Chapter 59 No Next Time
The voice on the other end hesitated, "Someone saw Ms. Pearl in the office, but nobody was watching her the whole time, so we can't be sure."
It was a mystery.
He had doubted Pearl before.
In his memory, Pearl had always been cautious around him, never making any mistakes, so he did not suspect her much.
Looking back, Pearl seemed very flustered.
The only woman who could get close to him was her.
But he was certain that woman wasn't Haley.
Oscar hung up the phone, closed his laptop, and left his study.
The lights were on when he got to the bedroom, but Pearl wasn't there.
Even her phone was left on the bed.
He searched the house and didn't see her anywhere, so he asked the housekeeper, "Where's the madam?"
The housekeeper replied, "I just saw the madam go downstairs."
Not finding Pearl in the villa and noticing she hadn't taken her phone, Oscar grew worried and made a call, "Pearl is missing. Start searching!"
--
Pearl woke up feeling dizzy and only realized she was in the hospital once she could see the environment clearly.
She propped herself up with difficulty, finding herself alone.
"Miss, you're awake," the nurse came in.
Pearl looked at her with a weak and hoarse voice, "What happened to me?"
The nurse said, "You were found unconscious on the side of the road. A Good Samaritan brought you to the hospital. You, a young woman, are out so late at night without your phone. If it hadn't been for the Good Samaritan, you might have frozen to death on the street."
Pearl then remembered the events from the night before, and a bitter smile curled on her lips.
"You fainted from low blood sugar, and you haven't been officially admitted yet. Notify your family to process the hospital admission," the nurse advised her.
Family?
Telling her parents would worry them.
Oscar...
Every time Pearl thought about how any improvement was just a fleeting dream before the storm, she didn't feel like telling him.
"How much will it cost?" Pearl asked, pale-faced, "Can I be discharged?"
As the nurse was replacing Pearl's IV bag, she said, "What's wrong? You don't have any money on you. What can you do but notify your family?"
Pearl lowered her eyes. "I don't have any family."
The nurse, judging by her clothing, said, "You must have some unspeakable trouble; you don't look like someone without family."
Pearl remained silent.
"You better notify your family quickly. You need someone with you in your current condition," the nurse insisted, afraid to leave her alone in case she passed out again without the good fortune of someone finding her.
Pearl evasively insisted, "I really don't have any family."
The nurse didn't believe her. "How can you not have a family? You need to notify your relatives right away..."
"What's going on here?"
Quincy noticed the disagreement and came over to check.
The hospital was short on beds, and since a Good Samaritan brought in Pearl, she was lying on a temporary stretcher in the hallway.
"Nurse," said Quincy, "this lady is sick and won't inform her relatives."
"Sister-in-law."
Quincy was stunned for a moment when he saw Pearl.
Pearl looked up, wishing she could bury her head and pretend she had never seen him.
"Dr. Quincy, do you know her?"
Quincy told the nurse, "You can go; I've got this."
Relieved, the nurse said, "Thank goodness, Dr. Quincy, since you know her, I'll go attend to other things."
Concerned for her, Quincy asked, "Sister-in-law, did you and your husband, Nathan, have a fight?"
Pearl answered, "No."
But it certainly didn't seem like there was no fight.
"Couples argue, but they reconcile. Whatever you can't get over, I'll tell Oscar you're in the hospital. He'd worry himself to death about you."
Pearl rejected the idea internally, "Please don't tell him."
"You heard the nurse; you need to inform a relative. You can't be discharged otherwise."
Pearl looked at Quincy, "I hope you mind your own business."
Her complexion was terrible, and she was stubborn, but her manner of speaking was just like Oscar's—truly a couple.
Quincy said, "Oscar has been looking for you everywhere. I already contacted him; he'll be here at the hospital soon."
Pearl pursed her lips, unwilling, but Quincy was Oscar's brother and would naturally side with him.
Fearing Pearl might flee, Quincy kept his eyes on her until Oscar arrived at the hospital.
Breathless, Oscar relaxed when he saw Pearl and approached briskly, "What happened? Are you feeling unwell?"
He reached out to touch Pearl's forehead.
Pearl instinctively dodged.
Oscar's hand hovered mid-air. Noticing her pallor and extreme detachment, he lowered it again.
"Why didn't you stay home instead of running out, especially after collapsing halfway through your journey?" Oscar asked, struggling to keep his patience in check.
Pearl didn't lift her head. "I was just bored and went for a walk. I didn't expect to faint; I probably didn't eat much that day and had low blood sugar."
Oscar turned to Quincy, who shrugged and honestly replied, "It was indeed low blood sugar."
At last, with Pearl found, Oscar's heart settled considerably.
He had her moved to a regular hospital room.
Pearl lay silently on the bed, her back to the door, her usual vibrancy drained away.
He could tell she wasn't happy. Overnight, she had turned into a completely different person from the cheerful one he had seen the day before.
Quincy exhaled heavily, "Man, your sister-in-law needs some sweet talking."
Oscar frowned and remained silent.
But Quincy managed to read the situation, "A woman's heart is like a needle in the sea. You can ask all you want and still not understand what's wrong. But you can tell she's unhappy."
Women really are hard to understand.
Why get married? A wife is like an ancestor!
Oscar shot Quincy a sidelong glance and said coldly, "Not busy with work? Then get lost!"
Quincy, realizing Oscar was in a foul mood and not in the least grateful for the information, didn't want to stir up trouble with the boss. He put on a smile and promptly made himself scarce.
When Oscar walked in, Pearl still had her back to him as if she was sulking. His voice was cold, "Don't you have anything to say to me?"
Pearl looked out at the bright blue sky, clear and bright, while her heart felt like it was raining.
She kept telling herself, what couldn't she get over?
Hadn't she grown accustomed to his indifference? There was no point in being sad and distressed over being used by him.
From the beginning, she should have seen it coming.
Pearl closed her eyes, wondering what she was even hoping for.
Was she too greedy, wanting more from Oscar?
She couldn't get over this hurdle and wasn't sure if she should be angry. And even if she was, what was she angry about?
She guessed she shouldn't be angry at all.
A smile tugged at Pearl's lips, uglier than crying, as she tried to heal herself and climb out of this dark, icy cave.
She turned to look at Oscar, gazing at his stern, handsome face, which seemed to be displeased by her disappearance. "I truly, truly just fainted during my walk, with no other intent. I'm sorry to have worried you. It won't happen again."
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