Two agonizingly long days have passed since my admission to the hospital, during which I have heard nothing from Sunghoon.
Teresa and my mother spend most of their time by my side, though my mother still avoids looking at me any longer than necessary, if she even dares to turn her eyes on me.
At least Teresa has been able to convince her to stay at the hotel longer to avoid my father's wrath, but both Teresa and I know that this cannot go on forever. By the time I'm released at the latest, we'll have to have found another solution to this problem.
"The x-rays show a marked improvement in your condition," Dr. Murphy informs me, standing in front of my bed with my chart in his hand, looking back and forth between me and my records through his round glasses.
He folds the file closed and hands it to his assistant, who tucks it under her arm. At that moment, a woman in her thirties enters the room and introduces herself to me as Dr. Brown. She is a psychologist.
"It is fortunate that I find you alone today, as I have something to ask you. Your mother told me you fell down the stairs-," Dr. Murphy continues. The blood in my veins freezes, because I can well imagine where this conversation will lead.
"However, given the distribution of your hematomas, I find that very difficult to imagine." I glance uneasily back and forth between Dr. Murphy, his assistant, and the psychologist. "I don't know what you're talking about," I lie, finally averting my gaze.
"Ms. Rey-," the psychologist puts in, approaching my bed. I would love to get up and flee, but the tube in my body and the IV that was hooked up to me a few minutes ago by the young assistant who is now looking at me compassionately make it impossible.
"Domestic violence is unfortunately not uncommon. Those affected usually take the perpetrator into protection. Out of fear, out of shame, out of guilt. I won't force you to talk, but if you want to talk, don't be afraid to approach me."
Silently, I cross my arms in front of my chest as I fight the tears. I try to hide this, however, by avoiding lifting my gaze. "All right...", Dr. Murphy speaks up again and clears his throat. "Your next X-ray is scheduled for tomorrow morning. We may be able to pull your drain at that time. However, I would still push your discharge back a little further for now."
"Okay," I mutter in a thin voice. "As I was saying-" Dr. Murphy resumes. "I'd really like to be alone right now," I interrupt him. "Of course," he replies sympathetically. "I'll see you tomorrow morning at rounds."
At that, Dr. Murphy, his assistant, and the psychologist leave the hospital room and go to pull the door shut. "You want to go in here?" Confused, I look to the door that is ajar. From here, I can't tell who is standing in front of the door.
"The patient wants to rest." "I just want to check on her for a minute," I hear Sunghoon's voice. The blood in my veins freezes and I feel that telltale twinge in my chest again.
"Let him in," I say, and before I can reconsider that decision, Sunghoon, wearing a black suit, pushes open the door to my hospital room. His brown eyes are rimmed with dark shadows, which makes me suspect that he hasn't slept particularly well the past few nights.
"Can we leave you two alone?", Dr. Brown explicitly wants to know from me. Presumably, she thinks that Sunghoon is the one who has been beating me up like this... I nod.
Sunghoon closes the door behind him, silencing the sounds in the hallway. The nerve-wracking silence that reigns between us is only drowned out by the faint beeping of the monitor that displays my vital signs.
"What do you want?", I ask. It's hard for me to hide how much it hurts me to see him. On the one hand, I still blame him for my lying here, which is why I should hate him, but on the other hand, I blame him for taking two days to come see me.
Carefully, Sunghoon approaches me before he stops briefly in front of my bed. Although it is visibly difficult for him, he keeps his brown eyes fixed on me. "I barely got a wink of sleep the last few nights," he confirms my suspicions.
"It all happened because you cancelled the contract for no reason at all," I reproach Sunghoon, feeling my eyes fill with tears, which is why my vision blurs a little. "What did I do wrong so that you had to put me in such a position?"
"You didn't do anything wrong," Sunghoon immediately assures me, shaking his head. A tear runs down my cheek. "Then why did you cancel the contract?", I want to know.
"I didn't cancel the contract," Sunghoon replies, confused. "Your father misunderstood. It was impossible to calm him down, he wouldn't listen to me." "Oh...," I make, pressing my lips together.
"I did it for your sake, to give you more time." Sunghoon eyes me. His eyes linger on the monitor displaying my vital signs. "If I had known it was going to turn out like this, I wouldn't have sought out the conversation with your father."
"My mother refuses to turn my father in," I change the subject, not knowing what to say to Sunghoon's words. "I can't go back to that house and live under the same roof with him.... He will kill me."
Tears run down my cheeks. The thought of being released in a few days and living again in the same house as my father, who cannot control his aggression, frightens me.
"Is your mother still with him?", Sunghoon asks visibly shocked. Immediately, I shake my head. "Teresa was able to persuade her to stay at a hotel for a few nights. She refuses to press charges against him. Instead, she denies what he did and defends him from herself. If I'm released, she'll surely want to go home with me," I tell Sunghoon, upset.
"I'm really scared... I don't want to set foot in that house again while he's there.... I also don't want him to take out the anger he feels towards me on my mother." My chest rises and falls erratically and I can feel my heart beating excitedly against my ribs as more tears run down my cheeks.
"Dolores," Sunghoon says seriously, reaching for my chin. A sob escapes my throat and I have a hard time forming a clear thought. "Hey... Calm down." Gently, he brushes the tears from my face with his thumb as his golden eyes bore deep into my green ones.
"I won't let you set foot in that house while he's there. I'll talk to Teresa and your mother, you can stay at my house until this is sorted out."
"I can't ask you to do that," I reply, shaking my head. It doesn't feel right to ask Sunghoon for such a favor after I accused him of being at fault for my father beating me up.
On the other hand, I have no choice, because if I don't accept the offer, I have no choice but to go back home, where both I and my mother and Teresa are at my father's mercy without protection.
"You can and you will," Sunghoon says firmly.
"Okay," I agree quietly, then. "Thank you, Sunghoon."
A/N: Tbh i loved writing this last few lines of this chapter, can't wait till more things happen ;-)