Chapter 32

The doctor's voice bounced off the empty hallway walls.

Filled with anger, he wondered why a girl as fragile as a flower had to go through such hell.

Rape, sexual assault, and the most lethal of all, forced drug injections-if this incident were fully exposed, what kind of trauma would it cause to Lally and to society as a whole?

"Dr. Gonzalez, the victim's case is confidential and can't be shared." Benjamin walked in from the ER corridor and asked, "What's the status?"

It seemed like the doctor, Bruce Gonzalez, and Benjamin knew each other.

"The immediate danger's over. She's still out cold, though. They pumped her full of morphine-like drugs. She might wake up in a few hours, or it could take a day. Even when she does wake up, she'll need to be in the ICU for a bit."

"Let the family know first. If anything changes, it'll be easier for them to sign the papers. Someone should handle the admission stuff." Bruce gave a few instructions and then got busy.

After walking Bruce out a few steps, Benjamin turned back and said, "I'll take care of the admission stuff in a bit."

"Has Lally's family been told?" I asked.

"No family, she's on her own." Benjamin pushed open the emergency exit door, lit a cigarette, and said, "While we were looking into Duke, we checked on Lally too. She's an orphanage kid."

"Both are the same age, born in '97, high school grads. They've been working together for years. Ruben went to the Entertainment Club this afternoon to check things out. Lally's been there for years, one of the longest employees. Other staff said she's nice, hardworking, but her boyfriend was bad news. She often had bruises. They told her to dump Duke, but she never did."

With that, Benjamin took a deep drag on his cigarette and slowly blew out a thin stream of smoke, "So, it makes sense. Two people leaning on each other, and Duke got hooked on drugs, dragging Lally down with him."

"Mr. Wright, about the video of Lally online today..." Zoey, who had been quiet, hesitated.

"The right people blocked it in time. Until we know more, public opinion will just make things worse and hurt the victim." Benjamin flicked away the cigarette butt and said, "I'll have someone from the team come over to watch her. It's late, you two should head home. You've worked hard today, especially you, Zoey. It's your first big scene as an intern. Go home and get some rest. From the Silverlight City Legal Journal's perspective, it's been a productive day."

"No need, Zoey, you go rest first. I'll stay here tonight," I said slowly.

"Mrs. Smith, I'll stay with you." Zoey quickly refused, tugging my sleeve, "I can write the article here."

"Listen, you go home first. It's been a long day, and the article can wait. Just get it to me by tomorrow night. As for the angle..."

Before I could finish, Zoey said without hesitation, "Let's write about Lally this time, from the victim's perspective, highlighting the dangers of drugs. This will address today's public opinion and align with the recent anti-drug campaign. I'll use pseudonyms for her name and background."

"Good." I felt proud. Zoey's choice of topics was getting better, not because of my guidance, but because of her own talent and hard work.

After some convincing, Zoey finally left the hospital, glancing back every few steps.

"Nancy, I didn't bring up Alan in front of Zoey. Why are you staying here tonight? Lally's perjury can be looked into later. It's the police's job to protect her. You've been here all afternoon; you don't need to stay another night. Go get some rest. I'll let you know as soon as she wakes up." Benjamin frowned and hesitated, "Or, I can have Cindy stay with you for a couple of days. You two were college roommates and get along well."

"No need." I shook my head and sat on a chair in the hallway, saying, "I'm not staying just to ask a few questions. I want to know why she did it and hear her story."

The moment she crouched in the corner, I knew I would never forget it.

To be so abused, forcibly injected with such a large dose of drugs, she should have completely lost self-awareness from a physiological standpoint. Yet, she still instinctively protected Duke.

Ignorant love wouldn't have such strong power in the face of life and death. What kind of bond did they share?

Moreover, when Benjamin mentioned the orphanage, I suddenly thought of Alan, who also grew up in an orphanage, and felt a natural sense of closeness.

I wanted to stay and watch her wake up, understand the truth behind the perjury, and then help her amend her testimony and live a normal life. This world was too cruel to the unfortunate. And I didn't want to see her get hurt again.

Benjamin didn't say anything more. We went to the ICU together, got a detailed update from the doctor, and soon after, the police station called, and he left.

I moved a chair and sat by Lally's bed. From the last time in court, to this afternoon at the Entertainment Club, to now, this was the third time we met. To be precise, it was the third time I saw her.

The large ICU was empty, just the two of us. Lally lay by the window.

For her, it might be a long-lost peace. This disaster, which might bring a huge change to her future, at least at this moment, allowed her to enjoy a moment of tranquility.

It was very quiet. Having just escaped from the clutches of death, her breathing was steady and smooth. If I listened closely, I could hear faint breathing sounds. I felt a sense of pity, even thinking it might be better if she stayed asleep. Waking up would mean facing this terrible world again.

The world had never changed; it was just our perspective that differed, like camera filters showing the same moon in different ways. I used to scoff at this, believing one must eventually come out of illusions.

But at this moment, I hoped she would sleep a little longer.

Even if she committed perjury, even if she harbored many secrets, I wasn't so heartless as to harbor immense hatred for everyone related to my husband.

She lay quietly on the hospital bed, eyes tightly shut, her face as pale as ever. The wound on her forehead was bandaged, and the bruises on her cheeks remained.

Lally was very delicate, simple, youthful, giving a feeling of a gentle breeze, an inexplicable sense of closeness.

Suddenly, I remembered her last words before she fainted, "Hospital... costs... go home."

What had life done to her? After every hardship, did she go home to lie in bed and endure it alone?

As I was thinking, her eyebrows twitched slightly. She woke up.