculation; she had no proof.
What if Paul denied everything?
He could turn the tables, damaging her relationship with Jenny.
She needed solid evidence before she could discuss the situation with Jenny!
Distracted, Nora arrived at the research office.
Several colleagues were already there, huddled together, engaged in conversation.
Seeing Nora, one called out, "Nora, you should check the internet. Dr. Luna has posted an apology to you."
Nora was momentarily taken aback.
Dr. Luna, issuing an online apology to her?
What was going on?
Nora logged onto the internet and found that Dr. Luna had published an article.
"Hey, everyone. Dr. Luna here. My bad to Dr. Nora. It was my mistake, making wild accusations without any proof. All the men in that video were just friends, and I wrongfully accused her of being promiscuous out of jealousy. I sincerely apologize and ask for Nora's forgiveness."
Seeing this message, Nora's brows lifted in surprise.
What was Dr. Luna up to?
It wasn't like the typically arrogant and well-to-do Dr. Luna to apologize unless something major had happened.
Just then, Howard walked in, with Dr. Luna following him.
Nora glanced at them, noticing Dr. Luna's discomfort.
"Dr. Luna, are you sure you want to leave the research team?" Howard inquired, looking straight at her.
Dr. Luna's eyes flickered with reluctance, but she nodded, "Yes, I'm sure."
Howard didn't press further, shooting Nora a look.
Nora was stunned, not having expected an online apology from Dr. Luna, let alone her leaving the research team.
"Nora, you saw the blog post online, right?"
Dr. Luna's tone was stiff as she addressed Nora.
Nora nodded. "I saw it."
Dr. Luna paused, then bent slightly in a bow, "I'm sorry for slandering you. Please forgive me."
Nora sensed the constraint in Dr. Luna's demeanor, obviously forced into this apology.
Once Dr. Luna straightened up and saw Nora remaining silent, she pleaded, "Nora, won't you forgive me?"
Nora didn't take gossip to heart.
She just wondered about Dr. Luna's flip.
"I forgive you."
Dr. Luna seemed relieved.
Without another word, she quickly gathered her things from her desk and left.
Nora hurried after her. "Wait a second."
Dr. Luna stopped in her tracks, a flash of tension and resentment in her eyes.
"Nora, you said you forgave me. Are you going to keep holding my mistake against me?"
"No, that's not it," Nora responded. "I just want to know who pushed you to say sorry."
Dr. Luna glanced at Nora, pressing down her indignation. "It was my dad. Aaron put pressure on him, and he insisted I apologize to you personally."
If it weren't for Aaron, Dr. Luna wouldn't have bothered.
And she certainly didn't expect Nora to have the clout to get Aaron to stand up for her!
Watching Dr. Luna leave, Nora was still in a daze.
Was Aaron helping her behind the scenes?
Why hadn't he mentioned it last night? He must fancy himself a silent hero! She was touched. After a moment's thought, she took out her phone and sent Aaron a message.
"Thomas, thanks for what you did online."
Aaron was in the middle of drinking a bitter medicinal brew. His lips curled into a half-smile as he read Nora's message. Glancing at the bowl of awful-tasting concoction in his hand, he typed back, "Who made me this awful concoction to drink?"
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