The second Marcus recognized me, he froze like he’d seen a ghost.
Then he immediately stepped in front of Lily.
Like if he didn’t shield her from me, I’d attack her right there in the hospital hallway.
I almost laughed out loud.
I walked past them without missing a beat, completely unfazed, and headed into the consultation room.
“Lily Ashford, right? Come on in. Family can wait
tside.”
“Hold up–why is she in there?”
Before Lily could even move, Marcus barged into the room and grabbed my arm, yanking me back out into the hallway.
“Dr. Thompson, could we get a different nurse? I don’t trust the really young one.”
His words made every doctor and nurse in the area stop dead in their tracks.
“Nurse? What’s this guy’s problem–that’s Audrey! Dr. Thompson’s student!”
“She’s headed to one of the top research labs in the country, just doing clinical research at the hospital for her first year.”
“She and Dr. Thompson did that crazy difficult vocal cord reconstruction surgery together last year. Does his sister even deserve to be treated by Dr. Thompson and my senior?”
Everyone was looking at Marcus like he was insane, while he stood there like he was hearing fairy tales.
This brilliant, untouchable person everyone was praising–that was Elena?
And they were calling her Audrey…
I watched him stand there in shock, but honestly, I had zero interest in dealing with his drama. I just walked out of the consultation room.
“Wait, Ele–Dr. Harrington!”
I hadn’t even made it to the stairs when Marcus caught up, blocking my path.
“You… don’t you remember who I am?”
He stared at me like he was searching for cracks in
my
facade.
I just looked at him like he belonged in a psych ward and asked:
“Should I know you?”
“Oh, did we meet when I was little?” I gave him a polite smile and tapped my temple:
“Sorry, but I had a head injury as a kid. I only remember stuff from age
six onwards.”
Marcus went pale and blurted out:
“So who are your parents now? Don’t you ever wonder about your parents from before you were six…”
“My parents from age six onwards are my real parents. They adopted me.”
I looked him straight in the eye, completely composed:
“As for whatever happened before that… what’s that got to do with me?”
I dropped that line and headed downstairs.
20.37
My Sister’s Dving But Guess What? My God’s Right Hand Refuses to Save Her
Marcus stood there, completely stunned.
Adopted. Elena really had been adopted,
After abandoning me in those woods, he’d actually felt guilty about it, but…
He just didn’t want all that “bad luck” to repeat itself.
“Your sister’s preliminary tests show her throat is perfectly healthy–no issues at all.”
“If she still can’t speak, it’s probably psychological. You should see a psychiatrist.”
Same results as always. Lily looked up at Marcus with that scared puppy expression, but he didn’t give her his usual comfort.
He was spacing out.
Lily’s face just dropped.
Marcus was walking out of the hospital with her, still in a daze, when he saw me again heading toward some fancy car by the entrance.
He paused, then walked over me with a frown.
“You got into this hospital because of him, didn’t you?”
“You said your parents treat you well, but no ordinary family could afford to train you well enough to work at a place like this.”
It took me a few seconds to catch his meaning, and then I burst out laughing at how stupid he was.
When Marcus saw my expression, he actually thought he’d hit a nerve. He stepped closer and said:
“You don’t have to degrade yourself like this. If you’re willing to…”
“Audrey, who are you talking to? Your brother’s been waiting for ages!”
The car door slammed shut, and Dylan naturally took my bag from my hands while pulling me close with his other arm.
