Chapter 58
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Having achieved her goal, Kayla said goodbye to Yellow Spike and sincerely offered her blessing. “That elder will know how worried you are about her. I believe she’ll definitely recover soon.”
Yellow Spike forced a smile. “I hope the same.”
After parting ways with Yellow Spike, Kayla headed straight for the hospital.
When she reached the entrance, she realized it was the same one where Bailee had been treated after her recent car accident.
The memory of that terrifying day sent a shiver through her. If she hadn’t arrived in time to save Bailee, she dared not imagine what would have happened.
She wondered how the other person, the one she’d helped rescue with the ambulance crew that day, was doing now.
Kayla shook her head, pushing the jumble of thoughts aside.
After asking several staff members, she confirmed Payton’s mother was indeed here. Besides, the accident had happened on the same day as Bailee’s, and her injuries were critical.
Lucky for her, she got timely help and was rescued, yet she stayed unconscious, with her life still teetering on the edge.
The drunk driver responsible had died instantly in the crash. The car, a counterfeit vehicle, wasn’t even insured. Payton’s mother would need at least 65,000 dollars for follow–up treatment, and the entire burden had fallen on Payton’s shoulders.
As she listened to this, a heavy feeling settled in Kayla’s chest. She knew a family as poor as Payton’s could never afford 65.000 dollars.
In her previous life, Kayla had been framed by Marianna back then, stuck with the label of a bully, and shunned by the entire school.
To make matters worse, Bailee’s sudden, unexpected death had left her drowning in grief, barely able to take care of herself. She’d never had the chance to learn about Payton’s family troubles.
It wasn’t until she returned to school that she heard Payton’s mother had also passed away.
At the time, she’d thought their fates were somewhat similar: both had become motherless children. But she’d considered herself luckier, because she still had her father and brother.
Payton, however, had lost his father long ago. With his mother gone, he’d become completely orphaned.
Now, looking back, she realized even having a father and brother hadn’t made her luckier.
Payton had no father, but at least he was safe from harm. However, her own father and brother had been among the very people who’d pushed her into the abyss.
As this thought crossed her mind, a mix of firmness and complexity settled in Kayla’s eyes. She’d managed to save her mother from death once. And now, she was determined to do whatever it took to help Payton and keep that tragedy from repeating itself.
**
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hapter 38
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Payton’s footsteps echoed sharply against the hospital corridor’s tile floor. Each step was heavy with worry for his mother in the ward.
Just as he rounded a corner, he collided with Kayla, who was walking toward him. Their eyes met in midair, and both of them froze, stunned.
“Kayla? Why are you here?” Payton spoke first, a slight furrow forming between his brows as confusion filled his eyes.
Kayla’s gaze flickered, then she quickly lifted her wrist, pointing to a tiny, almost invisible scrape and saying. “I… I got hurt, so I came to see a doctor.”
Thank goodness, at least she had this minor injury to fall back on as an excuse. She tried to keep her voice calm and distant, afraid Payton might detect something off.
But Payton’s doubt only deepened when he heard this.
He remembered how badly Kayla had been hurt before and that she’d refused to go to the hospital, only tending to her wounds with simple first aid.
