Bridget's eyes, brimming with tears, landed on Sylvia, "I'm sorry, Sylvia. You go ahead. I can hold off a bit longer."
Her lips were bitten hard as she fought back the tears, her gaze flickering towards Rupert now and then.
Sylvia bit her lip and stepped forward, but a firm hand landed on her shoulder, the ruby ring gleaming ominously.
Rupert spoke with a detached tone, "Let Bridget go first."
Sylvia whipped her head around to glare at Rupert.
Bridget gave Rupert a look full of unspoken words, "Thank you. I...I can't seem to move. Could you help me, please?"
Rupert stepped forward and carried Bridget into the examination room.
As the door slowly closed behind them, Bridget turned to flash Sylvia a smile.
It was and would be always Bridget first.
Crumpling the examination order, Sylvia tossed it into the trash bin and walked away. Her hand was fine. The bandage was just a ruse to throw Freya and Bridget off the scent. The examination was merely to appease Rupert.
But now, none of it mattered anymore.
Stepping out of the hospital, Sylvia was greeted by the aftermath of last night's thunderstorm, the sky unbelievably clear. It felt like a rebirth.
Yet, for her, every step was a challenge. Without power or influence, how could she stand against those at the heart of power, when even Naomi and Edwin struggled within the Garcia family?
Sylvia wandered aimlessly until her phone rang. It was her seldom-contacted roommate. Answering immediately, she heard the hesitant breaths on the other end.
Finally, one of them spoke up, "Um...Sylvia, we've found internships, so we might be moving out. We wanted to have a dinner together, but if y-you're...busy, it's okay."
"Do you even know how to talk? You're making it sound like we don't want her there," another roommate interjected.
"Sylvia, that's not what I meant. I just didn't want to impose..."
"Where is it? I'm on my way."
Sylvia’s smile was heartfelt; she could feel her roommates’ kindness.
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